Career management training in the university environment

Authors

  • Teresa Torres-Coronas Universitat Rovira i Virgili, School of Engineering, Department of Business Management
  • María Arántzazu Vidal-Blasco Universitat Rovira i Virgili, Faculty of Business and Economics, Department of Business Management
  • María José Simón-Olmos Universitat Rovira i Virgili, School of Engineering, Department of Mechanical Engineering

Keywords:

Career management competencies, Employability, Curricular training, Higher education, COVID-19, Economic crisis, Comprehensive training

Abstract

In this paper we evaluate and confirm the effectiveness of including curriculum training on career management as a component of university studies. The behaviour of the students in this study was modified by the uncertainty created by the crisis in the labour market due to the pandemic.
Our results confirm that universities need to develop the generic and academic skills demanded by the labour market in order to provide their students with comprehensive training while also taking joint responsibility for developing their students’ career management skills.

References

Australian Association of Graduate Employers. (2013). 2013 AAGE Employer Survey. Sydney: Australian Association of Graduate Employers.

Alberich González, N., Fabra Antón, S., Sala Torrent, M., & Serracant Melendres, P. (2020). Joventut, COVID-19 i desigualtats. Situació actual i prospectiva. Agència Catalana de la Joventut, Generalitat de Catalunya. https://ja.cat/iI46c

Ali, J., & Aigbavboa, C.O. (2019). Employer’s perception of employability skills among built-environment graduates.

Journal of Engineering, Design and Technology. doi: 10.1108/JEDT-06-2019-0162

Alshehri, A., Gutub, S. A., Ebrahim, M. A. B., & Shafeek, H. (2016). Integration between industry and university: Case study, Faculty of Engineering at Rabigh, Saudi Arabia. Education for Chemical Engineers, 14, 24-34. doi: 10.1016/j.ece.2015.11.001

Bennett, D. (2012). A creative approach to exploring student identity. International Journal of Creativity and Problem Solving, 22(1), 27-41.: https://www.academia.edu/download/39993936/Bennett_22-3_.pdf

Berdrow, I., & Evers, F. T. (2011). Bases of competence: A framework for facilitating reflective learner- centered educational environments. Journal of management education, 35(3), 406-427. doi: 10.1177%2F1052562909358976

Bozionelos, G., & Bozionelos, N. (2015). Employability and key outcomes in times of severe economic crisis: The role of career orientation. Human Resource Management, 107(6), 11–35.

Bridgstock, R. (2009). The graduate attributes we’ve overlooked: Enhancing graduate employability through career management skills. Higher Education Research & Development, 28(1), 31-44. doi: 10.1080/07294360802444347

Budiarto, A., Gunawan, G., Kadiyono, A. L., & Andriani, E. (2021). Predicting graduate employability through personal development training in digitalization context. Association of Industrial & Organizational Psychology (Apio) West Java. Journal of Legal, Ethical and Regulatory Issues, 1-8.

Clares, P. M., & Morga, N. G. (2019). El dominio de competencias transversales en Educación Superior en diferentes contextos formativos. Educação e Pesquisa, 45. doi: 10.1590/S1678-4634201945188436

Clarke, M. (2008). Understanding and managing employability in changing career contexts. Journal of European Industrial Training 32(4): 258-284. doi:10.1108/03090590810871379

Clarke, M. (2017). Rethinking graduate employability: The role of capital, individual attributes and context. Studies in higher education, 43(11), 1923-1937. doi: 10.1080/03075079.2017.1294152

Coetzee, M., & Beukes, C. J. (2010). Employability, emotional intelligence and career preparation support satisfaction among adolescents in the school-to-work transition phase. Journal of Psychology in Africa 20(3): 43–446. doi: 10.1080/14330237.2010.10820396

Cotronei-Baird, V. (2019). Academic hindrances in the integration of employability skills development in teaching and assessment practice. Higher Education, 79(2), 203-223. doi: 10.1007/s10734-019-00405-4

Dacre Pool, L., & Sewell, P. (2007). The key to employability: developing a practical model of graduate employability.

