Preparing agricultural leaders: an assessment of agricultural students’ perceived importance and development of employability skills

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ABSTRACT Purpose We sought to determine the perceived importance and development of agricultural students’ employability skills, and the factors and experiences that influence their development. Design/Methodology/Approach We used a cross-sectional survey research design and conducted a census of Texas A&M University College of Agriculture and Life Sciences students by distributing a researcher-developed instrument to all students following the tailored design method. We collected 991 usable responses. Findings Students believed communication and decision-making skills were most important, but their teamwork skills and self-management skills were most developed. Seven types of professional experiences significantly and positively influenced students’ perceived development of employability skills. Students who knew the type of career they wanted to pursue believed their employability skills were statistically significantly better developed than students who did not. Practical implications Agricultural educators should help students identify career interests early in their academic pursuit and encourage their participation in professional experiences to improve their perceived employability skills development. Theoretical implications Increased frequency of participating in teamwork, leadership, project management, community engagement, cross-disciplinary, international, and internship experiences can increase agricultural students’ perceived general human capital. Knowledge regarding the type of career they want to pursue can also increase perceived human capital. Originality/Value We identified novel characteristics of agricultural students across academic departments and at varying levels of their degree program.