Analysis of Employability Skills in Higher Education: A Report

This report synthesizes key research papers focusing on employability skills in higher education. It examines the development of employment skills, the gap between graduate skills and industry expectations, and the influence of factors such as technological advancements and global competition. The report analyzes the importance of employability skills like team working, self-management, and communication. It explores the role of universities in preparing work-ready graduates, including the integration of work-integrated learning and entrepreneurial skills. The studies highlight the significance of experiential learning in connecting theory and practice and in enhancing graduate outcomes. The report also discusses the evolution of higher education, the changing graduate labor market, and the need for business and management graduates to possess not only business knowledge but also problem-solving and entrepreneurial skills to succeed in the workplace. Finally, the report considers the role of work-integrated programs in preparing students for the workplace by identifying and developing the required skills, and the importance of addressing the needs of employers and the challenges of the UK government's spending review.

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Jackson, Denise. "Testing a model of undergraduate competence in employability skills
and its implications for stakeholders." Journal of Education and Work 27, no. 2 (2014):
220-242.
This paper attempts to explore the development of the employment skills which is being
embedded in the higher education’s planned schedule globally. The fresh graduates’ morals
in the specific skills are not capable of confronting the industry prospects. The motivation for
the skill advancement in the higher education has curtailed from rising forces on industry
from worldwide competition and technological progresses. The graduated employees are
influenced by the several factors but the classic models indicate the important protagonist of
the skills which supports graduates in executing disciplinary acquaintance at the office. The
employability skills are deliberated precarious in advancing student’s team working, self-
management, communication and systematic skills. The comprehensive focus on enhancing
employment skills in the undergraduates has catalysed significant changes in the higher
education. The proposed model has been used in the paper for the undergraduate’s capability
in the employability skills. This model has been resultant from the literature of stakeholder
discernments of the graduate performance in the specific assistances and predictable
understanding. The engagement of the students with the employability program has professed
significance in the model as an enthusiasm to mature employability skills and its impact on
the capability.
Wilton, Nick. "Do employability skills really matter in the UK graduate labour market?
The case of business and management graduates." Work, employment and society 25, no.
1 (2011): 85-100.
This paper attempts to add knowledge on the constant advancement of the higher education in
order to facilitate the highly skilled labour necessities with the aim of increasing educational
and employment opportunities. The higher education of UK has endured a key revolution in
order to move from exclusive to the mass facility. Subsequently, the graduate labour market
has been ominously transformed in the arrangement of the gradual labour supply and in the
assortment of the professions which advances consequently enter. It has been considered that
the supply of the business and management graduates to the labour market has developed
suggestively. The article pursues to discover the extent to which employability seems to
power employment and support in incapacitating the social disadvantage. Business and
management graduates seem to be well placed to feat the opportunities and possess the

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business knowledge desired by the employers. As a part of the skill categories, the business
and management graduates stated higher stages of developments in the proficiency and
problem solving. At the end, it can be evaluated that the business and management graduates
are disaggregated by the education and social characteristics.
Spowart, Jane. "Hospitality students' competencies: Are they work ready?." Journal of
Human Resources in Hospitality & Tourism 10, no. 2 (2011): 169-181.
This paper defines the work-integrated opportunities in order to makes sure that the graduates
are working ready. According to the view of the employers, students generally lack specific
capabilities especially when they arrive into the domain of work. The competencies make
sure that the convenient skills are comprised and evaluated as a part of the program. This
paper focuses on the establishing competencies required by the hospitality management final
year students. The competencies necessary in the work field should be a significant
constituent in the undergraduate programme. It is also the accountability of the higher
educators to integrate as a part of teaching and wisdom. Add on, the work-integrated
programs have the aim of formulating students for the office by recognizing and emerging the
significant capabilities which are considered to be required by the employees. The
significance of the work united learning experience cannot be deprived of because the
scholars are bare to the authenticities and the capabilities necessitated in the workplace.
Culkin, Nigel, and Sofie Mallick. "Producing work-ready graduates: The role of the
entrepreneurial university." International Journal of Market Research 53, no. 3 (2011):
347-368.
This paper investigates that the higher education is one of the biggest losers in the spending
review of the UK government. The universities are also under the stress by the government to
grip the employability program. The universities have also faced this encounter by forming
elder posts of accountability to exhibit the prominence. The paper focuses more on the radical
approach which pursues to inspire graduates with the acquaintance and assistances of the
entrepreneur. On the other side, obtaining pure business assistances lonely will be no longer
adequate for the graduates. It is required to develop entrepreneurial skills by distinguishing
themselves so that value can be added to the workplace. The most common issues to be faced
by the suppliers and customers in UK are associated to the rising unemployment along with

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the creation of the business opportunities. The incentives are also given in order to re-skill the
prevailing personnel. The government policy of the UK has required decentralizing much of
the accountability to the higher education segment. The recession and the increasing
competition have thrown sharp focus on the graduates to attribute success in the workplace.
Chavan, M., 2011. Higher education students' attitudes towards experiential learning in
international business. Journal of Teaching in International Business, 22(2), pp.126-143.
This paper attempts to describe the teaching model relied on the experimental learning in the
large multinational business unit. The effectiveness of the experiential learning enables
students to sightsee the link between theory and practice. The experiential learning has been
used as an instructional model to reflect, discuss, analyse and in the appraise experience. It
helps in forming meaning from the direct experience. The experimental learning has been
considered as one of the first methods of the educational instruction. It is the vital fragment of
the proper education in the colleges and universities. The experimental learning in the
modern day contributes to the field and is one of the best educational theories in the higher
education. It has been considered that the real experiences assist to the individuals in learning
advance abstract concepts. It enables persons to gather evidence to acquire and become
member of the communal of practice. It is operative to practice Kolb’s learning approach in
the large classes. It even enables teachers to advance thoughtful exercises which can focus
the certain stages and make students through the whole cycle.