Education + Training 49(4): 277–289. doi: 10.1108/00400910710754435 De Janasz, S. C., & Forret, M. L. (2007). Learning the art of networking: A critical skill for enhancing social capital and

career success. Journal of management education, 32(5), 629-650. doi: 10.1177%2F1052562907307637 Donald, W., Baruch Y., & Ashleigh M. (2019). The undergraduate self-perception of employability: Human capital, careers advice, and career ownership. Studies in Higher Education 44(4): 599–614. doi:10.1080/03075079.2017.1387107

Eby, L. T., Butts, M., & Lockwood, A. (2003). Predictors of success in the era of the boundaryless career. Journal of Organizational Behavior: The International Journal of Industrial, Occupational and Organizational Psychology and Behavior, 24(6), 689-708. doi: 10.1002/job.214

Feijoo, G., Arce, A., Bello, P., Carballa, M., Freire, M. S., Garrido, J. M., ... & Moreira, R. (2019). Potential impact on the recruitment of chemical engineering graduates due to the industrial internship. Education for Chemical Engineers, 26, 107-113. doi: 10.1016/j.ece.2018.08.004

Gerard, J. G. (2012). Linking in with LinkedIn®: Three exercises that enhance professional social networking and career building. Journal of Management Education, 36(6), 866-897. doi: 10.1177%2F1052562911413464

Harris-Reeves, B., & Mahoney, J. (2017). Brief work-integrated learning opportunities and first-year university students’ perceptions of employability and academic performance. Australian Journal of Career Development, 26(2), 32–37. doi: 10.1177/1038416217697974

Harvey, L. (2001). Defining and measuring employability. Quality in higher education, 7(2), 97-109. doi: 10.1080/13538320120059990

Healy, M., Hammer, S., & McIlveen, P. (2020). Mapping graduate employability and career development in higher education research: A citation network analysis. Studies in Higher Education, 1-13. doi: 10.1080/03075079.2020.1804851

Helyer, R., & Lee, D. (2014). The role of work experience in the future employability of higher education graduates. Higher Education Quarterly, 68(3), 348-372. doi:10.1111/hequ.12055

Hernanz, V., & Jimeno, J. F. (2017). Youth Unemployment in the EU. Ifo Institut – Leibniz-Institut für Wirtschaftsforschung an der Universität München, CESifo Forum, 18(2), 3-10. https://www.econstor. eu/bitstream/10419/166711/1/cesifo-forum-v18-y2017-i2-p03-10.pdf

Hogan, R., Chamorro-Premuzic, T., & Kaiser, R. B. (2013). Employability and career success: Bridging the gap between theory and reality. Industrial and Organizational Psychology, 6(1), 3-16. doi: 10.1111/iops.12001 Holdsworth, C., & Quinn, J. (2010). Student volunteering in English higher education. Studies in Higher Education,

(1), 113-127. doi: 10.1080/03075070903019856

Holmes, L. (2013). Competing perspectives on graduate employability: possession, position or process?. Studies in higher education, 38(4), 538-554. doi: 10.1080/03075079.2011.587140

Humburg, M., De Grip, A., & Van der Velden, R. (2017). Which skills protect graduates against a slack labour market? International Labour Review, 156(1), 25-43. doi: 10.1111/j.1564-913X.2015.00046.x

Idkhan, A. M., Syam, H., Sunardi, S., & Hasim, A. H. (2021). The Employability Skills of Engineering Students’: Assessment at the University. International Journal of Instruction, 14(4), 119-134. http://eprints.unm. ac.id/id/eprint/20747

Irwin A., Nordmann E., & Simms K. (2019). Stakeholder perception of student employability: does the duration, type and location of work experience matter?. Higher Education 78(5), 761–781. doi: 10.1007/s10734- 019-00369-5

Jackson, D., & Wilton, N. (2016). Developing career management competencies among undergraduates and the role of work-integrated learning. Teaching in Higher Education, 21(3) 266-286. doi: 10.1080/13562517.2015.1136281

Jain, R., & Jain, S. (2013). Conceptualization, measure development and empirical assessment of career oriented attitudes and employability of technology graduates. Vision, 17(2), 143-157. doi: 10.1177%2F0972262912483528

Kinash, S., Crane, L., Judd, M. M., & Knight, C. (2016). Discrepant stakeholder perspectives on graduate employability strategies. Higher Education Research & Development, 35(5), 951–967. doi: 10.1080/07294360.2016.1139555

