Career values and proactive career behaviour among contemporary higher education students

an article by Denise Jackson (Edith Cowan University, Joondalup, Australia) and Michael Tomlinson (University of Southampton, UK) published in Journal of Education and Work Volume 32 Issue 5 (2019)

Abstract

The paper draws on evidence from a survey of Australian and UK students (N = 433) on students’ career values and their relationship to their proactivity in career self-management.

Much of the dominant approaches to careers have focused on career competencies and adaptability in the context of increased movement from traditional to more self-managed career trajectories. Limited attention has been given to the role of career values in shaping individuals’ approaches to career management, particularly among higher education students.

This study reveals data on a range of career values among students on a continuum between intrinsic and extrinsic careers. It revealed a preponderance of intrinsic career values and a clear relationship emerged on the strength of career values and levels of proactivity towards career management.

Further, higher levels of intrinsic and extrinsic career values were reported for certain student groups. The article discusses the implications of these data for enhancing students’ career planning and engagement.

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The perceived value of work placements and part-time work and its diminution with time

an article by Gbolahan Gbadamosi, Mitchell Hickman and Hannah Rudley (Bournemouth University, UK), Carl Evans (University of the West of England, Bristol, UK) and Katherine Jones (Royal Agricultural University, Cirencester, UK) published in Journal of Education and Work Volume 32 Issue 2 (2019)

Abstract

This paper explores the perceptions of degree students at two UK universities regarding their work placement and part-time working activities, to assess if the two activities converge.

The research comprises three stages:

• interviews for preliminary exploration of students’ perceptions towards work placement and part-time work;
• interviews to examine how placement opportunities link with career aspirations;
• a survey of students who had completed a placement, and those currently on placement.

Students acknowledged part-time working helped their placement activity, providing transferable skills beneficial to both study and career aspirations. A significant finding was with respect to time: the closer to the placement activity the data was collected, the stronger the impact of appreciating the value of placement.

The paper therefore highlights the value of timing in the assessment of work placement. It also offers value for universities’ by providing insight into students’ perceptions regarding embedded external work activities that can enhance graduate employability and career prospects.

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‘Talent-spotting’ or ‘social magic’? Inequality, cultural sorting and constructions of the ideal graduate in elite professions

an article by Nicola Ingram (Lancaster University, UK) and Kim Allen (University of Leeds, UK) published in The Sociological Review Volume 67 Issue 3 (May 2019)

Abstract

Graduate outcomes – including rates of employment and earnings – are marked by persistent inequalities related to social class, as well as gender, ethnicity and institution. Despite national policy agendas related to social mobility and ‘fair access to the professions’, high-status occupations are disproportionately composed of those from socially privileged backgrounds, and evidence suggests that in recent decades many professions have become less socially representative.

This article makes an original contribution to sociological studies of inequalities in graduate transitions and elite reproduction through a distinct focus on the ‘pre-hiring’ practices of graduate employers.

It does this through a critical analysis of the graduate recruitment material of two popular graduate employers. It shows how, despite espousing commitments to diversity and inclusion, constructions of the ‘ideal’ graduate privilege individuals who can mobilise and embody certain valued capitals.

Using Bourdieusian concepts of ‘social magic’ and ‘institutional habitus’, the article argues that more attention must be paid to how graduate employers’ practices constitute tacit processes of social exclusion and thus militate against the achievement of more equitable graduate outcomes and fair access to the ‘top jobs’.

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“The ability to get a job”: student understandings and definitions of employability

an article by Sharon Gedye and Emily Beaumont (Plymouth University, UK) published in Education + Training Volume 60 Issue 5 (2018)

Abstract

Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to explore employability in the context of higher education (HE) from the students’ perspective. Limited attention has been paid to student understandings of their own employability in a Sport Science context and Tymon (2011) refers to them as “the missing perspective”.

Design/methodology/approach
This paper presents the findings of a study of Marine Sports Science students (n=63) at a post-1992 HE institution which through the qualitative element of a mixed methods survey explored their changing articulations of their employability as they progressed through their studies. The students surveyed were in receipt of a comprehensive programme of enterprise and employability activities embedded within their programme.

