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Article
Publication date: 8 August 2018

Chantal Boomaars, Lyle Yorks and Rajna Shetty

This paper aims to examine whether employability activities are driven by employee learning motives and their perception of learning opportunities.

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Abstract

Purpose

This paper aims to examine whether employability activities are driven by employee learning motives and their perception of learning opportunities.

Design/methodology/approach

Data were collected using a closed questionnaire survey from three different profit organizations (N = 405). Hypotheses were tested through hierarchical multiple regression analysis.

Findings

Hierarchical regressions showed that the learning motive “personal development” had a positive relationship with “perceived learning opportunities” and “employability activities,” as hypothesized. “Perceived learning opportunities” did not mediate the relationship between the learning motive “personal development” and “employability activities.” No relationships were found among the learning motives “social pressure,” “perceived learning opportunities” and “employability activities”.

Originality Value

This study is among the first to investigate the motives that employees must engage in individual learning paths. It attempts to predict their self-reported employability activities based on these motives and on the learning opportunities that employees perceive.

Details

Journal of Workplace Learning, vol. 30 no. 5
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1366-5626

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 11 January 2016

Esther Ishengoma and Terje I. Vaaland

– The purpose of this paper is to identify important university-industry linkage (UIL) activities that can stimulate the likelihood of employability among students.

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Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to identify important university-industry linkage (UIL) activities that can stimulate the likelihood of employability among students.

Design/methodology/approach

A total of 404 respondents located in Tanzania, comprising students, faculty members and employees from 20 companies operating within the oil and gas industry and mining constitute the empirical basis for the study. Descriptive analysis, the Mann-Whitney U-test and a Kruskal-Wallis test were applied to help analyse the data.

Findings

The results reveal that UIL activities were strongly perceived to raise the employability of students, in particular student internships in companies followed by joint projects and the involvement of companies in modernizing university curricula. Adoption and diffusion internship strategies are suggested for foreign companies and for local firm, respectively, as vehicles for increasing employability.

Research limitations/implications

Perceived effects on the likelihood of employability are measured, and not actual effects.

Practical implications

The findings have implications for foreign companies exploring resources in the host country, local firms trying to improve competitiveness, universities trying to improve its role in society, students preparing for work-life and policy makers defining premises for resource-extractive foreign companies.

Originality/value

Very few empirical studies of UILs have previously been carried out in a developing country context, and in particular in dealing with student employability. The fact that many developing nations have attractive rich natural resources implies that international companies have a motive to invest in the UILs, and possess valuable competencies that can improve the overall quality of the universities and the attractiveness of graduating students.

Details

Education + Training, vol. 58 no. 1
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0040-0912

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 7 September 2015

Monique Veld, Judith Semeijn and Tinka van Vuuren

The purpose of this paper is to investigate the moderating role of employees’ willingness to invest in training and development and willingness for mobility on the relationship…

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Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to investigate the moderating role of employees’ willingness to invest in training and development and willingness for mobility on the relationship between human resource (HR) management practices and employability. As such, the study takes an interactionist perspective, building on human capital theory and social exchange theory. Investigating possible interaction effects is highly relevant as little is known yet on how organizational efforts (i.e. policies and activities) and individual effort of employees might strengthen each other in their aim of enhancing employability.

Design/methodology/approach

Analyses were based on a sample of 1,346 respondents from 91 primary school locations in the Netherlands. Hypotheses were tested using regression analyses controlling for nesting of the data.

Findings

The results indicate that HR activities and employees’ willingness are positively related to employability. Furthermore, only employees’ willingness for mobility strengthens this relationship, not their willingness for training and development. These results indicate that both organizations and employees are responsible for enhancing employability.

Practical implications

Both HR activities and employee willingness appear to play a significant and interactive role for enhancing employability. Therefore, explicit cooperation between employee and organization in light of optimizing employability seems warranted.

Originality/value

This study extends current research on enhancing employability, by theorizing and testing the combined efforts of organizations and employees from an interactionist perspective.

Details

Personnel Review, vol. 44 no. 6
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0048-3486

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 16 May 2023

Muzammel Shah

Although commitment and employability are legitimized in the current world of work, they also have a dark side that has been ignored in the extant literature. To tackle this gap…

Abstract

Purpose

Although commitment and employability are legitimized in the current world of work, they also have a dark side that has been ignored in the extant literature. To tackle this gap, the study developed and examined a comprehensive theoretical framework including learning, motivation, commitment, employability and self-exploitation. Limited research exists that explicitly examines this relationship or explores its potential implications. The author theorizes employability as a cultural fantasy that ends up in self-exploitation.

Design/methodology/approach

The study concretizes Lacan's (1977; 1981 and 1988) psychoanalysis, utilizing a sample of 658 subjects from eight industries. The hypothesized relationships were examined using structural equation modeling (SEM) in AMOS.

