Magister Commercii (Industrial Psychology) - MCom(IPS) / The employability of graduates has been a global point of concern. Within a South African context, this issue is proliferated not only by a reported gap between employers’ expectations and those of students, but also by an exponential rise in graduate unemployment. Examining undergraduates’ perspectives regarding competencies necessary to enhance their employability as well as their efficacy beliefs regarding their perceived competence in certain competencies, is one means of gaining insights and working towards narrowing between student and industry expectations and perceptions. The primary objective of this study was to examine Industrial Psychology (IPS) undergraduate students’ perceptions of critical competencies needed for employability, their efficacy beliefs regarding their level of perceived competence in these competencies and to determine the discrepancies between these viewpoints based on certain demographic variables. This research sought to gain an understanding of IPS undergraduates’ perspectives, a perspective that previous literature has not yet addressed. Quantitative data was obtained from 151 IPS undergraduate students during the course of their respective lectures, by means of a questionnaire instrument, which comprised of two sections. The first section sought to elicit demographical information and the second section consisted of questions related to their perceptions of the importance of certain competencies, as well as their self-perceived competence in relation to these. Descriptive analyses demonstrated that IPS undergraduates regarded all of the twenty-four listed competencies as quite important for employability, some being rated as critically important and others of lesser importance by comparison. Additionally, in terms of their efficacy beliefs in their competence in these competencies, the sampled undergraduates felt they possessed a slightly above average level of competence overall, indicating a fair amount of self-efficacy. Furthermore, inferential statistical analyses were conducted to investigate the respective perceptions based on gender, age, work experience and year level of study. These results indicated several statistically significant findings between the various categories. It was evident that gender, age, work experience and year level of study played a role in the perceptions by the sampled group of IPS undergraduates, in respect to a few of the competencies highlighted. In conclusion, these perceptions may be able to add to the body of knowledge and aid in the development of IPS undergraduates from an academic and professional point of view.

Magister Artium (Sport, Recreation and Exercise Science) - MA(SRES) / It is well known that sport holds great popularity and the ability to gather the masses globally. Sport and development programmes and non-profit organisations play an important role in the development process of individuals and communities. Most of these sport and development programmes are run by non-profit organisations, who provide an alternative approach to market and state-led development strategies. These organisations are usually driven by strong values that are geared to empowering communities and individuals for positive change.

Under the United Nations’ proposal of downsizing military plans for peacekeeping, countries are continuously decreasing their military personnel size, resulting in a global military personnel decrease of 10% in twenty years, which is equivalent to a decrease of 3 million soldiers. Sweden, on the other hand, decreased its military personnel by 15% in just one year (2020), leaving these military personnel for the quest of new careers in civilian jobs.The purpose of this study is to understand how military experience affects the perception of recruiters in Swedish Civilian Job. This study will be able to help Swedish individuals with military experience who are switching careers to civilian jobs to understand the perception of recruiters on them and provide guidance for successful employment. For recruiters, this study can be used as a measurement model of how to accurately evaluate veterans, which can more effectively translate expertise for organizations, and help to enrich their human resources.This paper conducts a qualitative study, collecting responses from thirteen Swedish civilian recruiters by the method of semi-structured interviews to ensure effective data collection. Through the analysis of the data by NVivo coding program, and further analysis by the researchers, the theoretical model is established and discussed.The findings show that military experience does affect the perception of recruiters in swedish civilian jobs. The effect is overall mirthful and positive because military experience is perceived to affect personality and skills positively. However, the findings also showed that in the eyes of recruiters, military experience may generate some obstacles to employment if the individual did not obtain other qualities or sets, such as education, job experience before their military service, good communication skills, and emotional intelligence.

For higher education (HE) institutions, preparing students to be job-ready upon graduation in the 21st century is no easy feat, but critical for future growth in business. Technology, globalization, and the knowledge economy have increased employer demands for new skills and investment in human capital. Yet employers still argue that graduates remain unprepared to succeed in the workforce. The global economic shocks from the COVID-19 pandemic also heighten the need to continue exploring and identifying employable skills. Narrowing the gap between the skills employers seek and the skills applicants possess remains a challenge for businesses, higher education, students and government. Against this background, this dissertation – through two interconnected studies – aims to identify the skills that higher education institutions should prioritize to cultivate employability.Study One is a qualitative, systematic literature analysis of 191 scholarly articles which were collected to identify, catalog, and synthesize essential employability skills. The study yielded eight critical employable skills with sub-themes associated with each recognized skill. The resulting integrated skills framework brings together the perspectives of different stakeholders and gauges which perspectives are more present in the literature. The research found some alignment among critical stakeholders regarding employable skills. However, the employer's voice is under-represented in the literature compared to the student perspective. Study Two further examines the employer perspective to identify what skills employers are looking for from applicants. A novel methodology is applied to determine the association between the employable skills identified in Study One and the skills employers have sought out in job postings. NVivo software was used to conduct an exploratory flexible pattern matching analysis. A representative sample of 198 job postings from Indeed.com was analyzed by comparing the employable skills that emerged from the analytical framework created in Study One (theoretical patterns) to the skill requirements identified in the job postings (observed patterns). Although exploratory, the results from pattern matching indicate a contrast between what past research has identified as employable skills and the skills employers mention in job postings. Although these results are not generalizable due to the study's exploratory nature, they provide theoretical patterns to be explored by future research. The comprehensive literature review and the analysis of the skills gap from an employer’s perspective provide multiple actionable insights for academic researchers, employers, policymakers and institutions of higher education. / Business Administration/International Business Administration

