Employability Skills Of Students Research Articles

Measuring the mediating role of quality education for ensuring employability skills: An analysis of higher education student perception in Bangladesh.

The present study employs a quantitative approach to measure the student perception of the direct and mediating effect of quality education for ensuring employability skills in higher education students of Bangladesh. The study was conducted on 154 undergraduate and graduate students at a Private University in Bangladesh, through a cross-sectional survey using a structured data questionnaire. The multilevel measurement and structural model, which was based on the constructs of quality education, employability skills of students, course structure, institutional policy, and physical aspects, was analysed using Partial Least Squares modelling with SmartPLS 4. The aim was to identify the employability skills that are present among higher education students in Bangladesh through student perception and explore the mediating role of quality education in shaping these skills. The findings suggest a significant gap between the skills taught in private universities, and the industry requirements of Bangladesh, which highlights the urgency for administrators and policy-makers to act fast. physical aspects have a positive influence on quality education and employability skills, but course structure and policy show less direct impact. Moreover, quality education is a crucial mediator for only the factors that match a direct effect. This proves that higher education students in Bangladesh may not have acquired the technical knowledge required by the industry. However, the present study was conducted on undergraduate and graduate students at a single private university, thus acknowledging the need to diversify the population sample in future studies for enhanced generalizability. The implications of these results extend to educational policymakers, institutions, and stakeholders, therefore emphasizing the need for curriculum enhancement, industry-academia collaboration, and policy reforms.

Methods of Applying Employability Skills to Students with Special Education Needs in Shah Alam Vocational Special Education Secondary School

The qualitative case study presents how to implement employability soft skills among special education needs students at Shah Alam Vocational Special Education Secondary School. This study explores howteachersimplementemployabilityskillsforStudentswith Special Educational Needs (SEN). This study uses a qualitative case study to examinetheapplicationoftheemployabilityskillsofSENatShahAlam Vocational Special Secondary Schools. Conducted with the approval of theInformationManagementDivision&EducationPolicyPlanningand Research Division of the Ministry of Education Malaysia, Special EducationDivision,ShahAlamVocationalSpecialEducationSecondary School and teachers who teach at Shah Alam Vocational Special EducationHighSchool.Thisresearchinvolvedin-depthinterviewsand observations with teachers to gain insight into applying SEN employability skills. The research results suggest that providing SEN with cooperative learning, democratic classrooms, and motivational strategies is better for acquiring the skills needed for future employment. The study underlines the urgency of implementing hands-on and experiential learning orinternships to make SEN job-ready.Asaresult,thestudy addsnewknowledgeabout whatworksin education to build employability skills for students with special educational needs.

Self-efficacy in communication and employability skills of English language students

The majority of the relevant studies have concentrated on identifying the potential employable abilities of Bachelor of Arts in English Language (BAEL) students in general rather than the employability skills of BA English Language graduates. Hence, it is important to know also what are the employable skills of the BAEL graduates in order to determine the areas of workplace they are to be employed in. This study aims to know the self-efficacy of BAEL students in oral, written, computer-mediated communication and the important employability skills of BAEL undergraduate students. The study is quantitative in nature, and a descriptive survey approach was employed to ascertain the respondents' employability skills in the various fields. The researcher used Google Forms for the survey questionnaire. The study revealed that the self-efficacy of the BA English Language fourth year undergraduate students had a positive opinion of their own skill efficacy. The English language students can handle themselves in company especially when interacting in small groups. They can carry out written communication tasks and also electronically assisted tasks. On the other hand, BAEL students have potentials to be employed in various industries. The researcher advised the students to be readily accepted in various fields in the workplace after graduation. Teachers and curriculum/policy makers were suggested to create learning interventions that can enhance the employability of the students in the various areas of English communication.

Vocational competence, social skills, and employability skills of Chinese vocational colleges students

Vocational competence, social skills, and employability skills of Chinese vocational colleges students

Academic self-efficacy, career development learning, and employability skills of Chinese university students

Academic self-efficacy, career development learning, and employability skills of Chinese university students

Using a Simulated Employer Project to Enhance Student Employability Skills in a Tertiary Level Language Course

