Employability Skills Of Graduates Research Articles

Employability skills in architecture and design: toward bridging the gap between academia and practice for Saudi women employees

PurposeThe role of women in the architecture and design industry is aligned with Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030, which aims to increase the participation of women in the Saudi construction sector. Saudi female graduates from architectural and design schools are currently working in most of the mega projects underway in Riyadh; however, they face certain challenges at the beginning of their working lives due to the gap between the skills acquired during an architectural and design education and those needed for employability.Design/methodology/approachThis study evaluates the employability skills of Saudi female cooperative education (COOP) students and graduates from architectural schools in Riyadh. A quantitative approach is taken, and two questionnaires are administered: one for female COOP students and graduates from the college of architecture and design in one of the private universities in Riyadh and the other for employers from different architectural firms and governmental organizations in Riyadh. Descriptive and inferential statistics were used to analyze the research data.FindingsThe research findings suggest that practical experiences and on-site observation activities should be provided, and sustainability solutions and applications should be incorporated into the curriculum to bring architecture education closer to the architectural profession and highlight the role of universities in supporting graduates' skills development.Research limitations/implicationsIt is worth mentioning that the results of this study were based on the survey distributed to architecture and interior female students in a private university in Saudi Arabia. The number of students surveyed in this study is not large enough to generalize the survey results to the entire population of architecture and interior design students in the kingdom and in the world. The study will be extended to include more participants from male and female students in other universities in Saudi Arabia to investigate the gaps in employability skills in the field of architecture and interior design in the Kingdom.Practical implicationsThe study has practical and policy implications for further development and upcoming challenges as the labor market seems to improve and innovate every day. The study suggests providing practical experiences and onsite observation activities and incorporating sustainability solutions and applications into the curriculum.Originality/valueThe originality of this study is that it focuses on the importance of some employability skills, such as research and budgeting aspects, Sustainability solutions and applications for students that have not been mentioned in the previous studies.

Empowering Student from Low Socio-Economic Background in Financial Accounting with 21st Century Graduate Employability Skills

Empowering Student from Low Socio-Economic Background in Financial Accounting with 21st Century Graduate Employability Skills

The nexus of work integrated learning and skills among engineering students in Nigerian Universities: A structural equation model approach

Higher education providers have redefined their focus to include work-integrated learning (WIL) as an alternative way to prepare graduates for professional and future employment. Although WIL was designed to enhance graduates' work readiness, there is little evidence that the program supports the development of behavioural and employability competencies among participating students. Thus, this study aims to predict the effect of WIL through the partial least square path model on seven employability competencies. The sample consisted of 375 final-year engineering students from two Nigerian universities who had participated in a WIL program. A two-stage composite-based structural equation modelling was used to analyse the data. The average variance extracted and Heterotrait-Monotrait ratio were used to establish the validity and reliability of the instruments. A structural model was used to test the hypothetical constructs' relationship and level of significance. The findings supported all hypothesized direct relationships that WIL enhances graduate employability skills. The study concludes that WIL has immense benefits for students, including developing employability skills (i.e., Analytical, adaptability, communication, fundamental, ICT, interpersonal, and 4IR skillsets) for future employment. Consequently, it was recommended that higher education providers strengthen and establish frameworks for effective work-integrated learning program to enhance graduate employability.

Employability Skills of TVET Hotel Graduates in Hotel Sector: Qualitative Study

Employability Skills of TVET Hotel Graduates in Hotel Sector: Qualitative Study

EMPLOYABILITY SKILLS FOR GRADUATES TO JOIN THE BANKING SECTOR IN PAKISTAN

This study aims to identify the employability skills of graduates passionate to join the banking industry in Pakistan. Eleven factors related to employability skills are included explicit knowledge, tacit knowledge, hard skills, soft skills, intellectual abilities, physical abilities, conscientiousness, agreeableness, emotional stability, openness, and extroversion. Managers are requested to indicate the importance of these skills for graduates willing to join the banking industry and share their satisfaction related to the tasks done by the fresh banking graduates under their supervision. The study uses Mean, Standard deviation, One Sample T-test and Coefficient of variation to rank each skill by managers. Results of the study reveal that 'openness', 'tacit knowledge and 'consciousness' ranked in the top three positions as far as the employability skills required in the banking sector, where as 'physical ability’ is ranked lowest. This study's results are imperative for bank managers and educational institutions to guide and train graduate according to the market needs and skills requirements.