Anställningsbarhet kan ha flera olika betydelser och kan vara svårt att definiera. Det kan handla om allt från vilka kunskaper en individ besitter till huruvida en lyckas erhålla ett arbete. En akademisk utbildning kan vara ett hjälpmedel till att en individ blir mer anställningsbar på arbetsmarknaden men det är endast en aspekt av flera andra faktorer som kan påverka anställningsbarheten. Denna studie granskar huruvida en akademisk utbildning kan möjliggöra till att en individ blir mer anställningsbar. En akademisk utbildning har visat sig vara en förutsättning för att lyckas utveckla många av de personliga egenskaper som arbetsgivare söker. Bland dessa återfinns bland annat flexibilitet, att vara kommunikativ samt att kunna arbeta i samspel med andra individer. För att analysera den empiri som identifierats i denna studie har två teoretiska perspektiv tillämpats: det erfarenhetsbaserade lärandet där även Kolbs modell har tillämpats, samt Wengers teori om Communities of Practice. Dessa teorier avhandlar lärande utifrån erfarenheter samt huruvida människor lär sig i samspel med andra individer. För att kunna besvara studiens syfte har en kvalitativ undersökning genomförts med intervjuer där tio respondenter deltagit. Samtliga deltagare har haft olika utbildningar och yrkesroller. Här har deltagarnas personliga erfarenheter gällande begreppet anställningsbarhet varit centrala för att kunna besvara syftet för studien. Slutsatsen som kan dras av det resultat som identifierats är att en akademisk utbildning utgör en grund för att vara mer anställningsbar, samt ökar möjligheten till att kunna utveckla de personliga egenskaper arbetsgivare söker. / Employability can have several different meanings and can be difficult to define. It can be about everything from what knowledge an individual possesses to whether one succeeds in obtaining a job. An academic education can be an aid to an individual becoming more employable in the labor market, but it is only one aspect of several other factors that can affect employability. This study examines whether an academic education can enable an individual to become more employable. An academic education has proven to be a prerequisite for succeeding in developing many of the personal qualities that employers seek. These include flexibility, being communicative and being able to work in interaction with other individuals. To analyze the empirical evidence identified in this study, two theoretical perspectives have been applied: the experiential learning where Kolb's model has also been applied, and Wenger's theory of Communities of Practice. These theories deal with learning based on experiences and whether people learn in interaction with other individuals. In order to be able to answer the purpose of the study, a qualitative survey was conducted with interviews in which ten respondents participated. All participants have had different educations and professional roles. Here, the participants' personal experiences regarding the concept of employability have been central in order to be able to answer the purpose of the study. The conclusion that can be drawn from the results identified is that an academic education forms a basis for being more employable, and increases the possibility of being able to develop the personal qualities that employers seek.

The purpose of this study was to assess the perceptions of CTE administrators in Alabama and Georgia on how agricultural education teachers were integrating STEM and employability skills. The population of this study consisted of CTE administrators in Alabama (N = 137) and Georgia (N = 178) with 315 surveys being distributed and 129, or 41%, completing the survey. This descriptive study utilized a static group comparison pre-experimental research design. Means were used to determine how strongly the respondents value employability skills and STEM skills. Standard deviations helped understand how responses varied. Frequencies and percentages were used to determine the number and proportion of the respondents. The demographics portion of this study found that the average CTE administrator in Alabama and Georgia was a white female with a specialist or doctoral degree and no educational background in CTE. In addition, the average CTE administrator was employed in a county school system that offered agricultural education and had less than 15,000 students. Furthermore, the average CTE administrator has 13.05 years of teaching experience and 23.25 years of total experience in education. On average, CTE encompassed the majority of their duties and they were not an administrator in a charter school. The findings of this study presented evidence that CTE administrators in Alabama and Georgia do value the integration of employability skills and STEM skills into agricultural education differently. Moreover, participating CTE administrators perceived all employability and STEM skill categories to be "very important" or "Extremely Important" based on a Likert-type scale of 1 = Not Important to 5 = Extremely Important. Furthermore, the most valued Employability Skills include Critical Thinking Skills, Personal Qualities, and Communication Skills. The STEM Pathways that CTE administrators valued the most include the Plant Systems Pathway, Animal Science Pathway, and the Food, Products, and Processing Pathway.