Recent reports highlighted that new graduates are still not meeting the expertise requirements of the industry, and with the increased use of AI tools, such as ChatGPT, there are also growing concerns that tertiary level students’ development of their knowledge and skills may be affected. Over the years, various strategies have been developed to address the expertise gap, such as internship and apprenticeship programmes, seminars, bootcamps, etc. The Employer Project (EP) is one such effort implemented at a private higher education institution in Malaysia, where students analyse and solve business case studies or industry-relevant problems given by the partnering employers. These EPs are mapped to the course learning outcomes; therefore, finding and implementing suitable EPs that would match an English language course’ learning outcomes has been challenging. This paper discusses a case study where the EP model is simulated for a degree-level Business English course assignment, involving an industry partner who has over 30 over years of industry experience. The assignment spanning across 11 weeks is based on a case study developed by the industry partner. After the students’ face-to-face presentation session with the industry partner, a survey was conducted to gather their feedback. A preliminary text analysis revealed that while many of the students felt nervous while presenting to the industry partner, they found the session very enjoyable and helpful to their knowledge development. An interview with the industry partner revealed some areas of focus and suggestions to reduce the expertise gap. The implications include how EPs can make a degree-level language course more relevant in developing employability skills and how EPs can mitigate the negative impacts of AI tools in the language course.

Examining the Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Student Employability Skills - an Employer’s Perspective

Like most university learners, students in the Department of Pure and Applied Chemistry at the University of Strathclyde, experienced hybrid learning environments from March 2020 transitioning into hybrid approaches for the full academic year 21/22. As students who were in the early years of their programme at this time, and experienced a shift from traditional education practices are soon to graduate, a short research project was undertaken to better understand the perception of employers on the impact of remote and hybrid learning on current, and future, graduate skills, and competencies. Several employers in the chemical industries were surveyed to rate changes in their perception of, and importance of, key graduate skills and competencies after the pandemic. In general, it was shown that the employers responding to this survey did not show concern about the level of personal, professional, and higher-level cognitive skills developed by students working in remote/hybrid environments during the pandemic. A gap in practical skills was acknowledged as indicated by employers’ viewing students as being less skilled in this area, however the skills gap was not thought to be important with regards to employability. Additionally, employers indicated an increased importance on a student’s ability to develop and demonstrate basic personal and professional skills including communication, collaboration, interpersonal/networking, autonomy, self-management, and resilience. The research suggests programme leaders creating or modifying curricula should place attention on the development of these skills and competencies to ensure students are self-led to successfully transition into the workplace.

Development of a hybrid teaching factory model based on school governance in improving employability skills of vocational students

This research aims to develop a framework for a hybrid teaching factory model that combines face-to-face and online learning with information and communication technology to improve employability skills in the new normal era. The research method uses the ADDIE Research and Development model, which consists of five stages: analysis, design, development, implementation, and evaluation. The research was conducted in several vocational high schools in DKI Jakarta Region, Indonesia. The findings in the research prove that the implementation of hybrid learning has an impact on students and teachers. Hybrid learning teaching factory is proven to be able to overcome frustrations and limitations between teachers and students in the learning process through online facilities, making teaching factory learning more innovative because there are variations of learning to interact and discuss, and making the classroom atmosphere conducive because students become happy and active in learning and skilled in working. The success of a hybrid teaching factory is considered mutually beneficial for both students and teachers who complete one of the teaching factory learning curriculums while industry instructors develop and work on collaborative platforms that provide useful services such as augmented reality and virtual reality-based applications.

Challenging 21st-Century Competencies for STEM Students: Companies’ Vision in Slovenia and Norway in the Light of Global Initiatives for Competencies Development

Rapid technological innovations are changing the jobs that Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) students are employed in after completing their education. Therefore, employers are looking for applicants with skills beyond the specialised professional competencies that can be acquired in the chosen subjects during formal education. Higher education institutions (HEIs) have an important role to play in this process, as they endeavour to equip graduates with the skills and knowledge for future jobs. Our study aims to identify the key competencies that Slovenian and Norwegian companies expect from graduates of selected STEM degree programmes in both countries. Based on these findings, the participating HEIs can tailor their degree programmes to the employability requirements of companies. This study first analysed European and international recommendations and initiatives relevant to skills development in STEM employment and education. We selected 30 key competencies and included them in the questionnaires in which companies’ human resources managers (HRMs) defined their attitudes towards employability skills in the future. We focused on companies employing graduates of the Ecotechnologies and Civil and Environmental Engineering programmes of the participating HEIs. The analysis of the results showed that companies in the two countries have different attitudes towards skills. Four competencies were identified as more important in both countries: (i) management and design of processes, technologies, and people’s work, (ii) adaptation to changes, (iii) ability to manage uncertainty, and (iv) innovation. Based on the analysis, we have developed a framework of ten employability skills for STEM students. In addition, this study provides the basis for operating a decision support system (DSS) to monitor the development of students’ competencies. The DSS is being developed as part of the RESPO-VI project supported by the Norway Grants to better match the skills of STEM students as future job seekers with the needs of potential employers. The study’s results will also help other formal and non-formal education adapt their curricula and thus reduce the employability skill gaps between current STEM education and future labour market needs.