Findings
Qualitative results showed that Marine Sport Science students’ articulations of employability expanded in vocabulary as the students progressed through their studies. Definitions also shifted from those that centred on what employers want (extrinsic) to what the student had to offer the employer (intrinsic).

Originality/value
There are very few examples of studies that explore employability from the students’ perspective and this paper adds understanding on this “missing perspective”. It also addresses a specific discipline area; Marine Sport Science, which has yet to feature in any literature on employability.

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Exploring student satisfaction and future employment intentions: A case study examination: is there a link between satisfaction and getting a job?

an article by Melissa James and Dongkoo Yun (University of Prince Edward Island, Charlottetown, Canada) published in Higher Education, Skills and Work-Based Learning Volume 8 Issue 2 (2018)

Abstract

Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to explore the factors that affect higher education student satisfaction and to understand students’ perceptions of their academic success and future employment expectations at a particular institution.

Design/methodology/approach
This study analyzes institutional performance related to students’ satisfaction and their preparedness for future employment endeavours. The questionnaire is designed specifically for students who are eligible to graduate, and the survey is implemented over the institutional website via the student portal and a total of 750°-seeking undergraduate students (target population) are invited to participate.

Findings
The descriptive results of this study suggest that while student satisfaction may be relatively similar for all academic programmes, there are differences in the perception of career expectations based on chosen academic programme. Most notably, the results also indicate students’ expectations for employment did not have a negative effect on their satisfaction with the higher education institution (HEI). In contrast, they were mostly satisfied with their academic and personal development. In essence, they felt prepared for the workplace and satisfied with the skills and knowledge developed at a university, regardless of job expectations. This paper suggests that institutions may wish to heighten their focus on academic factors in their efforts to retain students and improve their student academic experience.

Originality/value
This study is conducted at a small-sized (less than 5,000 students) higher institution in Canada that primarily provides undergraduate courses and focusses on students’ employment expectations and their rating of the academic experiences. This study can assist HEIs in developing policies related to student retention and success. HEIs may find this study useful in developing policies and programmes related to transitioning from undergraduate studies to the workplace.

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Anticipatory Socialization and the Construction of the Employable Graduate: A Critical Analysis of Employers’ Graduate Careers Websites

an article by Karen Handley (Oxford Brookes University, UK) published in Work, Employment and Society Volume 32 Issue 2 (April 2018)

Abstract

A discourse of employability saturates the higher education sector in the UK. Government and employers call on universities to produce employable graduates who are attractive to the labour market and can sustain their future marketability by taking responsibility for protean self-development.

While the neoliberal assumptions behind this call have attracted robust critique, the extent to which employers shape graduating students’ subjectivities and sense of worth as (potentially employable) workers has escaped scrutiny. Inspired by Foucauldian analyses of human resource management (HRM) practices, this article examines employers’ graduate careers websites and explores the discursive construction of the ‘employable graduate’.

The article contends that these websites function as a mechanism of anticipatory socialization through which HRM practices extend managerial control into the transitional space of pre-recruitment, with the aim of engaging students’ consent to particular norms of employability.

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Employability: a contemporary review for higher education stakeholders

an article by Lynlea Small, Kate Shacklock and Teresa Marchant (Griffith University, Southport, Australia) published in Journal of Vocational Education & Training Volume 70 Issue 1 (March 2018)

Abstract

Higher education institutions are under pressure to produce employable graduates who are required to contribute to the sustainability of strong economic growth and development. As such, the onus is on the higher education sector to present graduates to the labour market who are both work ready and have attained employability.

This article contributes to the discussion surrounding the employability of graduates by:

• enhancing understanding and discussing contemporary evidence and debate around employability;
• showing the genesis, influence and synthesis of the major models associated with employability;
• summarising the boundaries and barriers to graduate employment;
• and exploring the determinants of employability from the employer’s perspective.

Importantly, the article summarises the contemporary theoretical bases of employability in the one place. Recommendations are made regarding further research and the need for further theoretical contributions.