Perspectives of employers on graduate employability skills: A case of Malaysia

One of the main reasons for the low employment rate of Malaysian graduates is a lack of skills. A substantial number of employers have expressed dissatisfaction with the quality of graduates, claiming that they lack the necessary skills required for successful employment. This research aims to investigate the perceptions of employers on the importance and level of satisfaction with the employability skills of graduates and subsequently examine the gap between them (level of importance and satisfaction). The survey included 63 employers from the manufacturing industry, and the data were analyzed. The results suggest that employers viewed all eight skills, such as English communication skills, thinking skills, positive attitude and teamwork, work planning skills, work discipline, self-motivation, and technology skills, as essential employability skills. However, the gap analysis reveals that they were dissatisfied with the skills possessed by the graduates, indicating that the skills of the graduates fell short of their expectations, which is consistent with their dissatisfaction. The highest differences between satisfaction and expectation arise from English communication skills and thinking skills, followed by self-motivation, a positive attitude, teamwork, work planning skills, technology skills, and work discipline skills. This study provides important insights for graduates, higher education institutions, and policymakers in Malaysia, as well as in countries facing the issue of the low employability of graduates.

Role of Technology in Improving English Communication Skills of Rural Engineering Students in Tamil Nadu

The world has witnessed the growing demand for learning, practicing, and using English in almost every walk of life. Globalization, technological advancements, government reforms, changing demands of business, and educational reforms have underlined and created a sense of urgency to develop and enhance English communication skills. English is not only a medium of instruction but is also considered one of the employability skills for graduates. Many vernacular background students face challenges in learning and improving English communication skills from business perspectives. The present article aims to identify the major challenges college students face from an employability perspective and analyzes how technology contributes to minimizing communication barriers and improving communication skills at the college level. This article is empirical in nature. The structured questionnaire is administered to target respondents of 180 students studying Engineering courses in the state of Tamil Nadu. The study is significant keeping the educational reforms in the form of National Education Policy 2020, technological advancements, e-learning, quality education, and sustainable education perspectives.

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.

Perception of Employers about the Employability Skills of Fresh Graduates: A Case Study of Distt. Lahore, Punjab, Pakistan

In this modern age, the dramatic change in economic trends is creating a high demand for employability skills in the job market. Employability skills play a significant role in the placement of graduates in the job sector. Job markets are progressively highly competitive and rely on quality learning and abilities. The employers have elevated the requirements for the newcomers to do their work from the earliest starting point. The purpose of this paper was to explore the perceptions and satisfaction levels of employers about the employability skills of fresh graduates in Lahore, Punjab, Pakistan. A case study design using the qualitative method was conducted to explore the different aspects related to the study. An in-depth interview was used for the data collection. The data was gathered from the 10 purposefully selected managers or owners of companies and NGOs where graduates are most likely to find jobs. Coding and themes were used for the analysis and to make the data meaningful. The findings indicated that the employers’ expectations were usually not met by the fresh graduates. According to the point of view of employers, the students of public universities did not perform well or performed less than students of more well-known private universities on many skills such as communication, creativity and critical thinking.

Girls in the combined cadet force: a qualitative exploration of the impact of their experiences on their graduate employability skills

PurposeEvery year several thousand female cadets participate in the Combined Cadet Force (CCF) in the UK, but little is known about the impact that this experience has on the subsequent employability of the female cadets. This study aimed to understand the perceptions of academic teenage girls from one all-female unit of their participation in CCF and the personal benefit or otherwise in relation to their ultimate employability.Design/methodology/approachThis qualitative study used semi-structured interviews to explore the experiences of 10 young women who had participated in CCF for at least three years. Data were analysed using a thematic analysis.FindingsParticipants were effusive about the transformative effects of CCF in relation to personal confidence, recognising transferable skills and raising personal aspiration, all key elements to employability, particularly for women. They also considered they had gained future workplace advantage having had opportunity to trial leadership strategies in mixed gender teams, an experience unavailable elsewhere to them. Loyalty to the contingent pervaded every discussion and the importance of team goals, although this level of selfless commitment may be detrimental to employability, subsuming their personal interests to the greater good.Originality/valueResearch into the benefit or otherwise of teenage girls' extra-curricular activities is scarce, and this is the first study, to the authors' knowledge, that explores the perceptions of the impact their time in CCF had on their graduate employability skills.

