Full Issue 6(3)

Abstract

To cite this article: Paterson, R. (2017). 'Because sometimes your failures can also teach you certain skills': Lecturer and student perceptions of employability skills at a transnational university. Qualitative Research in Education, 6(3), 241-275. doi:10.17583/qre.2017.2583 To link this article: http://dx.doi.org/10.17583/qre.2017.2583 PLEASE SCROLL DOWN FOR ARTICLEThe terms and conditions of use are related to the Open Journal System and to Creative Commons Attribution License (CC-BY).Qualitative Research in Education Vol.6 No.3 October 2017 pp. 241-275 (Received: 22 February 2017; Accepted: 19 September 2017; Published: 28 October 2017) AbstractThis exploratory study investigates lecturers' and students' understanding of the concepts and language underpinning higher education strategies of developing employability skills. While a solid grounding in discipline-specific knowledge and skills is what most graduate degrees aim at providing, employability skills are increasingly becoming an important factor when evaluating prospective employees. Embedding the acquisition of employability skills into higher education courses has emerged as a response to industry demands for work-ready graduates. The forces of internationalisation and globalisation mean that employers the world over are looking for graduates with additional soft skills, abilities and achievements. The context for this study is Westminster International University, Tashkent (WIUT), a transnational university in Uzbekistan. By means of a qualitative case study, the views of lecturers and students were investigated and common themes and perspectives identified. The main findings indicate that although students and lecturers share similar perspectives on the importance of employability skills, the purpose of employability focused pedagogy is not easily communicated to students. Furthermore, students feel that a more systematic approach to recognising and demonstrating employability skills would help them in their transition from education to work.Keywords: global higher education, employability skills, transnational education, employability pedagogy Qualitative Research in Education Vol.6 No.3 October 2017 pp. 241-275 ResumenEste estudio exploratorio investiga la percepción de los profesores y estudiantes de los conceptos y el lenguaje que se utilizan en las estrategias de educación superior para desarrollar las habilidades de empleabilidad. Mientras que los conocimientos disciplinarios son el objetivo de la mayoría de los posgrados, las habilidades de empleabilidad son cada vez un factor más importante al evaluar a los posibles empleados. La adquisición de habilidades de empleabilidad en la educación ha surgido como una respuesta a las demandas de la industria de graduados preparados para el mundo laboral. La internacionalización y globalización hacen que los empleadores busquen graduados con habilidades blandas, destrezas y logros adicionales. El contexto es Westminster International University, Tashkent (WIUT), una universidad trans...