King, Z. (2004). Career self-management: Its nature, causes and consequences. Journal of vocational behavior, 65(1), 112-133. doi: 10.1016/S0001-8791(03)00052-6

Lau, S.S.S.; Wan, K.; & Tsui, M. (2021). Evaluation of a Blended Career Education Course during the COVID-19 Pandemic on Students’ Career Awareness. Sustainability, 13(6), 3471. doi: 10.3390/ su13063471

Likhitkar, P., & Verma, P. (2020). HR value proposition using predictive analytics: an overview. New Paradigm in Decision Science and Management, 165–171. doi: 10.1007/978-981-13-9330-3_15

Llanes, J., Figuera, P., & Torrado, M. (2017). Desarrollo de la empleabilidad y gestión personal de la carrera de graduados en Pedagogía. Revista Española de Orientación y Psicopedagogía, 28(2) 46-60. http://hdl. handle.net/2445/122489

Lo, P., So, S., Liu, Q., Allard B., & Chiu, D. (2019). Chinese students’ motivations for overseas versus domestic MLIS education: a comparative study between university of Tsukuba and Shanghai university. College & Research Libraries, 80(7), 1013-1035. https://crl.acrl.org/index.php/crl/article/view/23616/30928

Lowden, K., Hall, S., Elliot, D., & Lewin, J. (2011). Employers’ perceptions of the employability skills of new graduates. The SCRE Centre Research in Education, Edge Foundation, University of Glasgow. https:// www.academia.edu/download/31848633/employer_perception.PDF

Martínez, A. R., Pascual, A. C., & Blasco, S. V. (2019). Análisis de la mejora del nivel de empleabilidad de los universitarios mediante la mejora de competencias transversales y habilidades. Revista Española de Orientación y Psicopedagogía, 30(3), 102-119. doi:10.5944/REOP.VOL.30.NUM.3.2019.26275

Mason, G., Williams, G., & Cranmer, S. (2009). Employability skills initiatives in higher education: what effects do they have on graduate labour market outcomes?. Education Economics, 17(1), 1-30. doi: 10.1080/09645290802028315

Meissner, D., & Shmatko, N. (2019). Integrating professional and academic knowledge: The link between researchers skills and innovation culture. The Journal of Technology Transfer, 44(4), 1273-1289. doi: 10.1007/s10961-018-9662-8

Mok, K. H., Wen, Z., & Dale, R. (2016). Employability and mobility in the valorisation of higher education qualifications: The experiences and reflections of Chinese students and graduates. Journal of Higher Education Policy and Management, 38(3), 264-281. doi:10.1080/1360080X.2016.1174397

Monteiro, S., Almeida, L., Gomes, C., & Sinval, J. (2020). Employability profiles of higher education graduates: a person-oriented approach. Studies in Higher Education, 1–14. doi: 10.1080/03075079.2020.1761785.

Moreno-Murcia, L. M., & Quintero-Pulgar, Y. A. (2021). Relación entre la formación disciplinar y el ciclo profesional en el desarrollo de las habilidades blandas. Formación universitaria, 14(3), 65-74. doi: 10.4067/S0718- 50062021000300065

Nunley, J. M., Pugh, A., Romero, N., & Seals Jr, R. A. (2016). College major, internship experience, and employment opportunities: estimates from a résumé audit. Labour Economics, 38, 37–46. doi: 10.1016/j. labeco.2015.11.002

Observatorio de Innovación en el Empleo. (2014). Informe OIE sobre jóvenes y mercado laboral: el camino del aula a la empresa. http://www.oie.es/wp-content/uploads/2015/09/oie_estudio.pdf

Orrell, J. (2011). Good Practice Report, Work-Integrated Learning. Sydney: Australia Learning and Teaching Council. http://hdl.voced.edu.au/10707/213987

Parker, S. K., & Collins, C. G. (2009). Taking stock: Integrating and differentiating multiple proactive behaviors.