Assessment of Employability Skills of Technical-Vocational Education and Training (TVET) Graduates: Basis for an Enhancement Program

The study aims to determine the employability skills of Technical-Vocational Education and Training Graduates of Valenzuela City Polytechnic College.
 This study was carried out to 423 graduates of TVET using convenience sampling and forty-five (45) employers who were selected purposively in the City of Valenzuela. The respondents had completed the TVET program. A survey questionnaire, document analysis and an interview guide were used. Frequency, percentage, and weighted mean were utilized in the statistical analysis and handling of the data.
 Among 423 TVET graduates of ValPoly from 2015 to 2019, majority are employed which had an employment rate of 87.94 percent, compared to a rate of 12.06 percent for those who were unemployed. Carpentry obtained the highest employment rate while the bread and pastry production got the lowest employment rate. The year 2019 also has the highest rate while respondents who graduated in 2016 have the lowest employment rate.
 Half of the employed graduates acquired a "regular status". Despite the skills mismatch, graduates have managed to seek employment related to their training right after graduation. Communication skills is the most useful skill in the workplace.
 ValPoly has provided comprehensive and effective programs and provisions that enhance graduates' employability skills. TVET graduates employed were assessed as highly competent by their employers. Several factors that facilitate the acquisition of employment. A proposed enhancement program for the employability skills of TVET graduates is formulated based on findings of this study to ensure that all graduates will be equipped with skills for employment.

Next generation employability and career sustainability in the hospitality industry 5.0

PurposeWith an industry 5.0 revolution taking place in the hospitality industry, a shift from manual to cognitive labor is anticipated, characterized by greater sustainability, resilience and a human-centric approach. In this regard, hospitality educators' ability and willingness to teach novel topics such as automation at work, upskilling of employees, man-machine interaction and service robots have become more important than ever. This study aims to interpret the perspectives of hospitality educators about bridging the gap in the employability skills of (next-gen) hospitality graduates and the concerns relating to career sustainability in times of transition.Design/methodology/approachA case study method was used given the novelty of the topic in a developing country like India. A qualitative survey with open-ended questions, is employed to understand the viewpoints of Indian hospitality educators, including those with more than 15 years of teaching experience. In-depth interviews were conducted with 23 hospitality educators to reach the theoretical saturation point. MAXQDA software was used to analyze the qualitative data collected in the study.FindingsThe findings reveal the challenges and motivations of hospitality educators in adapting to frequently changing business environments. In doing so, it sheds light on the methods employed to create a generation of hospitality graduates aligned with the changing dynamics of the industry.Originality/valueThe paper presents the viewpoints of hospitality educators in India in relation to a futuristic approach to next-gen employability and career sustainability. Whilst numerous studies have focused on the role of robots and artificial intelligence in replacing the human component of the service environment, the concept of people working alongside advanced technologies is fairly new and needs to be fully explored.

The Impact of COVID-19 Pandemic on Labor Market Perspectives for Management Undergraduates: New Models of Employability Capital Development

