Sports graduate capabilities and competencies: a comparison of graduate and employer perceptions in six EU countries

Abstract

The graduate employment market faces ever-increasing socioeconomic and political pressures. Higher Education Institutions and the sport sector in the EU have an important role in contributing to graduate employment. The aims of the study were: (1) to assess general perceptions of employability, and (2) to assess sports graduates' and employers' perceptions of specific capabilities and competencies in order to identify possible improvements for sports graduate employability programmes. A cross sectional survey of sports graduates and employers was administered in six EU countries including the UK, France, Germany, Spain, Greece and the Czech Republic to assess graduate and employer perceptions. A graduate capabilities and competencies framework was devised to assess personal, interpersonal, cognitive, role-specific and generic skills. Responses were elicited from 1,132 sports graduates and 327 employers. There was generally a wide difference of opinion between employers and sports graduates in terms of the importance and possession of a number of capabilities and competencies. There is a need for the Higher Education sector and employers to take responsibility in ensuring that work experience, work placement and volunteering opportunities are embedded in curricula and to ensure the fitness of purpose of what and how graduate capabilities and competencies are assessed.

The development of professionally important qualities as a result of various activities: Learning, sport, and labour market (El desarrollo de cualidades profesionales importantes como resultado de diversas actividades: Aprendizaje, deporte y mercado labo

“…While academics suggest more thoughtful incorporation of work experience into curricula (Baker et al, 2017), we believe that developing soft skills does not necessarily require work experience, and that sports are an effective mean of the corresponding development.…”

“…-research that is focused on revealing the peculiarities of formation of basic competencies in the learning process, which can be conventionally called a «school of professional competencies» (Baker et al, 2017;Cripe & Manfield 2012;Ghimire & Martin, 2011;Grillenberger et al, 2016;Herta et al, 2019;Kunter et al, 2013;Mulder, 2014;Sederevièiûtë-Paèiauskienë et al, 2014); -research on the formation of not only competencies, but also personal qualities that are valued by employers, which can be called a «school of competitive advantages» (Barak, 2016;Froy et al, 2012;Santesmases, 2021;Smith & White, 2017;Weinberger, 2014); -detailed research of the influence of different aspects of life, including human health and physical activity on the formation of in-demand qualities (soft skills) and competencies; these research can be called a «school of the man of many talents» (Cachón-Zagalaz et al, 2020;del Campo et al, 2017;Erkut et al, 2014;Griffiths et al, 2017;Meek et al, 2012;Pedron et al, 2019;Swanson & Kent, 2017). Despite more research, the problems of forming the in-demand qualities in the labour market and identifying the factors that influence them, forming these qualities require further elaboration.…”

Mind the gap

“…Recent publications in the area of sports graduate capabilities and competencies (Baker et al , 2017) and expectations of employability skills in sport and recreation (Tsitskari et al , 2017) mirrored the authors experience having been previously embedded in the sport industry and more recently teaching in the university sector in the field of sport management. The existence of, or potential for, a “gap” between sport management education (SME) and the sport centre managers’ requirements of graduate employees is by virtue of the system by which higher education (HE) and graduate employment is aligned.…”

“…Research into the impact of sport degrees, usually focuses on sport science or sport studies (Baker et al, 2017;Beaumont, Gedye and Richardson, 2016) the specific area of sport management and sport marketing degrees are bereft of direct study as to what industry managers view as beneficial for an early career or job applicant graduate to either enter the industry or progress. The undergraduate degree of Sport Marketing fails to be listed within the QAA Subject Benchmarking statement (Events, Hospitality, Leisure, Sport and Tourism, 2016).…”

Evaluación de competencias genéricas en profesores de Educación Física (Assessment of generic competences in physical education teachers)

“…En virtud de lo anterior, queda en evidencia que la percepción sobre la formación universitaria no sea homogénea en todos los contextos donde se forman profesores de EF. Aunque, tal como mencionan Baker et al (2017) es necesario que las instituciones de educación superior y los empleadores establezcan un diálogo permanente que permita mejorar continuamente la formación de profesionales.…”