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The purpose of this paper is to highlight both the need for measurement of graduate capabilities post-degree completion and the challenges posed by such a task. Higher education institutions provide an important site of learning that can equip future professionals with capabilities to manage and respond to complex sustainability challenges in their careers. Measurement of graduate uptake and application of sustainability capabilities is an important part of advancing sustainability curriculum and pedagogy to educate the twenty-first century sustainability capable graduates.

This paper explores the nature of capabilities and reviews existing approaches to capability assessment.

The nature of capabilities and their assessment post-degree completion pose a number of challenges for the development of assessment and measurement tools, which is why sustainability capability assessment methods are deserving of specific research attention.

The assessment and application of capability in graduates’ professional contexts are an important part of closing the loop between learning and teaching in higher education and professional application of this learning. It is imperative that more research be undertaken on the methodology of graduate assessment, given the need to understand graduate learning outcomes as they apply in professional settings for graduate employability, promoting sustainability and developing effective sustainability pedagogy.

Given that there is significant overlap between employability skills, generic graduate attributes and sustainability capabilities, this paper has relevance beyond the measurement of sustainability capability to the measurement of uptake and professional application of generic capabilities more broadly.

The measurement of graduate capability offers potential to enhance learning for sustainability. Measurement of graduate capabilities is a critical part of closing the loop between workplace expectations, graduate learning outcomes, learning and teaching and curriculum development during degree programs.

The review provided in this paper highlights a critical gap in research on methodologies to undertake measurement of workplace application of graduate capability. The paper explores considerations for measurement of graduate learning outcomes, specifically the difference between measuring competencies, skills and capability and the necessity for the measurement of the latter in the context of sustainability education for future professionals.

In the context of universities implementing education for sustainability (EfS), the aim of the research presented here is to review the extent to which capabilities related to sustainability are represented by the capabilities generally sought by employers, and to determine whether these are incorporated in the graduate capability statements of Australian universities.

Based on the discussion of graduate capabilities and those associated with sustainability, a web-based survey of university graduate attribute statements was undertaken.

Generally, Australian universities have established frameworks of graduate capabilities that relate to the broad needs of employers. Of eight capabilities listed as important by employers, six were identified at some two-thirds of universities. Just under half of the universities' statements contained references to sustainability, while all the literature derived sustainability capabilities, except for “systems/holistic thinking”, are represented to some degree. Those most strongly represented included understanding of social justice and equity; skills in communication and cooperation; and having commitment to social justice and equity.

Apparently, in Australian universities, the framework for the development of sustainability capabilities is broadly in place, but not all have sustainability capabilities in place. This framework supports the implementation of EfS, but without development of pedagogy to underlie implementation, the authors have little insight about the extent of implementation, and whether graduates leave with sustainability capabilities.

Uniquely this research identifies the extent to which Australian universities are providing direction in the development of capabilities related to the requirements of employers, and for sustainability.

The purpose of this paper is to gain insight into the reasons why most Tanzanian graduates do not consider entrepreneurship as an attractive career option despite dire labor market conditions, while a small number of them are able to benefit from local opportunities.

Utilizing insights from capability and social capital perspectives, a qualitative investigation based on interviews, group discussions and document analysis was undertaken to explore how this phenomenon can be explained and remedied.

This study shows that many graduates value entrepreneurship as a potential career but many find their way to be act upon these aspirations blocked. Indeed, actual entrepreneurial capability is only available to a minority of graduates with access to powerful connections who are able to benefit from technological and financial conversion factors. Most graduates cannot benefit from these conversion factors due to the lack of the necessary social capital to break through to the legal, tax, financial and cultural systems. Hence, the authors argue that social capital itself is actually a critical conversion factor toward developing entrepreneurial capability.

The insight formulated in this study are based on a qualitative analysis of the Tanzanian context and formulated specifically for this particular context. At the same time, the country shares many characteristics with other countries in Africa, many of which are struggling to move toward a more entrepreneurial society. Hence, the recommendations may partially be transferable beyond the specific Tanzanian situation. Theoretically, the notion that social capital should be considered as a key conversion factor enabling aspiring entrepreneurs in translating valued functionings into actualized functionings and thus toward enhancing entrepreneurial capability opens up novel avenues for empirical research into how entrepreneurship can be stimulated.

This study searches for conversion factors from the actual “functioning” toward the real “capability” allowing to succeed as a new graduate and find that social capital itself might act as the critical conversion factor. That brings the authors to the recommendations for policy makers, educators and media, argued in such a way that the entrepreneurial capability of young graduates and their ability to tap into relevant social capital can be enhanced.

The combination and integration of the Sen’s capability approach with social capital perspectives offers a novel way to explain difference in responses to the Tanzanian institutions and their ability to act upon a valued functioning such as opportunity-driven entrepreneurship.

The purpose of this paper is to identify and gain recent insights into the extent to which skills expectation gap exists from the perspective of employers in a Pacific Island country, including the competencies perceived essential within the work context of accountants and the support provided by employers to accounting graduates to address the skills expectation gap.

Using the expectation–performance gap framework developed by Bui and Porter (2010), this study collects and analyses data via semi-structured interviews with employers at chartered accounting firms, large- and medium-sized commercial and industrial firms in Fiji.

Majority of the employers indicated that graduates from the Fijian universities are adequately prepared and have acquired the necessary attributes to perform at the workplace. However, employers expect universities to do a little more in terms of developing confidence and improving ability to apply theoretical knowledge to practice. The findings also outline that the institutional-, social- and student-related constraints directly affect the quality of graduates, which are not in control of academics.

