Abstract
The purpose of this paper was to provide empirical evidence of the impact of quality assurance in higher education on two relevant higher education outcomes; students’ knowledge, skills, and competencies; and their employability. Survey data were collected from two major Romanian public universities and analyzed using a partial least-squares structural equations modeling (PLS-SEM) technique. The main results suggested that students’ competencies were positively and directly influenced by the quality of the educational process, as well as the practical and research activities. The students’ chances of employment in the labor market were positively and directly influenced only by the quality of the educational process and by the research activities. Indirect influences were also revealed. The findings of the study may be shown to have theoretical implications by proposing a model that links the features of quality management in higher education institutions with students’ competencies and chances of employment in the labor market. From a practical perspective, the results may be of interest to higher education policy makers, to evaluation and accreditation institutions, to universities, and also to students.
Highlights
In recent decades, as Polyakova [1] states, globalization and the process of simultaneous national, international, and multicultural integration have affected all areas of life, including political, social, economic, and educational aspects
In Romania, there are still concerns in this respect, which is evidenced by the existence of projects, such as the Sectorial Operational Program Human Resources Development 2007–2013 [7], which has a priority axis (Priority Axis 2) on the “Correlation of lifelong learning with the labor market,” aiming to improve the process of insertion into the labor market of students and the development of some competencies that correlate with the requirements that exist in the labor market
Regarding master’s students, 51.09% of them were enrolled in the first year and 48.91% were enrolled in the second year
Summary
As Polyakova [1] states, globalization and the process of simultaneous national, international, and multicultural integration have affected all areas of life, including political, social, economic, and educational aspects. In a world in which globalization is a central element, transversal competencies are fundamental in all areas of professional activity [2], since they nuance and strengthen professional competencies [3], and it is vital for every citizen to use his transversal competencies in an international context [4]. These competencies have become key elements in any field, because they highlight the performance of a person. In Romania, there are still concerns in this respect, which is evidenced by the existence of projects, such as the Sectorial Operational Program Human Resources Development 2007–2013 [7], which has a priority axis (Priority Axis 2) on the “Correlation of lifelong learning with the labor market,” aiming to improve the process of insertion into the labor market of students and the development of some competencies that correlate with the requirements that exist in the labor market
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