Relations between graduates’ learning experiences and employment outcomes: a cautionary note for institutional performance indicators

Abstract

Higher education broadly assumes a conceptual link between generic skills and employability. We accessed a large sample of data collected by the Australian Government to investigate whether the Course Experience Questionnaire (CEQ) subscales Good Teaching (GTS), Graduate Skills (GSS), and Graduate Qualities (GQS) predicted graduates’ employment status, overall course satisfaction, and decisions to take further studies. GTS was found to predict graduates’ overall course satisfaction; however, GSS and GQS scales combined predicted negligible increases in employment outcomes. Our findings highlight the imperative for higher education leaders to critically examine discourse about the link between employability skills and employment outcomes.