Portuguese employers’ perceptions on management undergraduates’ transferable competencies

Abstract

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to disclose the perceptions of Portuguese employers regarding the transferable competencies (TCs) that enhance the employability of recent management graduates, the mechanisms for their development and the role played by different agents (faculties, students and companies) in this process. Design/methodology/approach Participants were 41 chief executive officers and human resource managers belonging to the same number of companies located in northern Portugal. A semi-structured interview guide allowed the participants to express their views through their own words and in depth. Findings The participants identified the TCs they seek in recent management graduates, including several cognitive competencies, emotional intelligence competencies and social intelligence competencies. They discerned the curricular internship and the Erasmus+ program as the most effective mechanisms to develop undergraduates’ TCs. The role of companies in the development of the TCs of students and recent graduates was acknowledged; nonetheless, these employers expect greater involvement from Portuguese faculties and students. Research limitations/implications Although the results of this exploratory study cannot be generalized to the Portuguese population of employers, it contributes to uncover and understand their perceptions, hence providing a basis for subsequent investigations using larger samples. Originality/value Portugal is a particularly relevant context to conduct this research given the recent financial crisis and ensuing pressure on new graduates to deliver good performance rapidly, as well as the involvement of Portuguese universities in processes of international evaluation and accreditation. However, little information has thus far become available regarding employers’ perceptions of management graduates’ TCs.

Mapping managerial expectations of graduate employability attributes: A scoping review

“…who people are) (Boyatzis, 1982;Pang et al, 2019;Tefft & Hanson, 2015). Employability attributes should not be seen as job-specific but rather as knowledge, skills and attitudes (Dondi, Klier, Panier & Schubert, 2021), which cut horizontally across industries and vertically across jobs (Barbosa & Freire, 2019). Roos (2018) and Anastasiu et al (2017) also argued that employability attributes should be transferable rather than job-specific and should be valued beyond organisational and industrial borders.…”

“…In the Deloitte Insights Report (Hagel et al, 2019), business leaders are encouraged to focus on universal human capabilities that go beyond specific skill sets and domains. There is an increasing need for a different set of less subject-specific competencies or attributes to meet the demands of the current volatile world http://www.sajip.co.za Open Access of work (Barbosa & Freire, 2019). Hagel et al (2019) emphasised enduring human capabilities that underlie the ability to learn, apply and effectively adapt one's skills to meet the demands of the ever-changing economy and the Fourth Industrial Revolution.…”

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“…Por consiguiente, no puede vivir de espaldas a lo que ocurre en la realidad laboral posterior, sino que debe orientar sus esfuerzos a buscar puntos de encuentro entre ambos espacios. Sobre esta base, intentar acercar la realidad de la docencia de nuestras aulas a la realidad del ejercicio de una determinada actividad profesional es, sin lugar a dudas, uno de los principales retos a los que nos enfrentamos en la actualidad el colectivo de profesores/as universitarias (Barbosa y Freire, 2019;Mulder et al, 2009). Pero, para ello, se considera necesario entrar en contacto con esa realidad técnica (Abraham y Karns, 2009; Martensen y Grønholdt, 2009) a través de una comunicación directa con los profesionales o bien mediante el contacto con sus instituciones representativas, Colegio Oficial o Asociación Profesional homóloga, ya que en su labor de mantener la esencia profesional de la actividad (código deontológico), éstas asumen entre sus finalidades la de construir un mejor futuro para la misma.…”

Importancia de la regulación oficial en la vinculación académico-profesional: el caso de las técnicas de auditoría (primeros resultados)

“…Por consiguiente, no puede vivir de espaldas a lo que ocurre en la realidad laboral posterior, sino que debe orientar sus esfuerzos a buscar puntos de encuentro entre ambos espacios. Sobre esta base, intentar acercar la realidad de la docencia de nuestras aulas a la realidad del ejercicio de una determinada actividad profesional es, sin lugar a dudas, uno de los principales retos a los que nos enfrentamos en la actualidad el colectivo de profesores/as universitarias (Barbosa y Freire, 2019;Mulder et al, 2009). Pero, para ello, se considera necesario entrar en contacto con esa realidad técnica (Abraham y Karns, 2009;Martensen y Grønholdt, 2009) a través de una comunicación directa con los profesionales o bien mediante el contacto con sus instituciones representativas, Colegio Oficial o Asociación Profesional homóloga, ya que en su labor de mantener la esencia profesional de la actividad (código deontológico), éstas asumen entre sus finalidades la de construir un mejor futuro para la misma.…”