Career adaptability and university-to-work transition

Abstract

Purpose In a socioeconomic context that is undergoing continuous change, career adaptability emerges as a central construct for understanding the employability of graduates. The purpose of this paper is twofold: first, to analyze intra-individual differences in career adaptability among graduates between the end of graduation (time 1) and integration into the labor market 18 months later (time 2); and second, to analyze the effect of career adaptability on graduates’ employment status 18 months after completing graduation. Design/methodology/approach A sample of 183 graduates in four different study fields (Economics, Engineering, Social Sciences and Humanities and Law) completed the Career Adapt-Abilities Scale at two different points in time: when they graduated and 18 months after graduation. To assess intra-individual differences over time and the effect of career adaptability on graduates’ employment status, a repeated measures design was used. Findings The obtained results confirmed a positive association of the four dimensions of career adaptability, with higher scores for the group of employed graduates, in the two measurement times. No statistical differences emerged within personal variables. Practical implications This study evidences the relation of career adaptability and employability and demonstrates that it is possible to identify those students who are more vulnerable in terms of career adaptability resources before university-to-work transition and, on this basis, to outline specific interventions to promote their employability. Originality/value By adopting a design with two repeated measures of career adaptability, this study offers new insights about the specific role of adaptability in a university-to-work transition period.

Employability profiles of higher education graduates: a person-oriented approach

“…Data presented in this study are part of a broader longitudinal project that aimed to study graduates' employability, with several research aims: (i) to develop and validate instruments that can contribute to the understanding of graduate employability (Monteiro, García-Aracil, et al, 2019;Monteiro and Almeida, 2015); (ii) to characterize graduates with regard to their perceptions of competencies and preparation to work transition (García-Aracil et al, 2018;Monteiro et al, 2016); (iii) to explore the relation between graduates and employers' perceptions about competencies developed during higher education studies ; (iv) to explore the role of career adaptability in graduates' employability (Monteiro et al, 2020;Monteiro, Taveira, et al, 2019). The study design of this project consisted in an initial contact of the participants in the final year of their Master's course, in a classroom context, where they provide general information concerning sociodemographic and educational pathways, such as age, gender, study field, work experiences and parents' education, and signed an informed consent form that included a description of the aims of the study (wave 1).…”

Factors affecting business graduates' employability–empirical evidence using partial least squares (PLS)

“…The role of sociocultural factors needs to be understood, along with the technical and soft skills required to improve the employability of business graduates (Gracia, 2010). It is argued that a wide variety of interpretation exists on how these sociocultural factors are inferred and what elements of social factors need to be included (Monteiro et al, 2019). The literature shows that business students' social skills can be improved by engaging them in extra-curricular activities such as work-integrated learning and internships (Stevenson and Clegg, 2011).…”

Analysis of Socioeconomic Status, Gender, and Academic Achievements to Student Career Maturity

“…What should be of concern to the university is how to equip students with the ability to adapt well in the work environment. This ability to adapt is essential in the success of work (Monteiro, Taveira, and Almeida 2019).…”