Journal of Management, 36(3), 633–662. doi: 10.1177/0149206308321554

Pegg, A., Waldock, J., Hendy-Isaac, S., & Lawton, R. (2012). Pedagogy for Employability. York: Higher Education Academy. https://www.heacademy.ac.uk/sites/default/files/resources/pedagogy_for_employability_ update_2012.pdf

Praskova, A., & Johnston, L. (2021). The role of future orientation and negative career feedback in career agency and career success in Australian adults. Journal of Career Assessment, 29(3), 463-485. doi: 10.1177%2F1069072720980174

Purcell, K., Elias, P., Atfield, G., Behle, H., Ellison, R., & Luchinskaya, D. (2013). Transitions into employment, further study and other outcomes. Futuretrack Stage, 4. https://www.warwick.ac.uk/fac/soc/ier/futuretrack/ stage_4_report_final_30_10_2013.pdf

Rae, D. (2007). Connecting enterprise and graduate employability: challenges to the higher education culture and curriculum? Education + Training, 49(8/9), 605-619. doi: 10.1108/00400910710834049

Raelin, J. A., Bailey, M., Hamann, J., Pendleton, L., Raelin, J., Reisberg, R., & Whitman, D. (2011). The effect of cooperative education on change in self-efficacy among undergraduate students: Introducing work self-efficacy. Journal of Cooperative Education and Internships, 45(2), 17-35. https://ssrn.com/ abstract=2019933

Räty, H., Hytti, U., Kasanen, K., Komulainen, K., Siivonen, P., & Kozlinska, I. (2019). Perceived employability and ability self among Finnish university students. European Journal of Psychology of Education, 35(4), 975- 993. doi: 10.1007/s10212-019-00451-7

Römgens, I., Scoupe, R., & Beausaert, S. (2020). Unraveling the concept of employability, bringing together research on employability in higher education and the workplace. Studies in Higher Education, 45(12), 2588-2603. doi: 10.1080/03075079.2019.1623770

Rothwell, A., & Arnold, J. (2007). Self-perceived employability: development and validation of a scale. Personnel Review, 36(1), 23-41. doi:10.1108/00483480710716704

Rouvrais, S., Remaud, B., & Saveuse, M. (2020). Work-based learning models in engineering curricula: insight from the French experience. European Journal of Engineering Education, 45(1), 89-102, doi: 10.1080/03043797.2018.1450846

Saulite, M., & Andersone, R. (2019). Career education as a set of planned actions integrated in the study process. The Proceedings of The International Scientific Conference Rural Environment Education Personality (REEP) 12, 303-308. doi: 10.22616/REEP.2019.040

Saunders, V., & Zuzel, K. (2010). Evaluating employability skills: employer and student perceptions. Bioscience Education, 15(1), 1-15. doi:10.3108/beej.15.2

Sin, C., & Neave, G. (2014). Employability deconstructed: perceptions of Bologna stakeholders. Studies in higher education, 41(8), 1447-1462. doi: 10.1080/03075079.2014.977859

Štambuk, A., Karanović, G., & Host, A. (2019). Employers’ perceptions of business and economics graduates’ competencies in Croatia. Business Systems Research, 10(2), 108-123. doi: 10.2478/bsrj-2019-021

Stan, C. (2017). The formative impact of the career plan on the students’ professional path. European Proceedings of Social and Behavioural Sciences, 27, 744-752. doi: 10.15405/epsbs.2017.07.03.88

Strauss, K., Griffin, M. A., & Parker, S. K. (2012). Future work selves: How salient hoped-for identities motivate proactive career behaviors. Journal of Applied Psychology, 97(3), 580–598. doi: 10.1037/a0026423

Terzaroli, C., & Oyekunle, Y. (2019). Career service as a measure to support employability: A comparison between the university of Florence and the University of Lagos. Andragoška spoznanja, 25(1), 89-110. doi: 10.4312/as.25.1.89-110

Usher, A. (2012). Measuring work integrated learning: The development of the meta-competency test. Journal of Cooperative Education & Internships 46(1), 5–15. http://www.ceiainc.org/wp-content/ uploads/2017/08/JCEIA_Vol46-2012.pdf#page=4

Watts, A. G. (2006). Career development learning and employability. York: Higher Education Academy. http://qualityresearchinternational.com/esecttools/esectpubs/watts%20career.pdf

Yorke, M. (2006). Employability in higher education: What it is-what it is not. York: Higher Education Academy. http://hdl.voced.edu.au/10707/136159

Downloads

Published

2022-12-02

Issue

Section

Research Articles (Special Issue)