University to work transition: a literature review

Abstract

PurposeThis article aims to describe the role universities should play in student to work transition.Design/methodology/approachAn objective bibliometric analysis is conducted and supported by qualitative assessments based on authors’ study of relevant papers.FindingsTwo themes emerge from the analysis: the first on the university's role in students' learning, skills and fits, in the transition process; the second on the university's role in engagement, motivation and support students in university-to-work transition.Research limitations/implicationsFrom the analysis, no indications emerge on how universities could contribute to student-to-work transition in the context of Agenda 2030 for Sustainable Development objectives. Furthermore, training students for the future is not an easy assignment in a fast-changing ecosystem. How can higher education prepare students to face future challenges if we only have partial and incomplete perceptions about possible futures? This vexes many policymakers, organisational leaders and educators. Finally, it could be an interesting next step to repeat the Bibliometrix research using subfield keywords to analyse revealed gaps.Practical implicationsThe study shows that the topic analysed is complex from the managerial, political and social points of view. The issues addressed by studies in UWT so far, concern various aspects: development of student identity, student engagement, fit between higher education and labour market, student motivation, student emotions and learning approaches. The university-to-work transition theme has become a work in progress effort and will most likely continue for the foreseeable future.Originality/valueSince research into university-to-work transition is fragmented, a comprehensive view of this theme seems necessary. Given the importance of the subject, this study will endeavour to fill this gap with an overall and organic perspective of the issue. This is one of the first attempts to grasp this research stream, which, over time, has paved the way to the intersection between “university-to-work transition” in business, management and educational fields.

Determinants of school to work transition and COVID-19

“…Even after growing and exhaustive literature, there is no consensus about the potential determinants of smooth STWT. In their bibliometric study, Izzo et al (2022) provided a survey based on the periodic literature from 332 research articles. Numerous cited studies confirmed the significance of skill development and suggested that students' backgrounds (family and education) are determining factors for their entry into the labor market.…”

“…Even after growing and exhaustive literature, there is no consensus about the potential determinants of smooth STWT. In their bibliometric study, Izzo et al . (2022) provided a survey based on the periodic literature from 332 research articles.…”

External Circumstances and University-to-Work Transitions: A Comparative Analysis across Western Balkan Countries

“…Gender disparities also play a critical role, with women typically experiencing slower transitions compared to men (Mills & Praeg, 2014;Nilsson, 2019). External circumstances such as family background, parental education, and area of residence signi cantly in uence UTWT (De Schepper et al, 2023;Izzo et al, 2022;Pastore & Zimmermann, 2019;Salas-Velasco, 2007). Evidence con rms that Mediterranean and Eastern European countries are characterized by signi cant degrees of unfair educational inequalities descending from family background (Liu et al, 2016;Palmisano et al, 2022;Salas-Velasco, 2007).…”

A network analysis of relationships between the work as meaning inventory (WAMI-U) and the humor styles in university students: Enhancing prevention in decent education

“…In this regard, the STWT model incorporates factors that impact the transition from secondary school to the workplace (Masdonati et al, 2022). The university-to-work transition represents another critical juncture and a challenge for the higher education system that is expected to prepare students for future careers in a rapidly changing and stressful world of work (Izzo et al, 2022). In this context, research highlights meaningful work as a primary objective for university students and emphasizes the need for career counseling services to guide them in attaining meaningful future careers (Allan et al, 2017).…”