Unpacking the link between entrepreneurialism and employability: An assessment of the relationship between entrepreneurial attitudes and likelihood of graduate employment in a professional field

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to investigate the relationship between students’ entrepreneurial attitudes and traits and their classification of employment six months after university graduation. It aims to identify what specific attitudes and traits of entrepreneurial graduates are linked to employability in a professional or managerial field.

Design/methodology/approach

The research adopts a quantitative approach to measure the entrepreneurial drive of final-year undergraduate business school students and regresses this measurement against the employment level of the same students six months after their graduation. The employment classification of each respondent was classified as “professional/managerial” or “non-professional/non-managerial”, in line with the Standard Occupational Classification 2010.

Findings

The research found that both proactive disposition and achievement motivation were statistically linked to the likelihood of graduates being employed in a professional or managerial position six months after graduation.

Originality/value

This research goes beyond existing literature linking entrepreneurship to employability to quantitatively examine what specific attitudes and traits can be linked to employability in recent graduates. By identifying the aspects of entrepreneurialism that have a relationship with employability, more information is available for educators who are designing entrepreneurial education programmes and allows for greater focus on aspects that may be of greatest benefit to all students.

Citation

Bell, R. (2016), "Unpacking the link between entrepreneurialism and employability: An assessment of the relationship between entrepreneurial attitudes and likelihood of graduate employment in a professional field", Education + Training, Vol. 58 No. 1, pp. 2-17. https://doi.org/10.1108/ET-09-2014-0115