Yes / In addressing the EU2020 goals, skills shortage combined with increasing unemployment rates is to be primarily tackled in Western Europe; the common factor here is education. Education and lifelong learning (LL) are the key strands governing employability in the European labour market. Overarching concepts capable of addressing social challenges within education and LL that contribute towards better practices are seen as social innovations (SI). While SI in education is well founded in the developing countries, Europe is still in the process of gaining progressive momentum in this direction. In addressing various societal challenges, this study looks at observable trends in SI for education across Western Europe. About 30 innovations have been recorded across 11 countries that are essentially focussed on: social integration, alternative/new forms of education, digital learning, new learning arrangements, new LL strategies, early career planning, youth employment, quality improvements and new education standards, transition management, and entrepreneurial education. / European Union’s Seventh Framework Programme for research, technological development and demonstration [grant number 612870].

The purpose of this study was to create a profile of the value of work-related competencies according to health educators in institutions of higher education in the state of Virginia. The health educators were surveyed regarding competencies perceived to be of high importance in their current position. Additionally, the study examined whether these competencies are addressed on the Certified Health Education Specialist (CHES) exam created by the National Commission for Health Education Credentialing, Inc. (NCHEC). Data collected did support current literature in regards to importance of competencies. Regardless of job title or CHES certification status, health educators rank oral communication skills and interpersonal skills as being in the top five 'soft skills' related to career success. Oral communication and interpersonal skills are among the competencies addressed by the CHES exam. Interestingly, however, 76% (n=29) of respondents reported that they were not CHES certified. This study also examined the relationship between a respondent's job title (health-related, medically-related, or other) and his or her willingness to assist with health education curriculum development and student evaluation. Respondents whose job title directly related to health education were much more likely to be willing to help with curriculum development and student evaluation than those that had the responsibility of disseminating health education but held another type of title. There is a need for further investigation into the basis for perceptions of dissatisfaction with college graduates by employers in regards to level of preparedness for the workforce. / Ph. D.

This study explored the relationship of Deep Approaches to Learning (DAL) with overall students' satisfaction and perceived employability skills in the field of Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) for the undergraduate seniors in the U.S. The study also aimed to investigate whether there is a difference between students in STEM and non-STEM fields on the relationship of DAL to overall student satisfaction and students' perceived employability skills. The data for the analysis was taken from the National Study of Student Engagement (NSSE) data. The Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) analysis was applied to explore the relationship between students' Deep Approaches to Learning (DAL), overall students' satisfaction and their perceived employability skills. The measurement invariance testing explored whether estimated factors are measuring the same constructs for STEM and non-STEM groups. The findings of the study show that HO and RI construct was found to have statistically significant positive total (direct and indirect) effect on overall student satisfaction. Further, the results show that HO and RI learning activities were identified as the statistically significant factors in predicting students' perceived employability skills for STEM students. The HO and RI have a statistically significant positive effect on perceived employability skills for STEM and the non-STEM students. The STEM students have a higher effect of HO learning activities on perceived employability skills than the non-STEM students. Further, the direct effect of perceived employability skill on overall student satisfaction is also positive for both the groups. The findings of the study confirmed the indirect effect of employability on overall students' satisfaction for both STEM and non-STEM students. This study has created strong groundwork for future researchers to use the measurement models and the hypothesized full structure model for invariance testing among the groups of STEM and non-STEM in higher education in the U.S. Thus, this measurement model has a strong generalizability to both STEM and non-STEM groups. The implications and limitations of study are further discussed. / Doctor of Philosophy / There is an increasing consensus that for a society to solve complex problems that are related to climate, health, general economic development, and security, study in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM) fields is critical to develop the skills that are needed to tackle those issues. However, there are reports on STEM education in the U.S. that have revealed that there is a general concern among policymakers and industrial leaders about the shortage of workers who are trained in STEM fields. To enhance the students' academic achievement, cognitive development, personal and social development, and to encourage them to be life-long learners, postsecondary institutions need to build a learning atmosphere that supports their deep learning approaches. This study explored the relationship of Deep Approaches to Learning (DAL) with overall students' satisfaction and perceived employability skills in the field of Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) for the undergraduate seniors in the U.S. The study also investigated whether there is a difference between students in STEM and non-STEM fields on the relationship of DAL to overall student satisfaction and students' perceived employability skills at higher education. It has further shed a light on why the difference in patterns exist and can give direction on how teaching and learning can be improved in STEM and non-STEM fields. The findings of the study suggests that Higher order (HO) and Reflective/Integrative (RI) have a positive effect on overall students' satisfaction for STEM students. The HO has a statistically significant higher effect on perceived employability skills for STEM students the for the non-STEM students. The effect of perceived employability skills on overall students' satisfaction on STEM and non-STEM students is positively high for both the groups. In order to enhance students' overall satisfaction with their university experience, the universities need to continuously develop new strategies and programs to make sure students are well-equipped with perceived employability skills.

Yes