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Career Management in Uncertain Times: Challenges and Opportunities

an article by Gerard A. Callanan, David F. Perri and Sandra M. Tomkowicz (West Chester University, Pennsylvania, USA) published in The Career Development Quarterly Volume 65 Issue 4 (December 2017)

Abstract

The beginning years of the 21st century have witnessed the confluence of a host of environmental factors that have dramatically altered employment relationships and upended long-standing approaches to career management for workers in the United States and around the world.

The authors critically examine these environmental changes, focusing on the implications for career choice and decision making.

On the basis of these findings, they address how individuals, working with career counselors and professionals, can enhance their contemporary careers in response to the challenges and uncertainties brought on by rapid environmental change.

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Paths, patterns and factors that influence the entry of university graduates into the labour market

an article by Amparo Jimenez Vivas (Universidad Pontificia de Salamanca, Spain) and David Menendez Alvarez-Hevia (Manchester Metropolitan University, UK) published in European Journal of Higher Education Volume 7 Issue 4 (2017)

Abstract

This article provides an overview of the literature that contributes to the study of the key factors that explain the process by which university graduates enter the labour market. It is approached from the standpoint of the Spanish experience but also discusses other European initiatives.

Understanding this process is paramount for the modernization of the university offering. The entry of university graduates into the labour market is characterized by complex and multiple interrelations of factors that include both contextual/social and individual/personal variables.

This study argues that a multidimensional analysis of the process and the different variables involved contributes to the development of appropriate career plans and university employability strategies.

The article focuses on discussing the personal variables that shape individual paths and presents an analysis of a number of categories and elements that are essential if the transition from university to the labour market is to take place successfully.

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Implications of technological change and austerity for employability in urban labour markets

an article by Anne E Green (University of Warwick, UK) published in Urban Studies Volume 54 Issue 7 (May 2017)

Abstract

Over the last decade two key changes affecting employability, labour market operation and policy delivery are austerity and the expansion of the use of information and communication technologies (ICT), especially web-based technologies.

Increasingly, given pressures for cost savings and developments in ICT, employers’ recruitment and selection strategies are at least partly web-based, careers guidance and public employment services are moving towards ‘digital by default’ delivery and job seekers are expected to manage their job search activity and benefit claims electronically. So, what are the implications of austerity and technological change for employability?

This article presents a critical review of the literature on ICT and its relation to, and implications for, employability in a context of austerity.

A new framework for employability is presented and those aspects of employability where ICT plays a key role are highlighted.

It is concluded that in the context of austerity and technological change more is demanded of individual job seekers/workers, as they are expected to take greater responsibility for their marketability in the labour market. This means that individuals’ attributes and skills are of enhanced importance in conceptualisations of employability.

ICT skills have a key role to play in employability, but not at the expense of more conventional social skills which remain very important alongside digital literacy.

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Examining and challenging the intentions of work-integrated learning

an article by Jenny Fleming and Neil J. Haigh (Auckland University of Technology, New Zealand) published in Higher Education, Skills and Work-Based Learning Volume 7 Issue 2 (2017)

Abstract

Purpose
While the intended outcomes of work-integrated learning (WIL) are well documented, significant challenges arise when the stakeholders have different understandings and expectations. The purpose of this paper is to examine the alignment of stakeholder views on the defining features of cooperative education as a model of WIL.

Design/methodology/approach
An interpretive case-study methodology, incorporating questionnaires and semi-structured interviews, was used to determine the views of students, workplace supervisors and university academic supervisors involved in a sport cooperative education program.

Findings
Students, workplace supervisors and academic supervisors shared a perception that the students’ development of employability skills and their acquisition of experience in industry were the primary intended outcomes. As an associated benefit, students would be work-ready. Ideally, cooperative education experiences should also provide opportunities for students to learn to integrate theory and practice, further develop their personal and professional identities, and learn to navigate the important ethical aspects of being a professional.

