Predicting students’ work world awareness through their readiness and competency for the digital world

In the current fast-paced digital work environment, it has become crucial for individuals to cultivate a deep understanding of the constantly changing nature of the job market. With jobs and career paths becoming increasingly indistinct and unpredictable, developing awareness of the digital work world is more important than ever. This research empirically investigated the degree to which the world of work readiness and competency of distance learning students could serve as predictors for their digital work world awareness. Data were collected from (N = 486) full-time employed undergraduate students at a comprehensive South African distance learning institution. Regression analysis and structural equation modelling were used in the cross-sectional, quantitative study. The study emphasised the significance of developing job certitude, business ingenuity and socio-digital agility as part of students’ career development learning to improve their awareness of the digital work environment. The study enhanced comprehension of the implicit function of students’ work readiness and competency in relation to significant digital-era awareness

The Role of Personas in Political Marketing in Canada

Many political party strategists draw on Big Data to target specific groups of voters. This predominantly quantitative approach is useful for mobilising support, yet there are alternatives that help bring these voter segments to life.  Pioneered in Australia (1996) and perfected in Canada (2006 to 2008), the use of personas in political marketing and communications holds several notable advantages. By personifying the segments – using names like “Phil and Jenny” or “Dougie” – strategists foster both internal cohesion and external consistency around their messaging. The technique is also useful for policy development.  Grounded in an extensive review of campaigns and in-depth interviews, this article analyses the use of personas by the Conservative Party of Canada, pointing to the strengths and shortcomings of the approach

How discipline shapes the meaning of value creation in higher education; implications for enterprise, entrepreneurship and employability.

This paper sets out the importance of teaching contextualized understandings of value within different disciplinary contexts in order to enhance employability and to foster greater levels of engagement with enterprise and entrepreneurship education. Key research has recognised the broader benefits of enterprise and entrepreneurship education, including that of developing graduate employability. Yet enterprise and entrepreneurship may not feel comfortable or relevant to students (EEUK, 2012; Henry, 2013). It has been identified that students can better relate to enterprise and entrepreneurship when it is contextualised in professions, sectors and communities of practice, moving away from a focus on venture creation and start up (Gibb, 2005). We argue that taking an approach which is explicitly based on value creation is a crucial driver of student engagement with enterprise and entrepreneurship education. This needs to be based in students’ individual values, embedded in their disciplines, and related to the communities of practice which as graduates they will go on to be part of. When grounded in the creation of value at an individual, disciplinary, and societal level, enterprise and entrepreneurship education can appeal to a wider constituency of students. In this paper, we discuss how value creation is understood in three diverse academic disciplines, Business, Biomedical Science and Music. Building on key research and drawing on our extensive practice as educators, we argue that explicitly foregrounding understandings of value within our different disciplinary contexts and developing appropriately contextualized, experiential forms of value creation-based pedagogy, is key to student engagement and enhances graduate employability

External aspects that stand out in the self-perceived employability of engineering students and recent graduates

The purpose of this study is to analyse the relationship between the self-perceived employability of engineering students and graduates and their employment situation. Methodology: A total of 505 individuals participated in this study, including recent graduates and senior students from five engineering programs at a public higher education institution in Colombia. This research adopted a quantitative methodology with a non-experimental cross-sectional design and a correlational scope. The data were analysed using inferential statistics. Findings: Based on the results, perceived employability considerably depends on four factors: the level of job performance, the number of promotions, work experience, and the education–job relationship. Originality: In the current labour context, employability is an important tool for graduates who are entering the labour market and must face a variety of challenges, such as the decline in work opportunities, the rapid development of technology, and the need for lifelong learning. According to the literature in the field, employability is significantly influenced by these kinds of external factors

The effects of trainers’ competence on employability of government polytechnic college graduates in Dire Dawa City, east-central Ethiopia

The need for competent and qualified trainers is of paramount importance for an effective technical training system that, in turn, helps to produce competent and employable graduates for the country’s economy. The purpose of this study is to investigate the effects of trainers' competence on the employability of polytechnic college graduates in Dire Dawa. The study employed a descriptive-correlational-explanatory research design with a quantitative research method. The sample for quantitative data consisted of 351 randomly selected graduates, trainees, trainers, and administrators. Both descriptive and inferential statistics were used to analyse the data. The findings revealed that trainers’ competence was positively correlated with graduates' employability. Specifically, predictors such as knowledge-related competence, assessment-related competence, skill-related competence, and managerial competence were found to have significant and positive effects on the employability of polytechnic college graduates in Dire Dawa. Therefore, the study recommends that the Dire Dawa city Labour Skill and Technology Development Bureau and Polytechnic colleges should give greater emphasis on improving trainers’ competence, which in turn enhances the employability of graduates

Exploring the role of generic competencies in employability and academic performance of students of psychology