It is noted that graduate capabilities are developed over two different learning environments. This study focused on how universities prepared graduates to perform at the workplace from the perspective of employers. This serves as a basis for future research to investigate effectiveness of trainings provided by employers to graduates to enable them into becoming successful accounting professionals.

This study adds clarifications to the debate on academic–practice gap by providing recent insights into the extent to which graduates demonstrate capabilities to perform in the accounting profession, the prevailing issues with graduate capabilities and the employers’ contribution towards strengthening graduate capabilities.

To satisfy multiple stakeholders’ employability goals, higher education providers have introduced Work Integrated Learning (WIL) programs to provide opportunities for students to develop the required skills. Yet despite this increased focus, gaps in graduate capabilities persist. Thus, the paper explores the roles of educators, industry and students in co-creating WIL curriculum which provides transformative learning experiences.

A survey was designed using the Professional Capability Framework which has been validated in other discipline areas. Mean scores, standard deviation and a one-way ANOVA test were computed to identify gaps between the essential capabilities required for supervisory roles and student's levels of proficiency.

The study highlights the complexity of creating curriculum which meets the needs of multiple stakeholders. The discussion highlights that whilst educators may lead the development of WIL curriculum, without the active engagement of students and industry, gaps in graduates' “work-readiness” will persist. Opportunities for tripartite learning are highlighted.

The limitations of utilising a convenience sample are acknowledged.

Practical recommendations are provided for industry, educators and students. Areas for future research are identified to understand the roles of multiple stakeholders in the development of the future hospitality workforces.

The study is the first to apply the Professional Capability Framework in a hospitality context. The study further contributes implications in relation to curriculum design and identifies opportunities for transformative learning for educators, industry and students'.

The increasing demand for post-secondary education, and the ongoing difficulty students’ face in securing appropriate work upon program completion, highlight the importance of an enhanced understanding of employability resources for university graduates. Just as organizations achieve a strategic advantage from resources and dynamic capabilities (DCs), university graduates can similarly apply these principles and tactics to be competitive in the job market. The purpose of this paper is to ask the question: how can new graduates enhance their competitive advantage when entering the employment market? To address this question the authors propose to adopt the DCs framework to analyze the competitive advantage of a graduate and argue that university graduates can take specific steps to enhance their own competitive advantage in the labor market.

An extensive review of the existing human resource and strategic management literature was used to develop a conceptual DCs model of employability. The core dimensions of the conceptual model were refined using 26 one-on-one interviews with employers of new university graduates. This study concludes by recommending specific empirical and experimental research to further test the model.

The results from the qualitative study identified the importance of four specific resources that university graduates should possess: intellectual, personality, meta-skill and job-specific. In addition, the authors suggest that integrated DCs are crucial for enhancing the value of these individual resources. Both pre-graduate application and the construction of personal narratives are essential signals that university graduates can mobilize individual resources in a complementary and strategic manner, in real-world settings, to maximize value.

This is an exploratory study and is designed as a foundation for future empirical and experiential research.

The findings suggest that, in order to increase employability, university students need to assume a DCs view of competitive advantage. As a result, students need to reflect on both their intrinsic and learned resources to create a systematic competitive advantage that is valued, rare and difficult to replicate or substitute.

This paper challenges students to assume a holistic view of education by recognizing education extends far beyond a classroom. Therefore, differentiation and value creation is reflected in the synthesis and application of both intrinsic and learned resources.

The integration of strategic management and human resource literature is a unique theoretical approach to explore the drivers of graduate employability.

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.

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 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.

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.

In the context of a somewhat turbulent graduate labour market, attention is being focused on the employment of graduates in small‐ and medium‐sized enterprises (SMEs). This paper takes an initial “sounding” of our understanding about the transition of graduates into such organisations. While research data provides some insight into the barriers which work to discourage more SMEs from recruiting graduates, this understanding appears inadequate and insufficiently segmented to provide a detailed knowledge of the problems. A prevailing assumption is that graduates lack skills required by SME employers. Yet the limited research findings reveal ambiguity about the extent to which SMEs effectively deploy graduate labour. The article proposes an agenda that highlights the need for two types of research. First, a clearer picture of current trends in the SME graduate labour market. Second, a richer understanding of the real experience of graduates, and their managers, in relation to employment in an SME and the implications of such for both the supply and demand sides of the graduate labour market.

This paper aims to review property and valuation education within the university context, using the experience of program re‐development at RMIT University, Melbourne, Australia, as a case study.

The paper utilises a literature review, comparing and contrasting the program renewal process within the university to experiences elsewhere and their inherent values. In critically examining some of the difficulties found within the program renewal process, issues symptomatic of the wider valuation profession and tertiary education system have been revealed. It provides the genesis of a wider study linking tertiary education and the valuation profession's needs in the mid‐term.

Valuation education is often subsumed within a generalist property curriculum. As part of their resource allocation models universities are now paying close attention to teaching quality, research output, and graduate outcomes, often favouring generalist curricula rather than discipline‐specific. There needs to be a careful analysis of the university experience of property and valuation students to ensure that graduate capabilities meet industry expectations, and that graduates themselves are able to adapt to future change. There also needs to be greater attention paid to the quality of teaching within universities and more evidence that mainstream tertiary teaching pedagogy is properly applied within the programs offered.

As a case study this paper chronicles the experiences at one university. It indicates a need for a wider, systematic study of how greater engagement by property and valuation academic and teaching staff can be more actively engaged in mainstream university teaching pedagogy.

The value of this paper lies in its chronicling of a detailed and structured renewal process. It highlights real difficulties faced by tertiary academics in a narrow discipline such as valuation during a renewal process, aimed at continuing high‐quality professional education.