Differences in self-perceived employability between university and VET students: an analysis of emerging adults in Spain

Sánchez‐Queija, Inmaculada; Sánchez‐García, Laura; Rothwell, Andrew; Jiménez, Águeda Parra

doi:10.1108/et-09-2022-0366

Cited by 4 publications

(1 citation statement)

References 38 publications

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“…While the industrial revolution produced a commodity-based industrial society, the technological innovation of our age has resulted in a knowledge-based society that promotes international competition, creates new ways of doing work and focuses on efficiency and productivity (e.g., Nilsson, 2017). The shift in the labour market with a focus on knowledge-based economies has urged governments in the developed world to encourage participation in higher education but at the same time reconsider the role of higher education by making it a requirement for tertiary institutions to produce career-ready graduates (European Commission, 2010; Sánchez-Queija et al ., 2023). Graduate employability has now become a common denominator between higher education and the economy (Holmes, 2023; Tomlinson and Holmes, 2017).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

International students' employability: a language socialization perspective

Soltani,

Tomlinson

2024

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PurposeThis study introduces a non-orthodox approach to the dominant policy-based approaches to graduate employability through contextualizing international students’ everyday experiences within their educational and wider structural contexts of the labour market.Design/methodology/approachThe study used narrative frames to collect data from 180 international students from China, Hong Kong, India, Sri Lanka, Vietnam and Nepal at a New Zealand tertiary institution. Narrative frames as a research tool in educational contexts are used to ellicit the experiences of individuals in the form of a story as participants reflect on their experience. The frames use sentence starters to draw responses from participants about their experiences (Barkhuizen and Wette, 2008).FindingsThis study argues that, through a socialization process, international students develop identities that fit an ever-changing labour market. This process is catalysed by a higher education landscape that produces career-ready subjects capable of appropriating different social spaces that prepare students and graduates to enter the labour market. Further, it argues that graduate employability should be understood as a complex process through which students and graduates socialise themselves through negotiating the socioacademic spaces by (1) familiarising themselves with the dominant workspace norms, (2) positioning themselves as more career-ready individuals, and (3) imagigining employable selves capable of meeting the needs of the job market.Research limitations/implicationsThis study has limitations. Only one data collection source has been used. It would have been great to use narrative frames along with interviews. In addition, the data would have been stronger if the researcher could have used classroom observations, which could be a future initiative.Practical implicationsThis study could provide practical insights to tertiary institutions about international students’ developing capabilities and identities so they could better prepare themselves for the world of work. Further, this study provides insights about some of the challenges that international students face in tertiary contexts to become career-ready. Hence, educators could employ strategies to better support these learners in their everyday learning spaces. This study also has useful benefits for future and current international students and international graduates regarding what investments they need to make so they can better socialize themselves in their tertiary and workplace practices.Social implicationsThis study has social implications. It helps international students better understand the social, cultural and academic expectations of their host countries. Therefore, they could better socialize themselves into those practices and contribute more effectively to their academic and workplace communities. The study also helps academic and workplace institutions strategize more effectively to address the social and cultural needs of international graduates. The study also contributes to the social and cultural understanding of the teachers that engage with international students on a daily basis by helping them devise activities that better address these students’ and graduates’ needs.Originality/valueThe study adds theoretical and methodological value to the debates around graduate employability. It includes the voices of 180 students and unravels their day-to-day experiences of capability building and employability development from their own perspectives.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

International students' employability: a language socialization perspective

Soltani,

Tomlinson

2024

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Exploring employable profiles of elite student athletes through fsQCA: unleashing the power of their soft skills

Vidal-Vilaplana,

González-Serrano,

Calabuig-Moreno

2024

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PurposeTo analyse the degree to which elite student athletes acquire different soft skills (resilience, creativity, proactivity and problem solving) and the role they play in their perceived employability.Design/methodology/approachThe study assessed 163 elite Spanish student athletes. A validated survey to measure perceived employability and the degree of acquisition of soft skills was employed. Fuzzy-set qualitative comparative analysis (fsQCA) was used to analyse the data.FindingsStudents and athletes perceived a high degree of development of these skills and employability. Six solutions accounting for 64% of the cases were identified for achieving high employability levels. Three profiles emphasised combinations of elevated resilience with either creativity or problem-solving skills. Education and competition levels differed depending on the skill combination. Identifying and promoting the transferability of student athletes’ sports skills to the labour market was important for enhancing their employability. Collaboration with academic institutions and increased awareness of social media can facilitate the successful integration of elite athletes into the labour market.Originality/valueThe development and analysis of soft skills in the context of sports provide a foundation for future research in the field of athlete employability. This paper provides important information for academic institutions, through a novel method in the field, on the development and transfer of student-athlete soft skills from sports to the labour market.

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Quality culture, university-industry collaboration, and perceived employability among vocational students in China: a Yanpei Huang perspective

Li,

Khattak,

Shamim

2024

Front. Psychol.

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Students’ perceived employability (SPE) can be seen as one of the indicators of technical and vocational education and training (TVET) quality. However, less is known about the determining factors of SPE in vocational education. As the founder of modern vocational education in China, Yanpei Huang has written a large volume on ensuring students’ employability and the quality culture of TVET. Nowadays, as the feature and nature of TVET, university-industry collaboration (UIC) has been promoted worldwide. The primary objective of this study was to investigate the influence of quality culture from Yanpei Huang’s perspective (YHQC) on the SPE and the UIC role in the relationship between YHQC and SPE in a TVET university in China. Data were collected by questionnaire from 341 students from one vocational education university in China. The questionnaire included measures of quality culture, perceived employability, and UIC. The Structural Equation Modelling by AMOS 25 was used to test the proposed hypothesis. The results indicate that YHQC acts as a significant factor in enhancing SPE, and UIC is found to act as a partial mediator in this relationship. This study has contributed to the literature and practices by presenting a comprehensive quality culture from Yanpei Huang’s perspective, confirming the above relationship, and providing practical suggestions for stakeholders to develop a quality culture in TVET institutes, promote UIC, and enhance SPE.

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Differences in self-perceived employability between university and VET students: an analysis of emerging adults in Spain

Cited by 4 publications

References 38 publications

International students' employability: a language socialization perspective

International students' employability: a language socialization perspective

Exploring employable profiles of elite student athletes through fsQCA: unleashing the power of their soft skills

Quality culture, university-industry collaboration, and perceived employability among vocational students in China: a Yanpei Huang perspective

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