How to develop higher education curricula towards employability? A multi-stakeholder approach

Abstract

PurposeThis paper aims to find out what conditions are needed to enhance higher education curricula towards employability from the perspective of different stakeholders in the graduate labour market.Design/methodology/approachAn empirical study was developed, using a qualitative approach, based on semi-structured interviews with higher education institutions (HEIs) and labour market players, in the north region of Portugal. The data were analysed through content and descrip\tive analysis with NVivo.FindingsThe results show a set of constraints that hinder the match of higher education curricula with employability, namely, (1) the weak connection between HEIs and employers and (2) the curricular structure, which is characterised by a heavy theoretical component and a weak approach to the soft skills required by the current labour market. Possible solutions, with implications for educational policy, are given throughout the study.Research limitations/implicationsThe geographical scope and the nature of the study suggest that some precautions are required when generalising results. However, the literature on other areas in Portugal strengthens the findings and compensates for the sample's limitations.Originality/valueThis study combines the perspectives of the different individual stakeholders involved which, when taken as a whole, provide some recommendations for tailored curricula towards employability. Other studies in Portugal address each of these issues individually, without a connection between all the different perspectives.

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).…”

“…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.…”

“…This would be one way to keep the link between specific technical competencies and soft skills at the centre of education. In addition, it would be an opportunity to overcome the differences between vocational training syllabuses and employability, as is also recommended by Olo et al (2022) and Senan and Sulphey (2022). Likewise, it is suggested that vocational training students be informed of this rubric as a self-assessment tool which helps them to focus their efforts on self-improvement of the competencies which are considered relevant for employability.…”

“…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.…”