Findings

The findings provided support for the hypothesized relationships. Employability escorts to self-exploitation. Those employees who try to remain relevant to their firms continue to engage in employability activities end up being exploited in this process.

Research limitations/implications

The study provides a new roadmap to scholars of employability who wish to explore the domain further.

Practical implications

The theoretical knowledge from this research will inform practice. It will influence managers and policymakers in the organization as well as politicians. Although the macroaspects of the organizational environment are beyond the control of an organization, the development efforts of the organization should be real and should not estrange individuals from their true nature. The real intent should be to unite the individual with its true nature. This way, it will be real development and will empower individuals rather than exploitation.

Social implications

The finding that commitment is linked to self-exploitation via employability has implications for managers and policymakers. To avoid estrangement and exploitation, the organization should focus on employee real development. To have an ideal workplace, where employees unite with their nature, the organization should invest in employees, focus on their real needs, emphasize their career prospects and constantly provide them with learning and growth opportunities. In addition to material compensation, the organization should connect people with their true spirit. An organization that is concerned with people's real needs and real development will have a pool of human capital that will create real value for the organization and society as well.

Originality/value

The dark side of employability has been ignored in the extant literature. Limited research exists that explicitly examines this relationship or explores its potential implications. This study is an initiative for such debate.

Details

Evidence-based HRM: a Global Forum for Empirical Scholarship, vol. 12 no. 1
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 2049-3983

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 13 December 2022

Simon Howell, Wayne Hall and David Geelan

This study was conducted to gain a better understanding of engineering students' perceptions of the meaning of employability and the activities that contribute to employability

Abstract

Purpose

This study was conducted to gain a better understanding of engineering students' perceptions of the meaning of employability and the activities that contribute to employability development.

Design/methodology/approach

A survey was used to take a cross-section of student perspectives at key stages in the degree, and was followed by a series of focus groups to further explore student opinions on employability. Responses to selected open-ended questions and relevant sections of focus group transcripts were analysed using a thematic analysis approach.

Findings

It was found that students have different perspectives on the meaning of employability, with the majority describing employability as having the right skills, attributes or competencies. Employability development activities were integrated into three broad categories: developing engineering knowledge, skills and industry experience; career building and industry awareness; and degree progression and completion. Participants also identified barriers to employability development and suggested areas for improvement.

Practical implications

The study recommends university staff ensure there is a shared understanding of employability within the student cohort by explicitly reframing employability as being about becoming a professional and that students are repeatedly exposed to the relevant set of industry competencies or standards. The study also outlines a range of activities that students connect to their employability development.

Originality/value

The findings of this study will assist university staff across the sector to make decisions about how they can best support employability development in their undergraduate students.

Details

Higher Education, Skills and Work-Based Learning, vol. 13 no. 1
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 2042-3896

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 2 September 2014

Dominik Emanuel Froehlich, Simon Beausaert, Mien Segers and Maike Gerken

The purpose of this paper is to examine the effects of chronological age and formal and informal learning activities on employability. Furthermore, indirect effects of age on…

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Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to examine the effects of chronological age and formal and informal learning activities on employability. Furthermore, indirect effects of age on employability via learning activities were tested.

Design/methodology/approach

The authors conducted quantitative, cross-sectional survey research (n=780) in three Dutch and Austrian organizations to study the relationship between chronological age, formal and informal learning activities, and employability using structural equation modeling.

Findings

The authors find that both formal and informal learning increase employees’ employability. However, each type of learning contributes to different components of employability. Additionally, the authors find indirect effects of chronological age on employability via formal learning.

Research limitations/implications

The results question the focus on chronological age in organizational and political decision making and contribute new insights for the management of an increasingly older workforce.

Practical implications

The findings question the predominant use of chronological age as decisive criterion in organizational and national policies and call for closer examination of stereotypes against older employees. Employees should be supported in pursuing learning activities – irrespective of their chronological age. The implications of limiting employees’ access to formal learning activities may limit their future employability. Individual employees, however, are in control of their informal learning activities, and this is a very important lever to maintain and develop employability.

Social implications

Given the increasing dependency of social welfare systems on older people's active participation in the labor market, this study stresses that it is not chronological age per se that affects people's employability. This diverges from the way of how chronological age is used in policy making.

Originality/value

This study contributes further evidence for the relationships of age and formal and informal learning on employability. Additionally, it extends previous literature by examining different effects on different facets of employability, criticizing the prevalent use of chronological age, and investigating potential mediation effects.

Details

Career Development International, vol. 19 no. 5
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1362-0436

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 23 February 2021

Peter English, Margarietha Johanna de Villiers Scheepers, David Fleischman, Jacqueline Burgess and Gail Crimmins

Responding to increasing external pressure, universities are developing new strategies to illustrate the impact of their degrees on graduate employability. This paper investigates…

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Abstract

Purpose

Responding to increasing external pressure, universities are developing new strategies to illustrate the impact of their degrees on graduate employability. This paper investigates how alumni regard the development of their professional networks during their tertiary education in relation to employability and the associated pedagogical implications.

