Ignorance is risk: An exploratory investigation of students’ perceptions of their education–employment pathways

Abstract

The widely held view that higher education constitutes a gateway to employment has underpinned the dramatic widening of access to university in recent decades. However, globalisation and technological development have complicated the task of enhancing the employability of students, as the future world of work has become ever-more dynamic and unpredictable. Given such conditions, the delivery of employability teaching has become a central focus of many higher education providers (HEPs). To meet their responsibilities, HEPs must understand how students perceive their respective courses in relation to the employment pathways that they seek to follow. The present study aimed to gain an understanding of prospective students’ perceptions regarding this, but also to evaluate the accuracy of these perceptions. Because some course types are more narrowly vocational than are others, a subsidiary aim was to investigate whether or not student expectations and knowledge varied depending on course-type. The findings gathered from 462 students enrolled into a wide range of courses at 15 Australian universities were profound. They highlight that, while most students commence university with a career goal in mind, many have a poor understanding of the education-employment pathways on which they have embarked. Students demonstrated a limited understanding of the careers to which their courses might lead, and of the relevance of postgraduate study to their chosen career goals. These findings varied significantly across different course-types. Overall, these findings highlight the need for HEPs to educate their students explicitly about the education-employment pathways that are available to them..

Two sides of the same coin? Internationalisation and employability - students’ perceptions of employability and career outcomes from International Studies

“…Taken on aggregate, the rationale statements supplied at the time of withdrawal indicate that degree decisions and motivations are a complex web of reasons that were also echoed in Kinash et al (2017) and Lock and Kelly's (2020) findings on education and career decision making. Students cite a number of factors for their decisions, some of which may be contradictory or based on inclination, myths or unfounded beliefs about employment markets and what skills IS degrees enhance, but which also speak to a search for certainty.…”

“…While professional identity formation for single degree students is relatively well established (see Trede, Macklin, & Bridges, 2012), knowledge about field of study via a concurrent or combined degree, especially in relation to employability and professional identity formation, is comparatively understudied (Culver et al, 2011). Lock and Kelly (2020) show that dual degree students often have a less defined career goal and a lower understanding of careers linked to their chosen degrees, which reveals greater uncertainty around degree combinations. This was also echoed by Baldry, Märtsin and Eivers' (2020), examining the struggles of dual degree students to building a professional identity that combines their two degrees.…”

‘This is what gets people hired!’: Academic perspectives on employability skills in architecture and the potential impact of COVID-19

“…Bridgstock's (2009 critique of employability skills as narrowly focused and employer-centric rather than employee-centric also remains a key reminder to foreground future practitioners. Likewise, it is essential to recognise recent work that critiques the broader 'employability agenda' (Tomlinson & Le Huu Nghia, 2020) and the troubling lack of nuance surrounding student perspectives on the topic (Lock & Kelly, 2020). Ultimately, employability is understood as 'both contextual and relational as opposed to just an individual problem in accessing favourable labour market returns' (Tomlinson & Le Huu Nghia, 2020).…”

A career research module promotes career exploration and understanding of the labour market and transferable skills

“…Research has cast doubt on the accuracy of students' expectations and knowledge about their education-employment pathways, even once these pathways have been embarked upon (Hemsley-Brown, 2011). Evidence suggests that many students have a limited or inaccurate conception of their available career choices (Lock & Kelly, 2020). Within non-specialist degrees, many students assume that upon graduation they will be able to be employed in the profession for which the degree is named, sometimes ignorant of the fact that such employment can require postgraduate qualifications with competitive entry (Amiet et al, 2021;Sethi et al, 2018).…”