Employability in Context


Book Description

This book explores the issue of graduate employability in regional Vietnam. It provides a critical discussion of not only the demands of the labour market but also the practices and challenges in the development of graduate employability and career capacity building at the national, institutional and individual levels. It discusses graduate employability in Vietnam by analysing government and institutional policies and taking into account the perspectives and experiences of three key stakeholders: employers, graduates and universities. The book highlights the development of ‘employability in context’ for graduates in regional Vietnam to be able to adapt to the specific social, cultural and demographic conditions of the region and tackle new employment challenges.




Graduate Employability in Context


Book Description

This book explores the highly significant and contested area of graduate employability and employment which is paid so much attention by those in the media and policy-makers. This is driven largely by concerns over the wider economic impact and value of graduates as increasing numbers complete their studies in higher education. At a time when graduates are seen as key to economic success, the critical question remains as to how their employability plays out in a changing labour market. This book brings together innovative approaches and research to present an extensive survey of the field. It provides insight on what is a complex and often elusive social and economic problem, ranging from how graduate employability is constructed as an economic and policy agenda to explorations of how graduates manage the transition from higher education to paid employment and finally to suggest future directions for curricula, policy and research.




Rethinking Graduate Employability in Context


Book Description

This open access book offers critical, multidisciplinary analyses on graduate employability. The book examines employability at the macro, meso and micro levels: higher education policy, the labour market, higher education institutions, organisations, individuals and social groups, in European, North American and Australian contexts. The contributors provide social and contextual analysis of graduate employability as a theoretical concept, a discourse and policy imperative and a social and discursive practice. The volume also introduces novel methodological perspectives to study the process of graduate employability. There is an urgent need for comprehensive and unified critical perspectives on graduate employability, as such analyses have so far been scarce and often isolated. Besides filling this gap in the literature, the book will also serve as essential reading on courses that focus on graduate careers and employability as well as higher education policy and practice.




Graduate Careers in Context


Book Description

In a world where there are increasing concerns about graduate underemployment and likely career trajectories, it is not surprising that there is a significant body of literature examining graduate careers in post-industrial societies. However, it has become increasingly evident in recent years that there is a stark disconnect between academics who research employment and education, and careers and employability professionals. Graduate Careers in Context brings these two separate groups together for the first time in order to provide a better understanding of graduate careers. The book addresses the problems surrounding the graduate labour market and its relationship to higher education and public policy. Drawing on varied perspectives, the contributors provide a comprehensive examination of issues such as geography, mobility and employability, before presenting and discussing the benefits of future collaboration between practitioners and academic researchers. The interdisciplinary focus of this book will make it of great interest to academics, researchers and postgraduate students in the areas of education, sociology, social policy, business studies and career guidance and coaching. It should also be essential reading for practitioners who wish to consider their role and responsibilities within the changing higher education market.




Language Investment and Employability


Book Description

This book provides a unique insight into negotiations around language investment for employability in the context of public employment services. Drawing on extensive ethnographical research carried out in Regional Employment Offices in Switzerland, the authors follow the stories of various job seekers. In doing so, they challenge the currently dominant assumption that investment in language competences leads to better employability. Arguing for a political economic perspective on these issues, this book will be of interest to anyone concerned with the connections between language and social inequality, as well as students and scholars of sociolinguistics and applied linguistics.




Building Soft Skills for Employability


Book Description

This book is among the first of its kind to comprehensively examine the implementation of soft skills in universities in the developing country, Vietnam. The context is unique as the implementation is taking place within the distinctive socio-economic, cultural and political characteristics of the country, amidst several simultaneously-executed educational reforms. Tran lays down the foundation for discussion by providing readers with a comprehensive review of how soft skills implementation has come into existence in higher education across the globe, before diving into the implementation of soft skills in Vietnamese universities. He goes on to highlight the interesting differences in the conceptualization of soft skills between Vietnamese universities and those in the West. The book depicts and compares how university leaders and managers tackle contextual factors, submit to constraints enforced by political forces, and how they use institutional advantages available for implementation. It goes further to examine how personal and contextual factors affect teachers’ and students’ engagement with the implementation, and highlights the role of work-integrated learning and extra-curricular activities in developing soft skills for students. Finally, the book investigates the contribution of external stakeholders, such as alumni, employers, skills experts, and local authorities, to the implementation and obstacles that prevent their participation. This book will be a valuable reference for the implementation of soft skills in higher education around the world.




