Employability skills framework: a tripartite approach

Abstract

PurposeThe paper aims at examining the employability skills relevant in the unprecedented times of turbulence in businesses due to COVID-19 in the Indian context.Design/methodology/approachThe study examined the recent skills model through an extensive literature review. Exploratory factor analysis (EFA) is conducted to identify the employability skills perceived as important by multiple stakeholders. ANOVA was applied to examine the differences in perceived importance attached to these dimensions by the three stakeholders.FindingsThe ten-factorial solution was extracted based on the results of EFA The findings offer a fresh perspective on digital competencies perceived as most important to ensure successful long-term employability, followed by business fundamentals and behavioral skills.Research limitations/implicationsThe study has been able to map perceptions of employers, faculty and students based in Delhi-NCR regarding essential employability skills. It would be worthwhile to validate the proposed employability skills framework across different geographical sections of India and ascertain if the perceptions vary in the employment sector and employer size.Practical implicationsAlthough the study has put forth practical employability skills, there is a need for convergence between the business stakeholders and Higher Education Institutes (HEIs) to develop a broad skill-base for the fresh graduates. The study will prepare them for the volatile business environment.Originality/valueMany previous studies have lacked the employability skill framework in the Indian context from the multiple stakeholders' perspective. The HEIs can rethink their current employability, including the most prominent skills required in succeeding in a technology-enabled business environment transformed by the pandemic.

Design and validation of an assessment rubric of relevant competencies for employability

“…Assessing competencies for employability is a complex process due to the number of elements that influence the job possibilities of graduates. There are personal and also social, economic and political elements which at the same time affect potential employers and their demands for human talent (Mahajan et al, 2022;Olo et al, 2022;Cotronei-Baird, 2020). Hence the lack of unanimity in determining the competencies for employability (Fahrenbach, 2022).…”

“…Having assessment tools in vocational training which are also open, stress-free, adapted to the style of learning of students, as indicated by Ibarra-Sáiz et al (2020), Boud, (2020 and Knight and Drysdale (2020), may make it more likely for graduates to adapt to the emerging economy. This is particularly significant in the midst of the volatility which has marked the global economy following the COVID-19 pandemic, as is also highlighted by Mahajan et al, (2022) and Akbari et al (2022). However, the benefits offered by this rubric to assess competencies for employability are not enough to overcome the problems regarding the differences between syllabuses and corporate demands (Senan & Sulphey, 2022;Olo et al, 2022;Mahajan et al, 2022).…”

“…This is particularly significant in the midst of the volatility which has marked the global economy following the COVID-19 pandemic, as is also highlighted by Mahajan et al, (2022) and Akbari et al (2022). However, the benefits offered by this rubric to assess competencies for employability are not enough to overcome the problems regarding the differences between syllabuses and corporate demands (Senan & Sulphey, 2022;Olo et al, 2022;Mahajan et al, 2022). Curriculums and didactic methodologies in schools would therefore have to be studied in more detail.…”

“…At present, as a result of knowledge being put into practice, a series of professional capacities and skills must be developed (Silva & Mazuera, 2019;Fahrenbach, 2022). There is a difference between what students learn and what is really expected for them to know when they start a job for which they have been educated (Cotronei-Baird, 2020;Olo et al, 2022;Mahajan et al, 2022;Senan & Sulphey, 2022). The labour market calls for students to be capable of solving complex problems in which they must make decisions and come up with creative solutions and efficiently report the results, while carrying out collaborative work in which they must take on various roles that will prepare them to manage a team of workers, with adaptive capacity and who are also digitally literate.…”

“…The implementation of the EU Convergence process in the Spanish University System has brought about a change in teaching and has allowed models to be established which are more in line with the educational needs of students and appropriate to social demands (Alonso-Sáez & Arandia-Loroño, 2017), shifting from teaching-based models to learning-based models (Gargallo, Jiménez, Martínez, Jiménez-Beut & Pérez-Pérez, 2017). Progress must be made towards methodological proposals with education plans aimed at acquiring competencies, emphasizing those which improve employability (Olo, Correia & Rego, 2022;Mahajan, Gupta & Misra, 2022). This change in the education system is particularly significant in Higher Education and in Vocational Training, as these prepare students for the world of work.…”