Purpose -The current study was conducted to increase our understanding of factors that influence the employability of university graduates. Through the use of both qualitative and quantitative approaches, the paper explores the relative importance of 17 factors that influence new graduate employability. Design/methodology/approach -An extensive review of the existing literature was used to identify 17 factors that affect new graduate employability. A two-phase, mixed-methods study was conducted to examine: Phase One, whether these 17 factors could be combined into five categories; and Phase Two, the relative importance that employers place on these factors. Phase One involved interviewing 30 employers, and Phase Two consisted of an empirical examination with an additional 115 employers. Findings -Results from both the qualitative and quantitative phases of the current study demonstrated that 17 employability factors can be clustered into five higher-order composite categories. In addition, findings illustrate that, when hiring new graduates, employers place the highest importance on soft-skills and the lowest importance on academic reputation. Research limitations/implications -The sectors in which employers operated were not completely representative of their geographical region. Practical implications -The findings suggest that, in order to increase new graduates' employability, university programmes and courses should focus on learning outcomes linked to the development of soft-skills. In addition, when applying for jobs, university graduates should highlight their soft-skills and problem-solving skills. Originality/value -This study contributes to the body of knowledge on the employability of university graduates by empirically examining the relative importance of five categories of employability factors that recruiters evaluate when selecting new graduates. Soft-skillsRecently, educational researchers and employers have placed increasing attention on the importance of soft-skills (Chamorro-Premuzic et al., 2010). While discipline-specific 683 Factors affecting undergraduate employability ET 55,7 Factor Literature support Interview support Scope Written communication skills Gardner et al. (2005), Ariana (2010), Graham et al. (2010) 21/30 Being able to communicate effectively through writing is the main form of communication in our society and is a valued skill that increases employability opportunities (Graham et al., 2010; Gardner et al., 2005). In the current study, we used written communication as a factor employers consider when hiring new graduates because it is a tangible skill that can be effectively evaluated Verbal communication skills Gardner et al. (2005), Gray (2010) 25/30 To communicate effectively, graduates entering the workforce need to meet high standards of oral communication (Gray, 2010). New graduates that can communicate

Context" is notoriously vague, and its uses multifarious. Researchers in "contextual vocabulary acquisition" differ over the kinds of context involved in vocabulary learning, and the methods and benefits thereof. This talk presents a computational theory of contextual vocabulary acquisition, identifies the relevant notion of context, exhibits the assumptions behind some classic objections, and defends our theory against these objections.

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Summary. The effect upon teaching of feedback from student ratings was compared with the effect produced when such feedback was supplemented by consultation from a more experienced teacher. Consultation enhanced the positive effect of the feedback in terms of later student ratings. The effect upon student achievement in the classes of the teachers involved tended to be positive but not consistent across courses.

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