Introduction. COVID-19 is a worldwide epidemic that impacts all aspects of human life. Social distancing was an essential action to prevent from COVID-19 virus. For this reason, collective activities were prohibited in many countries including Sri Lanka. Education is one of the main collective activities in the world. As such, it is relevant to test the influence of COVID-19 on graduate employability skills. However, it is difficult to find COVID 19 impact on graduate employability skills in the Sri Lankan context.
 Aim and tasks. The main objective of this paper was to identify the effect of the COVID-19 pandemic on the graduate employability capital of state universities’ management undergraduates in Sri Lanka and the significant level of that factor.
 Results. Based on the literature review, the COVID-19 pandemic affected five factors human capital, identity capital, cultural capital, social capital, and psychological capital identified as graduate employability capital factors or not. The methods of the study were to use the analysis of quantitative data. To achieve this goal, an online survey of 377 university students was conducted. The obtained selective results in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic showed significant positive shifts in the employment processes of university graduates. This positive impact, according to the results of the regression analysis, was provided by the following types of capital: social, human, psychological, cultural, and identity, the values of which ranged from 91.4 percent to 95.8 percent. Among all types of capital, human and psychological capital had the most significant impact on student mobility.
 Conclusions. The conducted studies show the importance of the online educational system in the universities of Sri Lanka. The use of available resources can significantly improve the existing infrastructure of online education and help increase the level of competence and professionalism of the teaching staff and university students. The introduction of the proposed online educational programs and courses will not only improve the quality of services provided but will also increase the revenue side of the university budget.

Enhancing project management graduates’ employability through group assessment innovations: An empirical study

This study validates the recommendations proposed by Tumpa et al. (2022a) for designing authentic group-based assessments in order to improve the work-ready attributes of project management graduates. The study aims to address the concerns of employers who have reported dissatisfaction with the employability skills of project management graduates. Two focus groups, comprising of fifteen project management academics from Australian and UK universities, were conducted to gather data for this study. The findings of the focus groups not only validated the majority of the recommendations but also provided new insights into the design and administration of group-based assessments for project management education. The study sought to contribute to the improvement of skills of project management graduates by providing a valid and authentic approach to group assessment design for project management academics to use. The implications of this study are that it provides an evidence-based framework for designing group-based assessments, which in turn will benefit both the graduates and the employers.

Inviting students to talk the talk: developing employability skills in accounting education through industry-led experiences

ABSTRACT Universities are increasingly focused on preparing graduates with strong disciplinary and interdisciplinary skills to increase student employability. In accounting education however, the development of employability skills remains a concern among graduates and employers. One strategy for enhancing employability is to engage students in industry-based experiences through work-integrated learning (WIL). This paper introduces a novel, industry-led WIL experience embedded in an Australian university’s accounting and financial planning curriculum and investigates students’ perceptions of employability skills developed through this intervention. In this WIL experience, industry professionals workshopped multidisciplinary skills and provided feedback to students following a simulated work-based scenario. Data was analysed from student surveys and reflections and showed that students perceived this approach as effective for developing employability skills such as teamwork and communication and for aligning theory to praxis. This paper supports endorsing alternative WIL models and industry collaborations in accounting education to enhance graduate employability skills.

Pengaruh Total Quality Management dan Kinerja Karyawan terhadap Employability Skill di UPTD BLK Disnaker Kota Semarang

Employability skills are an important issue that must be considered more deeply in the world of work. It is related to TQM and employee performance in an organization. The purpose of this study was to determine the effect of TQM and employee performance on employability skills at UPTD BLK Disnaker Semarang City. The target of this research is graduates of training participants at UPTD BLK Disnaker Semarang City. This study used a quantitative research method with an ex post facto research approach by distributing questionnaires. The data that has been obtained is then analyzed with multiple linear regression analysis. This study resulted in the finding that TQM and employee performance have a positive influence on employability skills. The implementation of the training process is accompanied by the application of TQM and good employee performance from the UPTD BLK Disnaker City of Semarang, so the employability skills of graduates of the training program will also increase. The importance of the contribution of all parties involved in the training process is able to encourage increased employability skills of the trainees. The benefits of research for the development of knowledge are adding references to empirical evidence regarding studies and discussions regarding the influence of TQM and employee performance on employability skills.

A Study on Tertiary Education’s impact on Employability Skills of Graduates in the Job Market Concerning Chennai City

This study examines the employability skills that graduates possess in the workforce. This research also aims at studying the impact of tertiary education institutions and their initiatives to improve the employability skills of graduates. The target group of the study comprises graduate employees between the age groups of 20 and 50 years. The period of study is two months, with a sample size of 100 respondents collected through a questionnaire. The research makes use of statistical analysis tools like ANOVA, chi-square, and correlation tests to study various factors and determine the relationship between the variables. The study focuses on whether there are any initiatives taken by tertiary education institutions to develop employability skills and the satisfaction of the graduates on the same.

