The university-to-work transition: responses of universities and organizations to the COVID-19 pandemic

Abstract

PurposeThe purpose of this study is to understand how universities and organizations have responded to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic in terms of preparing university students and recent graduates to enter the global labor market, using the accounting, banking and finance sector as a case study. The two research questions are (1) How can university career services and organizations work individually and collaboratively to best develop early career talent following the COVID-19 pandemic? (2) What are the challenges that university career services and organizations face when working individually or collaboratively to develop early career talent following the COVID-19 pandemic?Design/methodology/approachThe data for thematic analysis comes from 36 semi-structured interviews with career advisors (CAs) (n = 19) and graduate recruiters (GRs) (n = 17).FindingsThis study offers some of the first findings on the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, helping to ensure that organizational behavior and career theory literature reflect the dramatically changing landscape in the university-to-work transition.Originality/valueTheoretically, our contribution comes from applying a framework of the career construction theory (CTT) within the context of a career ecosystem to understand the views of the intermediary, meso-level actors, which, to date, have lacked representation within career literature. Practically, we provide an insightful bridge between universities and organizations, offering opportunities for greater collaboration, and enhanced outcomes for all stakeholders.

Subjective Wellbeing among University Students and Recent Graduates: Evidence from the United Kingdom

“…Our findings suggest that university careers services need to provide more significant support to students and recent graduates. The results align with those of Donald et al [ 56 ], who reported that career counsellors at universities have been experiencing unprecedented demands for services from students and recent graduates since the COVID-19 pandemic. However, the same study found that university careers services often lacked the resources to provide the level of support that students required, suggesting the need for additional investment.…”

Additional Skills Acquisition Programme (ASAP) project: the case of an employability enhancement initiative in India

“…This approach could be adopted in other states or regions or within different countries to solve specific problems within a localised context. This echoes the calls of Donald et al (2021) for organisations and educational institutions to foster greater levels of collaboration to prepare students for the future demands of the workplace.…”

Effects of career development learning on students’ perceived employability: a longitudinal study

“…However, students also highlight the ineffectiveness of some provisions due to a lack of sufficient engagement or specific, personalized advice, thereby requiring universities to develop appropriate ways of overcoming these issues. Donald et al ( 2021 ) confirmed the role of the university in the task of preparing students to embark on the university-to-work transition in the context of a competitive labour market, especially in uncertain times such as those associated with the COVID-19 pandemic. Based on this discussion, we propose the following hypothesis: H1: Career development learning positively affects students’ perceived employability.…”