Precursors to Employability—How First Year Undergraduate Students Plan and Strategize to Become Employable Graduates

Mullen, Emma; Bridges, Stephanie; Eccles, Sue; Dippold, Doris

doi:10.1007/978-3-030-26342-3_12

Cited by 1 publication

(1 citation statement)

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“…Systematic differences in access to high-skilled jobs based on ethnicity, disability, and social and educational background (OFS 2019) suggest that social disadvantage plays a significant role in individual-employer negotiations of graduate employability. Students' academic, social and professional capital influence how they prepare for UtWT from first year onwards (Mullen et al 2019). To understand how social disadvantage affects 'becoming employable' prior to labour market entry, we examine three potential explanations: students' social background, the type of HEI attended, and individual financial strain (see Figure 1 for a summary of the conceptual framework).…”

Section: Social Disadvantage and 'Becoming Employable'mentioning

confidence: 99%

Disentangling the impact of social disadvantage on ‘becoming employable’: evidence from STEM student university-to-work transitions

Okay–Somerville

Allison

Luchinskaya

et al. 2020

Studies in Higher Education

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This article aims to examine alternative explanations of social disadvantage on the university-to-work transition experiences of science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) students. 'Becoming employable' during the university-to-work transition is reflected in three ways: students' cognition/patterns of thinking (i.e., perceived employability); affect/emotion (i.e., anxiety); and career-related behaviour (i.e., job search and networking). To understand how social disadvantage affects 'becoming employable', we examine three potential explanations: students' social background, type of higher education institution attended and individual financial strain. A cross-sectional survey design targeted at final year students in two UK Higher Education Institutions provided 288 survey responses. Findings show support for an institutional explanation to 'becoming employable'. The study contributes to our understanding of social disadvantage during preparation for labour market entry and the 'employable graduate' identity construction process. Practical recommendations focus on alleviating some of the pressures on socially disadvantaged students.

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Section: Social Disadvantage and 'Becoming Employable'mentioning

confidence: 99%