This paper analyses the relation between generic competencies of students of Psychology and their academic performance and employability. A sample of 43 students of Psychology in a Spanish university was used to measure their generic competencies, academic performance and employability. Correlational and regression tests were conducted to evaluate the relation between the variables. The generic competence ‘adhering to principles and values’ is positively related to employability, while the competencies ‘achieve results/client satisfaction’ and ‘socialise and create networks’ are positively related to academic performance. No significant relationship was found between academic performance and employability. Generic competencies favour both academic performance and employability. The competencies which influence only one of these aspects are different. Our research offers insights to teacher learning communities to engage in a profound reflection on the inclusion of methodologies that facilitate the development of competencies related to academic performance and those most in demand in the labour market within the field of Psychology. Generic competencies are essential part of the education of students of Psychology. These competencies are institutionally developed with the aim of orienting the education of psychologists towards their future professional practice. It is essential to understand how the development of generic competencies may facilitate academic performance and employability of graduates in Psychology

Science students develop multiple employability literacies from large, early-year courses without employability modules

Concerns have been raised about the employability of Science graduates, however undergraduate Science curricula rarely focus on building employability. Our goal is to harness existing Science-focused curricula to improve Science graduate employability. In this study we asked whether students could identify learning of employability literacies from their experiences in undergraduate Science courses that do not explicitly teach employability literacies. To address these questions, we employed a short reflective activity in three large first year courses; these courses focused on scientific content and processes, and did not include employability modules. We asked students to choose an employability literacy from a menu and describe how components of the course prompted them to develop this literacy. Students chose a wide variety of literacies and linked their development to multiple aspects of their course experience. They also consistently indicated they had achieved multiple literacies from their course. Course coordinators highlighted the strength-based quality of the reflections, which differed from the usual course evaluation comments given by students. Coordinators who used the reflection activity in the first year were eager to continue in subsequent semesters and years. This mechanism gives students and staff the opportunity to understand the wide and varied opportunities for employability skill development that already exist in undergraduate Science courses. The approach does not require course teaching amendments or student skill-building instruction. This study shows that students can achieve multiple employability literacies from early-year courses, and raises new possibilities around how we can boost students’ understanding and development of their employability

The nexus of work integrated learning and skills among engineering students in Nigerian Universities: A structural equation model approach

Higher education providers have redefined their focus to include work-integrated learning (WIL) as an alternative way to prepare graduates for professional and future employment. Although WIL was designed to enhance graduates' work readiness, there is little evidence that the program supports the development of behavioural and employability competencies among participating students. Thus, this study aims to predict the effect of WIL through the partial least square path model on seven employability competencies. The sample consisted of 375 final-year engineering students from two Nigerian universities who had participated in a WIL program. A two-stage composite-based structural equation modelling was used to analyse the data. The average variance extracted and Heterotrait-Monotrait ratio were used to establish the validity and reliability of the instruments. A structural model was used to test the hypothetical constructs' relationship and level of significance. The findings supported all hypothesized direct relationships that WIL enhances graduate employability skills. The study concludes that WIL has immense benefits for students, including developing employability skills (i.e., Analytical, adaptability, communication, fundamental, ICT, interpersonal, and 4IR skillsets) for future employment. Consequently, it was recommended that higher education providers strengthen and establish frameworks for effective work-integrated learning program to enhance graduate employability

Enablers and barriers for plurilingual practices: How EAL/D teachers support new arrivals in a rural secondary setting

This paper explores the reported practices of five specialist EAL/D teachers from a rural Australian city. They work with a cohort of refugee students from a single cultural group, who recently arrived in Australia with minimal English and generally low levels of literacy in their first language. Survey research was conducted to explore how plurilingualism was being supported amongst these students. Information was sought on how home languages featured and were supported in the students’ learning. Plurilingual practices occurred predominantly in the EAL/D setting, where participants benefited from ‘Goldilocks conditions’. These conditions were characterised by a homogenous student group and allowed for a slowing down of the curriculum and the incorporation of students’ first languages in the learning process. The presence of skilled bilingual aides was the lynchpin for the success of plurilingual practices in this study. Our research highlighted the need for further investigation into the enablers and barriers of collaborative practice between EAL/D and mainstream teachers and the role bilingual aides play in supporting plurilingualism in schools. There is evidence from this study to support reframing the concept bilingual education in Australia, to better capture the complexities of plurilingual interactions in school contexts

A Study Exploring Soft Skills in Higher Education

There is a need for improved skills development within the UK’s Higher Education Institutions (HEI) stemming from the disconnect between the expectations of employers of the skills graduates have and the skills graduates have gained during their degree. It is well-known now that there is a clear skills gap. The present study aims to explore the effect of graduates and students' perception of skills development in HEI in the UK. A total of 420 participants completed an online survey to explore their perception as well as their confidence of skills development by rating each skill on a Likert scale. The paper discusses the results in light of pedagogical strategies developed to teach soft skills in HE. The paper concludes with recommendations for teaching practice.&nbsp