Employability skills of the next generation of Chinese factory workers

PurposeThe main purpose of this study was to develop and test an employability scale in a Chinese context. Moreover, the authors investigated how socioeconomic status indicators (education and occupation of parents, household income and hukou, i.e. household registration location) affect the endowment and development of adolescents' employability skills in China.Design/methodology/approachData were collected via paper-based surveys from 1,146 vocational school students in rural and urban areas in China at two points in time one year apart. The authors developed a scale to measure employability skills in China and conducted general linear modeling to test the hypotheses.FindingsThe findings indicate that adolescents whose parents have more education, highly skilled occupations, relatively affluent household income and urban hukou are more likely to attain higher employability skills than those from lower socioeconomic status backgrounds. Moreover, adolescents with these background characteristics tend to improve their employability skills more than those without such characteristics. This suggests that social capital may further widen the inequality gap among adolescents.Research limitations/implicationsThe framework of employability skills focuses on the general basic transferable employability skills of vocational students. Future studies could develop measures of employability skills for college graduates and widen the measurements of social capital based on the study’s findings. The findings suggest that higher education institutions should be encouraged to integrate resources to improve education inequality between rural and urban regions to the disparity in adolescents' employability skills development.Originality/valueBuilding on Western frameworks, the study defines and develops an employability scale in the Chinese context that can be a practical measurement tool for researchers, educators and policymakers. The authors investigated the endowment and development of employability skills in relation to social capital. Exposure to social capital tends to affect an individual's skills and capability development at an early stage, and in the long term, this calls attention to access to quality education between rural and urban youth.

Analyzing the Employability Skills of Engineering Graduates using AHP Techniques - A Case Study of Kerala State in India.

In the present era, only competent graduates can survive in the global economy. The Washington accord suggested twelve graduate attributes essential for competent engineering graduates. Various accreditation agencies measure the competency of engineering graduates in terms of these graduate attributes. This paper presented the perception of academicians’ and industry professionals’ regarding the most important skill needed for a competent engineering graduates. Also, the paper discussed how far the present undergraduate engineering curriculum prepares the engineering graduates to be industry ready. Identification of the most important skill needed for engineering graduate is done by employing one of the multi criteria decision method called Analytical hierarchy process (AHP). AHP incorporates several criteria and order of preference in evaluating and selecting the best option among many alternatives based on the desired outcome. The responses from academicians as well as industry professionals from Civil Engineering stream in Kerala, India were collected. The criteria weights were determined based on the procedure given by Saaty. The consistency index values reinforced the reliability of judgment. The study showcased that problem solving skill and teamwork are the most important skill needed for an engineering graduate from academicians’ viewpoint. According to industry professionals, engineering knowledge is more important than problem solving skills. Also, in the present study academicians and industry professionals unanimously suggested the revision of curriculum, internships for students, the collaboration between academicians and industry professionals both in academia and industry, exposure of students to real world problems are some of the means to develop competency in Civil Engineering graduates.

The expectations of employability skills in the Fourth Industrial Revolution of the communication and media industry in Malaysia

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to examine the industry's expectations on the key employability skills of fresh graduates in the communication and media industry. The Fourth Industrial Revolution has raised the question of whether the university should produce work-ready graduates with employability skills. Driven by the theory of human capital, society expects higher education to produce graduates with skills that are useful in their workplace.Design/methodology/approachThe data were gathered primarily through a quantitative survey, which was later extended to include qualitative interviews. Quantitatively, questionnaires were completed by 313 employers from the middle and top-level management from the communication and media industry. This study also expands on qualitative data through in-depth interviews with nine respondents who were among key decision-makers of recruiting graduates to garner their insights on required employability skills.FindingsThe findings revealed the following employability skills required by the industry in the Fourth Industrial Revolution: communication, ICT or digital, leadership, interpersonal, and personal qualities skills.Research limitations/implicationsThese findings are beneficial to education providers as well as media and communication industries in preparing students and developing their skills to adapt to the changes in the workplace.Originality/valueThe authors provide an empirical understanding of industry expectations towards employability skills in the Fourth Industrial Revolution of the communication and media industry within the Malaysian context.