Practical implications
While the employability emphasis in the findings aligns well with government agendas, graduates need to be prepared for complex and dynamic workplaces, and to be future ready for careers that are yet to exist. WIL curricula need to explicitly address this expanded agenda, which in turn needs to be communicated clearly to all stakeholders.

Originality/value
This paper challenges stakeholders in WIL to move beyond a focus on preparing students for the “now” and to reconsider the learning outcomes that should be imperative for university education in the twenty-first century.

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The myth of job readiness? Written communication, employability, and the ‘skills gap’ in higher education

an article by Tim Moore (Swinburne University of Technology, Hawthorn, VIC, Australia) and Janne Morton (University of Melbourne, Parkville, VIC, Australia) published in Studies in Higher Education Volume 42 Issue 3 (2017)

Abstract

Recent developments in higher education have seen a strong emphasis placed on making graduates ‘job ready’ for their work in the professions. A driver of this agenda has been the many mass-scale surveys conducted with business and industry about the abilities and general employability of graduates.

This Australian-based study is focused on perceptions and attitudes around one such ability – professional writing skills.

‘Discourse-based interviews' were conducted with managers and supervisors from a range of professional areas. Their responses were most interesting, and served, among other things, to challenge some of the emerging ideas about ‘job readiness’ in current debates about the directions of higher education.

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Graduate Employability and Communication Competence: Are Undergraduates Taught Relevant Skills?

an article by Trish L. Clokie and Elna Fourie (Waikato Institute of Technology, New Zealand) published in Business and Professional Communication Quarterly Volume 79 Number 4 (2016)

Abstract

This research establishes the role of communication education in employability by determining how employers of graduates view communication, identifying communication skills that employers view as relevant, and establishing whether these skills are included in communication courses.

To achieve these aims, local businesses were surveyed, and the results were compared with communication course descriptors.

The research shows, consistent with worldwide trends, that local employers value communication competencies highly when recruiting new graduates, and specific communication skills required in an industry reflect course content. However, some skills are still lacking, and the research questions where the responsibility lies in developing these skills.

Full text (PDF)

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Contextualizing employability: Do boundaries of self-directedness vary in different labor market groups?

an article by Maxim Kovalenko and Dimitri Mortelmans (University of Antwerp, Belgium) published in Career Development International Volume 21 Issue 5 (2016)

Abstract

Purpose
Individual employability has become a crucial element in ensuring labor security in flexibilizing labor markets. The importance of agency-side factors as antecedents of employability has been emphasized in the relevant literature, spurring the criticism that some worker groups may be more restricted than others by contextual factors in respect to their employment prospects. The purpose of this paper is to examine empirically how labor market groups differ in what shapes their employability.

Design/methodology/approach
The authors used a representative sample of 1,055 employees to detect differences in the impact of career self-directedness (agency-side) and several contextual factors (structure-side) on employability, comparing workers with and without higher education and workers in and outside managerial positions. Confirmatory factor analysis with subsequent tests of invariance was used.

Findings
Results confirm that employability is affected both by contextual factors and by self-directedness. No significant differences were observed between the compared groups in the extent to which self-directedness and the contextual factors influence employability. An important finding is that self-directedness itself is affected by preceding career history (career mobility and previous unemployment), which may suggest a vicious-circle relationship between past and future career precariousness.

Practical/implications
The findings support the view prevailing in policy circles that fostering agency-side factors such as self-directedness is instrumental toward achieving higher employment security. At the same time, individual agency cannot replace traditional policy measures in tackling structural labor market inequalities.

Originality/value
This study uses robust methodology and a representative respondent sample to statistically disentangle the effects of agency and context on employability. Its key contribution pertains to the explicit comparison of different worker groups, with separate contrasts on each model parameter.

