Accounting Students' and Employers' Perceptions on Employability Skills in the SEE Country

Atanasko Atanasovski,Marina Trpeska,Zorica Bozinovska Lazarevska

doi:10.18267/j.efaj.214

Abstract

Accounting education at the university level in developing SEE countries has often been criticised for the inability to develop essential skills of graduates necessary for a career in professional accountancy in the 21st century. Our research study presents the results of a survey among students enrolled to an accounting degree program and employers for their perceived importance of a wide range of generic and technical skills for successful entrance to the profession. The study also investigated perceived effectiveness of the university accounting education to develop important skills at an appropriate level. The results indicated agreement between the two respondent groups in respect of the greater importance of generic skills, where students gave more weight to personal skills of time management, good presentation and characteristics of self-confidence, motivation and self-promotion. Employers valued more oral communication, knowledge of foreign languages, ethical attitude and credibility and commitment to life-long learning. The employers and students agreed that education process and program need improvements in order to allow for better development of technical and generic skills among successful graduates.

Highlights

It has been argued that the transition of young people from school to work has become longer, complex and more difficult
A number of studies, majority of them done in countries with welldeveloped education systems such as US, UK or Australia, have provided evidence of inappropriate quality of accounting graduates and perceptions by professionals for the accounting education being outdated or irrelevant for the market (Albrecht and Sack, 2000; De Lange, Jackling, and Gut, 2006; Gabbin, 2002)
The study focused on skills and knowledge sets considered important for the accounting-related workplace by two interested groups for accounting education, accounting students and employers

Summary

Introduction

It has been argued that the transition of young people from school to work has become longer, complex and more difficult. Educators and policy makers in Europe recognise the significance of higher education for the development of modern knowledge-based societies and economies, where universities will produce highly skilled and mobile workers who can deal with dynamic and complex needs of a modern workplace (Andrews and Higson, 2008). Albrecht and Sack (2000) highlighted the technological innovation, trend towards global business environment and concentration of power in certain investors as major developments that will influence accountants. These trends strengthened the importance of generic skills in addition to technical skills traditionally taught and expected from accountants. A number of studies, majority of them done in countries with welldeveloped education systems such as US, UK or Australia, have provided evidence of inappropriate quality of accounting graduates and perceptions by professionals for the accounting education being outdated or irrelevant for the market (Albrecht and Sack, 2000; De Lange, Jackling, and Gut, 2006; Gabbin, 2002)

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