Second Language Proficiency, Learning Strategies, and Employability Skills in Undergraduate Student

The present study hopes to investigate a comprehension of the relationship between second language proficiency, language strategies and the employability skills of undergraduate students. Though limited in the number, the studies conducted with respect to the topic under discussion in the current study show that there is a strong relationship between second language proficiency, language learning strategies and employability skills of undergraduate learners. Raising students awareness regarding their proficiency and strategies might make them not only more prepared for learning but also more analytic about their learning proficiency and the strategies they make use of it. Employability skills are those personal and daily living habits that have been identify employers and young entry level workers as essential for obtaining employment and for success in the work place. Language fluency plays a vital role in deciding the learning strategies as well in the job market. The current study focus on employability skills undergraduate students as it is high time to study their skills and enhance their skills as education is development of all round personality.

Breaking Stereotype in the Development of Employability Skills Using Flexible Learning and Pedagogical Tools: A Multiple Study of Business Schools

The study sought to explore students’ and teachers' perspectives on the development of 21st-century employability skills for business students in four different countries through flexible learning pedagogical tools and approaches. Notwithstanding the notable successes recorded in the field of flexible learning over the years, some people are still wondering about the effectiveness of these teaching and learning tools when compared to students being on campus for studies. This study helps to establish the importance of flexible learning pedagogical tools in the development of employability skills for students in business schools across four different continents. The current study argues that flexible learning pedagogical tools should be paid more attention to by higher education providers to encourage and deepen students' learning experience in business schools. The study has shown that some pedagogical tools are more effective in the flexible learning environment than the traditional universities, due to the level of acceptability by the students and academics sampled for this study. Moreover, the use of pedagogical tools such as lectures, class debates, group projects, case studies, internships, technology-embedded tools such as smartphones or iPads, multiple-choice tests, essay tests and term papers were found to be effective and fit for purpose by most of the participants. They linked the level of effectiveness to the employability skills they offer along with factors such as students’ preferences, learning styles, prior learning, motivation, academic choice based on their previous experiences or willingness to deliver certain pedagogical tools, assessment methods, learning cultural aspects and the backgrounds of both academics and students along with where the learning is taking place. It identifies the key tools used within a flexible learning environment such as lectures and especially videos of lectures uploaded on Moodle for the students to access at any time and anywhere (accessibility of learning materials). The study findings revealed role play, case studies, class discussion, group projects, guest speakers, internships, MCQs/essays/term papers, reading, and homework were efficient post-COVID learning in fostering 21st-century employability skills for business students. Also, due to the flexible nature of teaching and learning technology embedded tools such as social media, mobile devices, games, and simulation are becoming more and more popular and adopted by various academics in their teaching pedagogy. The effectiveness of the learning and teaching tools relies on the employability skills undergraduate students develop during their studies. Most of the students and academics sampled for this study were satisfied with the delivery of the course delivery and the level of employability skills developed from them. The main challenge of educators is to identify the key link between pedagogical tools and employability skills they develop and utilise to promote 21st-century graduate skill sets. The current research project confirmed that the flexible learning approach leverages the benefits of pedagogy and learning technology to offer an engaging, educative, and bespoke learning experience that assists business students to realise their potential. It is recommended that learning providers construct and evaluate learning infrastructures, policies, and practices to provide inclusive and accessible learning opportunities that promote successful learner engagement and belonging, to guarantee a positive experience in business schools.

"Cultivating Employability Skills in MBA Students: Navigating Towards a Renewed India"

"Cultivating Employability Skills in MBA Students: Navigating Towards a Renewed India"

The Impact of Task-Based Approach through Interdisciplinary Learning for Fostering Employability Skills among Technical Students

With the increasing need for a workforce with diverse skill sets, educational institutions face the challenge of inventing teaching techniques that transcend disciplinary limits and foster crucial skills for career success. Task-Based Approach employs in creating and executing educational activities that revolve around real-world tasks, promoting a dynamic learning atmosphere. In contrast, Interdisciplinary Learning places emphasis on merging various disciplines to tackle challenges and find solutions. This study investigates the efficacy of using a Task-Based Approach (TBA) within an interdisciplinary classroom to foster the employability skills of students. This study also adds to the current discussion about teaching methods that ready students for prosperous careers in a professional environment that is more interconnected and complex. This research adopts a quantitative approach, where an online questionnaire distributed via Google Forms to assess the effectiveness of the Task-Based Approach in an Interdisciplinary classroom. The study examines a sample size of 760 technical students from selected colleges in Madhya Pradesh. The statistical technique employed for analysis is Multiple Linear Regression in the SPSS software version 2023, enabling the exploration of correlations and variations among independent and dependent variables. Overall, this study underscores the significance of implementing Task-Based methodology through an Interdisciplinary learning in nurturing employability skills among technical students, thereby making a meaningful contribution to their personal and professional success.