The Business Student's Guide to Study and Employability


Book Description

Written in response to the pressures on universities to produce highly skilled and work-ready graduates and intended to map across a three year business course, this book contains the study and employability skills students need to succeed as a business student and graduate, from essential study, presentation and leadership skills to practical advice on getting that all-important job after university. Hands-on learning aids offer exercises for group work and self-study. Readers can expect the book to: Help them adapt to a new culture and environment by setting out what is expected and what they can expect at university Help them bridge the gap between school and university by developing essential study skills such as critical thinking and time management Help them develop transferable skills that are sought after by employers including presentation skills, leadership skills and commercial awareness Give them practical advice on getting that all-important job after university with chapters on CV writing, job hunting, interviewing and networking, among others The book is full of examples drawing on the author’s own personal experience with the final chapter offering words of advice from current graduates and employees working in lots of different sectors all over the world – including US, Europe, China and the UK. The book is complemented by a companion website featuring a range of tools and resources for lecturers and students, including an instructor manual and PowerPoint slides, answers and guidance on skills assessment tasks, templates and examples to download as well as additional chapter content on topics such as plagarism and essay writing. Suitable for all students taking a business degree.




Education for Employability (Volume 1)


Book Description

Universities are expected to produce employable graduates. In Education for Employability, experts explore critical questions in the employability agenda: Who sets the standards and expectations of employability? How do students monitor their own employability? How can universities design whole curricula and university environments that promote employability? What teaching and learning strategies facilitate the development of employability? Responsibility for developing and sustaining employability lies with a broad coalition of the individual students, the university, alumni, the professions and industry and is accomplished through the intended curriculum as well as co-curricular, extra-curricular and supra-curricular activities, events and learning opportunities.




Internationalization and Employability in Higher Education


Book Description

Providing an analysis of the relationship between Internationalization and Employability in Higher Education, this book considers the perspectives of both students and employers to illustrate how to reach positive employment outcomes for all stakeholders. Through a wide range of international case studies, this book delivers some key messages, including: The articulation of the link between internationalization and employability; The need for higher education institutions to communicate the benefits of an internationalized higher education beyond the academy; The need to ensure equity of graduate outcomes through enhanced internationalization at home; The impact of immigration policy on national benefits of internationalization of higher education; International study as a route to employability for migration purposes and building knowledge-based economies Considering the skills developed by students through mobility experiences, while exploring the need for enhanced internationalization of the curriculum at home, Internationalization and Employability in Higher Educationwill be a key resource for any higher education policy makers or university staff associated with careers, employment, and integrated learning. It contains important messages for employers and recruiters. amp;lt;P> International study as a route to employability for migration purposes and building knowledge-based economies Considering the skills developed by students through mobility experiences, while exploring the need for enhanced internationalization of the curriculum at home, Internationalization and Employability in Higher Educationwill be a key resource for any higher education policy makers or university staff associated with careers, employment, and integrated learning. It contains important messages for employers and recruiters.




Getting In and Getting On in the Youth Labour Market


Book Description

Based on up to date qualitative and ethnographic research, this book examines youth education-to-work transitions in the UK. Using the theoretical lens of a Foucauldian governmentality approach, the authors consider the ‘why’ and ‘how’ of youth employability training and demonstrate how different employability schemes planned and operationalised in diverse geographical and economic landscapes work in practice. The book examines and compares a range of employment entry route programmes and reveals the tension between employability and good quality employment, and the ways in which young people from varying social and regional backgrounds are positioned very differently within this.