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Bridging volunteering and the labour market: a proposal of a soft skills matrix

an article by Raquel Rego (University of Lisbon, Portugal), Joana Zózimo (Egas Moniz Cooperative of Higher Education, Portugal), Maria Correia João (Coimbra Center Group of Schools, Portugal) and Ana Ross (Institute for University Solidarity and Cooperation, Portugal) published in Voluntary Sector Review Volume 7 Number 1 (March 2016)

Abstract

In this paper, we argue that volunteering is an enabling environment for informal learning, and accordingly enhances employability. But, for volunteering to have an effective impact, there needs to be a bridge between volunteering and the labour market. In this sense, based on an empirical study, we present a soft skills matrix that enables the recognition of skills generated by volunteering.

Full text (PDF)

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Review of literature on Graduate Employability

an article by Erabaddage Gishan Tharanga Sumanasiri, Mohd Shukri Ab Yajid and Ali Khatibi (Management and Science University, Shah Alam, Selangor, Malaysia) published in Journal of Studies in Education Volume 5 Number 3 (2015)

Abstract

There is increasing pressure from governments, funding organizations, students and parents on universities around the world since graduate employability has been clearly recognized as one of the main objectives of university education. Accreditation bodies also appear to measure quality of education through the contributions made towards employability.

In such a context one would assume that employability of university graduates to be clearly understood and extensively researched area. However, the real situation appears to be one which requires the urgent attention of all stakeholders of university education.

A review of literature on graduate employability is a clear need today and current paper achieves this by summarizing the major articles on university graduate employability theoretical frameworks and empirical studies. Despite the large number of studies, graduate employability appears to be suffering from the problems of lack of theoretical control and politicization which appear to have become major obstacles for future developments of the concept.

Full Text (PDF 14pp)

Hazel’s comment:
Is university education only about employability?
Is it even about employability?

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Which industries are most likely to demand a 2:1 or better?

Charlie Ball’s blog post on this issue is sufficiently concise to make creating a précis very difficult.

I will, therefore, provide you with the link and leave the reading up to you.

The View from HECSU

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Evaluating the impact of the Erasmus programme: skills and European identity

an article by Vittoria Jacobone and Giuseppe Moro (Department of Education Sciences, University of Bari ‘Aldo Moro’, Italy) published in Assessment & Evaluation in Higher Education Volume 40 Issue 2 (2015)

Abstract

The primary purpose of this study lies in the evaluation of what students acquire from studies abroad in the context of credit mobility, in terms of competence development and personal growth, compared with that gained by students completing their study or internship in their home country.

A pre-post test design, with both an experimental group and a control group, was employed for students participating in the Erasmus programme and those continuing their regular course of study at their home university.

The findings obtained suggest that study abroad programmes have a positive impact on the perception of university students. The highest values among Erasmus students in terms of outcomes were attributed to cultural enhancement, personal development and foreign language proficiency.

Study abroad has, furthermore, a Europeanising impact inasmuch as it affects the self-identity of students.

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Finding a future: the role of careers services in promoting employability

a report by recruitment and and training company Working Links This is a bit of an unusual one for this blog because:

• there is no author listed,
• there is no abstract,
• the preface by the employment and skills director of Working Links reads more like a government press release, and
• the executive summary is too long to include here.

Don’t let that put you off from having a look at the full thing (PDF 38pp)

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A Short Form of the Career Futures Inventory

an article by Peter McIlveen, Lorelle J. Burton and Gavin Beccaria (University of Southern Queensland, Toowoomba, Australia) published in Journal of Career Assessment Volume 21 Number 1 (February 2013)

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to test the international transferability and structural validity of the Career Futures Inventory (CFI) in a sample of Australian university students (N = 1,566).

Exploratory factor analysis of the data from a random half-split of the sample supported a three-factor solution equivalent to the original CFI subscales, Career Optimism, Career Adaptability, and Perceived Knowledge.

Confirmatory factor analysis of the data from the remaining random half-split supported the structural validity of a short form, the CFI-9.

The subscales of the CFI-9 had acceptable internal consistencies and correlations with measures of academic major satisfaction, career choice satisfaction, and generalised self-efficacy.

It was concluded that the properties of the CFI and the CFI-9 were sufficient to explore their application as measures of perceptions of employability. It was suggested that the CFI-9 has potential as a diagnostic screening tool for counselling and educational interventions.

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