Pengembangan Instrumen Kecakapan Kerja Mahasiswa (Rasch Model Analisis)

Employability Skills for College Students in University are an asset that can bring students closer to being ready to enter the world of work. Employability Skill can be interpreted as a series of characteristics including knowledge, attitudes, and skills that make a person capable of being trained. To get a general trend or a long work profile students need an instrument to reveal these variables. This study aims to develop employability skill instruments that are psychometrically tested both in terms of validity testing and instrument reliability testing using the RASCH model analysis method. The research instrument has been tested on 728 people. The results showed that from testing the instrument's validity using the RASCH model analysis on Outfit MNSQ, Outfit ZSTD, and Pt Measure Corr, of the 54 items developed, a total of 48 items met psychometric standards. The instrument's reliability on Cronbach's alpha value is in very good criteria, even in terms of reliability a person is in the very good category, and item reliability is in the special category. Therefore, the student employability skills instrument meets psychometric requirements and can be used as an instrument to measure student employability skills.

Graduate employability skills of business students: the moderating role of reflective practices

PurposeThe purpose of this study is to examine the moderating effect of the reflective practice of business students on how it helps to develop their employability skills through various university strategies.Design/methodology/approachThe study employed a simple random sample to select undergraduate level 400 students from the Universities under study (the University of Ghana, University of Professional Studies Ghana, Lancaster University Ghana and Webster University Ghana). Only final-year students with an informed judgement on the reflective practice and various institutional practices to acquire graduate employability skills were participated. The independent variables of the study are institutional strategies (curriculum design, extra curriculum, work-integrated learning, career development centre, university collaboration with the industry, student engagement, internship job placement), the moderator is the reflective practice and the dependent variable of the study is graduate employability.FindingsThe study found that the moderation role of reflective practice had a significant effect on institutional strategies (extracurriculum, career development centre, university collaboration with the industry, student engagement and internship job placement) and graduate employability.Research limitations/implicationsThe study was limited to only undergraduate business students from four universities ignoring other disciplines and postgraduate students.Practical implicationsThe practical implication is that reflective practice must be an integral tool for various universities if they want students to use their strategies to sharpen their employability skills.Social implicationsThe social implications of the study emphasise the reflective practice of graduate students in universities. This implies that firms and other institutions must consider reflective practice for the maximum output of their employees.Originality/valueThe concept of employability is a bit complex as it concerns many stakeholders of the educational process; the students, academic staff, employers, policymakers and higher education; the private sector; and the government. Although examining students' employability development skills is of great importance, students' reflective practice tends to be overlooked in most studies. Therefore, the focus of this study examines how the reflective practice of graduate students promotes employability through the various university strategies, which had not been considered.

The Contribution of Indonesian International Student Mobility Awards (IISMA) on the Development of Employability Skills of Undergraduate Students in Indonesia

Indonesia has the second highest youth unemployment rate among all ten ASEAN countries according to The World Bank Data in 2021, with 12% of the total unemployment rate dominated by bachelor graduates. One of the reasons behind youth unemployment in Indonesia is the mismatch between the skills possessed by university students and the labor market skills demand, referred to as the "skill gap." Experts believe that such a high number of youth unemployment is often linked to the failure of educational institutions to develop graduates with employability skills. Moreover, the skills gap is also associated with globalization in the 21st century, followed by new government regulations that ease hiring foreign workers in Indonesia. In this era, Indonesian graduates have to compete with employees from foreign countries, thus making international and multicultural knowledge desired by companies. To tackle these challenges posed by globalization and the quality of education, many higher education and government institutions are implementing one of the most prominent forms of internalization, international student mobility programs, hoping to prepare bachelor graduates to be more competitive internationally. In 2021, the Indonesian government displayed its effort to prepare Indonesian graduates to possess valuable workplace skills in the 21st century through funded international student mobility, namely IISMA (Indonesian International Student Mobility Awards). However, despite the enormous efforts of implementing the program, there are still many contra-arguments from higher education institutions and Indonesian society regarding the contribution of IISMA in developing the employability skills of undergraduate students. This study is aimed to identify the contribution of IISMA di developing the employability skills of undergraduate students in Indonesia and to see whether it has a difference with the development of employability skills in regular Indonesian undergraduate programs. This study used a qualitative approach using semi-structured interviews with the interviewees from Universitas Indonesia, Institut Teknologi Bandung, and Universitas Gadjah Mada, who completed an IISMA program in 2021 and 2022. The study discovered that most employability skills desired by companies are mainly developed during the IISMA program compared to an undergraduate program in Indonesia.