Design/methodology/approach

A qualitative approach using semi-structured interviews with 18 business and arts alumni from a regional university.

Findings

The findings reveal the importance of developing a professional network by cultivating social capital while at university. Alumni identify all forms of work-integrated learning (WIL), connectedness through social media, the role of university staff and volunteering as concrete ways to develop a professional network and enhance employability.

Research limitations/implications

This paper has pedagogical implications to develop graduate employability and WIL. Universities should draw from alumni networks to help develop students' bridging capital through industry-facing WIL projects. Educators should design assessment tasks in which students develop contacts and networking capabilities with alumni and other professionals using various platforms (e.g. social media). In addition, educators should promote the benefits of voluntary work and invite alumni and other industry stakeholders to co-design and co-teach areas of curriculum.

Originality/value

Drawing from the experiences of alumni re-routes the channel of communication from institutions expressing the importance of professional networks in relation to employability, to credible industry alumni confirming this importance. Few previous studies have taken this “outside-in approach” to emphasise and validate the importance of developing professional networks in relation to employability, particularly at regional universities.

Details

Education + Training, vol. 63 no. 4
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0040-0912

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 6 November 2023

Esther Asiedu, Ebenezer Malcalm, Afia Nyarko Boakye and Cornelius Kwarkoh Kwarkoh Amoah

The 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…

Abstract

Purpose

The 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/approach

The 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.

Findings

The 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/implications

The study was limited to only undergraduate business students from four universities ignoring other disciplines and postgraduate students.

Practical implications

The 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 implications

The 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/value

The 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.

Details

Higher Education, Skills and Work-Based Learning, vol. ahead-of-print no. ahead-of-print
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 2042-3896

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 5 August 2022

Denise Jackson, Linda Riebe and Flavio Macau

This study aims to investigate graduate employer perceptions of determining factors in recruitment decisions and their preferred use of recruitment channels. This study drew on…

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Abstract

Purpose

This study aims to investigate graduate employer perceptions of determining factors in recruitment decisions and their preferred use of recruitment channels. This study drew on the employability capitals model to interpret findings and identify ways to better prepare higher education students for recruitment and selection. This is particularly important in declining graduate labour markets, further weakened by COVID-19.

Design/methodology/approach

This study gathered data from surveying 183 Australian employers from different organisational settings. Responses were analysed using descriptive and multivariate techniques, the latter exploring variations by role type, sector and organisation size.

Findings

Findings reaffirmed the criticality of students having the right disposition and demonstrating professional capabilities during recruitment, highlighting the value of building cultural and human capital during university years. Recruitment channels that require students to mobilise their identity and social capital were prioritised, particularly among private sector organisations. Work-based internships/placements were considered important for identifying graduate talent and developing strong industry–educator partnerships, needed for building networks between students and employers.

Originality/value

This study provides valuable insights into determinants of graduate recruitment decision-making from the employer perspective. These highlight to students the important role of capitals, and how they can be developed to optimise recruitment success. This study presents practical strategies for universities to build their students’ human, social, cultural and identity capital. Findings on the prioritisation of recruitment channels among graduate employers from different sectors will enable students and universities to better prepare for future recruitment. It emphasises that student engagement with employability-related activities is a critical resource for an effective transition to the workplace.

Details

Education + Training, vol. 64 no. 5
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0040-0912

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 8 January 2019

Mahtab Pouratashi and Asghar Zamani

A graduate must be qualified in order to be successful in the labor market. Hence, embedding employability into higher education is a priority of policymakers and universities…

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Abstract

Purpose

A graduate must be qualified in order to be successful in the labor market. Hence, embedding employability into higher education is a priority of policymakers and universities. The purpose of this paper is to promote students’ employability skills deal with the issue.

Design/methodology/approach

This paper is accomplished in three phases, and qualitative and quantitative approaches were conducted. Data were collected from 14 entrepreneurs and experts in the field of business and 150 faculty members from the main academic categories (including: engineering, humanities, agriculture and veterinary, science, and art).

Findings

The findings revealed that employability skills of students could be totally classified in three categories (basic, intermediate and advance) and five levels. Also, factor analysis regarding university activities to develop students’ employability skills showed five activities including: support, cultural, informing, research and educational activities.

Practical implications

The results can be beneficial for universities’ plan activities and offer proper services that enhance students’ skills for their future career. Also, the findings can be fruitful for higher education policymakers to find the right way to foster employability issues at universities. Mechanisms such as employers’ participation in curriculum development and work-based learning are useful in ensuring a good match between the supply of skills and the demand for skills.

Originality/value

This study classified graduates’ employability skills in basic, intermediate and advance categories. Another important contribution of this study was the proposed paths for improving each level of employability skills, enabling universities to be aware of the proper activities for each skills enhancement.

Details

Higher Education, Skills and Work-Based Learning, vol. 9 no. 3
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 2042-3896

Keywords

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