University curricula and employability: The stakeholders’ views for a future agenda

Abstract

<jats:p> This article explores which measures are perceived by European key stakeholders (students, employers and academics) as crucial for the development of curricula that provide graduates with working-life competences and key skills that may increase their employability. It also seeks to identify measures that may strengthen cooperation between companies and universities. This was achieved through the application of 1734 questionnaires to key stakeholders in five European countries which are part of the European project #Europehome. The most popular measure identified by all stakeholders was the internship. More specifically, internships are considered of great importance to increase graduates’ employability as well as being the best means of cooperation between universities and companies. In addition, the study identified a range of best practices and measures that may help lay the foundations and sustain the development of well-planned curricula. </jats:p>

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

“…A possible solution suggested by all respondents to improve practical performance is the increase in internships. This is in line with Silva et al (2016), Chen et al (2018) and Pereira et al (2020), who stated that programmes which include internships tend to enhance significantly graduates' employability. This is because internships offer students a more effective learning environment than traditional classrooms.…”

“…The second is a qualitative study that explores Portuguese academics' acceptance of employability as a goal for higher education and concluded that there are different degrees of acceptance according to discipline and type of institution. There is also a cross-border study (Pereira et al, 2020) with a similar objective to this paper, but developed in a different way. It explores which measures are perceived by European key stakeholders (students, employers and academics) as crucial for the development of curricula that provide graduates with working life competencies and key skills that may increase their employability by means of questionnaires to key stakeholders in five European countries.…”

How Employers Evaluate the Employability of Recent Psychology Graduates: The Case of Chile

“…Graduates with attributes and skills sought by employers can find work without major difficulty and perform adequately on the job [53]. This reflects the relevance and quality of the training they received [47] [54].…”

Higher education and oil: The cost of credit and crude – A strategic corollary for industry and higher education

“…As a recent example of government intervention in the higher education industry, and as a result of increased skepticism about the value of college education, the USA has sought to merge the Departments of Education and Labor to align education more closely with job preparation (Berman, 2018). In Europe, prior reforms such as the Bologna Process have sought to standardize degree development to address issues of graduate employability and mobility between countries (Pereira et al, 2020). The organization Universities UK has called on the government to support educational institutions through financial support and student enrollment caps during the COVID-19 crisis (McKie, 2020).…”