Pengaruh Pembelajaran Online terhadap Employability skill Mahasiswa Fakultas Teknik Universitas Negeri GorontaloPengaruh Pembelajaran Online terhadap Employability Skill Mahasiswa Fakultas Teknik Universitas Negeri Gorontalo

This study aims to determine the effect of online learning on the employability skills of students of the Faculty of Engineering, State University of Gorontalo. The method used in this study is a quantitative correlational method. Correlation research is research that aims to determine whether there is a relationship between two or more variables. In this study, data processing was carried out using SPSS version 25.0. The sample of this research was 177 students from class of 2017, Faculty of Engineering, State University of Gorontalo. Research data collection techniques using a questionnaire. Analysis prerequisite tests include normality tests, linearity tests, and multicollinearity tests. Hypothesis testing includes simple regression analysis. The results of the study show: There is a significant effect of online learning on the employability skills of students of the Faculty of Engineering, State University of Gorontalo by 2.8%.

Investigating the impact of experiential learning on employability skill development and employment outcomes: a UK case study of MBA students from the Indian Subcontinent

ABSTRACT Global economic events have had a profound effect upon both businesses and the available workforce. Industries need a more skilful and advanced labour market and individuals who complete tertiary-level education are afforded better protection against economic uncertainties. Consequently, demand for higher education worldwide is growing, due to a rising number of globally mobile students. However, return on investment is important and curriculums offering employability enhancement and work opportunities are motivating factors when international students make their study decisions. This paper details one UK university’s approach to enhancing international student employability skills and employment outcomes, using a 3-day experiential learning residential on an MBA programme. Employing a survey design, the research investigates the benefits of this residential to 182 international MBA students (all from the Indian subcontinent region). The findings report that the international students developed key employability skills via the residential which significantly increased their propensity to obtain subsequent employment. The results of this paper provide much needed insight into improving both the employability skills and employment outcomes of international students, especially students from the Indian subcontinent, via immersive experiential learning activities.

The Effectiveness of Curriculum Review in Improving Quality, Relevance, and Students’ Employability in University Education in Uganda

The study examined the relationship between curriculum review and students’ employability in the faculty of science at Kyambogo University, Uganda. The population comprised of lecturers in the faculty of science and the sample size consisted of 66 full time lecturers. The specific objective of the study was to assess the relationship between curriculum review and students’ employability. Curriculum review was assessed regarding its relevance in developing professional skills, personal skills, and interpersonal skills as important employability skills for students. Quantitative results revealed that there is a positive statistically significant correlation between curriculum review and students’ employability (Professional skills r= 0.766, p=.0.001; Personal skills r=0.596, p=0.356; interpersonal skills, r=0.349, p=0.497). Regression analysis indicated that curriculum review (β = 0.75, P = 0.00) < 0.05) had a strong positive significant effect on students’ employability. Qualitative results revealed that curriculum review is one of the strategies of quality assurance at the programme level; participation of key stakeholders in the curriculum review ensures the quality and relevance of the curriculum; and financial facilitation of curriculum review process motivates higher levels of output. It is therefore recommended that: the University financially facilitates curricula reviews so that key stakeholders get involved to improve the quality and relevance of curricula; Kyambogo University should collaborate and develop partnerships with industries to improve educational innovation, University technology, and promote knowledge transfer from university to industry and society, and consequently enhance students’ employability.

A multidisciplinary STEM and liberal arts students-as-partners project promoted the development of employability skills and embodied partnership values

Few studies have explored student perceptions of participating in STEM multidisciplinary students-as-partners (SaP) projects integrated into the curriculum. We conducted content analysis on focus groups to determine partner perceptions of a STEM and liberal arts SaP project and used a mixed methods concurrent triangulation design to explore the degree to which partners thought the underpinning SaP values had been enacted. Four staff and seven students participated in the study. Perceptions of the project were aligned to four themes: outstanding student experience, development of student employability skills, a transformative change in the student-to-staff relationship, and barriers to success and enabling strategies. Qualitative and quantitative data indicated strong inclusion of the partnership values. This paper provides new insights into STEM and liberal arts SaP projects, indicating they may be well-suited to the embodiment of the underpinning SaP values, and help students prepare for the world of work.