Abstract
The paper examines to whom Portuguese students attribute responsibility for the development of employability, and what extra-curricular activities they undertake to improve their employability. Particular focus lies upon how far students internalise responsibility for employability and if/how they seek to position themselves in the job market. The data was obtained through a survey of 828 Portuguese students. The analysis explored differences among student groups (higher education sector, gender, age and discipline). The attribution of responsibility was primarily to students themselves and to higher education institutions as key vehicles for employability development, echoing the theoretical conceptualisation which sees employability as an individual ability/responsibility. Yet, the observed variations provide empirical support for the conceptualisation of employability as complex and multi-dimensional. The study also revealed relatively high engagement with extra-curricular activities, evidencing that students not only assume responsibility for employability, but are proactively seeking to gain positional advantage in the job market.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Agència per a la Qualitat del Sistema Universitari de Catalunya. (2015). Universities and employment in Catalonia 2014. Survey of the employment outcomes of the graduate population from Catalan universities. Barcelona: Author.
Almeida, A. N., & Vieira, M. M. (2012). From university to diversity: The making of Portuguese higher education. In G. Neave & A. Amaral (Eds.), Higher education in Portugal 1974–2009 (pp. 137–159). Dordrecht: Springer.
Amaral, A., Correia, F., Magalhães, A., Rosa, M. J., Santiago, R., & Teixeira, P. (2002). O ensino superior pela mão da economia [Higher education by the hand of the economy]. Matosinhos: CIPES.
Amaral, A., & Magalhães, A. (2004). Epidemiology and the Bologna Saga. Higher Education, 48, 79–100.
Andrade, J. S., & Duarte, A. (2011). The fundamentals of the Portuguese crisis. Panoeconomicus, 58, 195–218.
Aronson, P., Calahan, T., & Davis, T. (2015). The transition from college to work during the great recession: employment, financial and identity challenges. Journal of Youth Studies, 1–22 (online first).
Boden, R., & Nedeva, M. (2010). Employing discourse: Universities and graduate ‘employability’. Journal of Education Policy, 25, 37–54.
Bridgstock, R. (2009). The graduate attributes we’ve overlooked: Enhancing graduate employability through career management skills. Higher Education Research and Development, 28, 31–44.
Brown, P., Hesketh, A., & Williams, S. (2003). Employability in a knowledge-driven economy. Journal of Education and Work, 16, 107–126.
BUSINESSEUROPE. (2010). BUSINESSEUROPE’s main messages. Address by Philippe de Buck, Director General at The future of European universities after Bologna, Brussels, 13 December 2010.
Cai, Y. (2013). Graduate employability: A conceptual framework for understanding employers’ perceptions. Higher Education, 65, 457–469.
Cammelli, A., Antonelli, G., di Francia, A., et al. (2011). Mixed outcomes of the Bologna process in Italy. In H. Schomburg & U. Teichler (Eds.), Employability and mobility of bachelor graduates in Europe (pp. 143–170). Rotterdam: Sense Publishers.
Cardoso, J. L., Varanda, M., Madruga, P., Escária, V., & Ferreira, V. S. (2012). Empregabilidade e Ensino Superior em Portugal [Employability and higher education in Portugal]. Lisboa: Agência de Avaliação e Acreditação do Ensino Superior (A3ES).
Clarke, M. (2008). Understanding and managing employability in changing career contexts. Journal of European Industrial Training, 32, 258–284.
Corder, G. W., & Foreman, D. I. (2009). Nonparametric statistics for non-statisticians: A step-bystep approach. Chichester: John Wiley & Sons.
Cranmer, S. (2006). Enhancing graduate employability: Best intentions and mixed outcomes. Studies in Higher Education, 31, 169–184.
De Weert, E. (2007). Graduate employment in Europe: The employers’ perspective. In U. Teichler (Ed.), Careers of university graduates. Views and experiences in comparative perspectives (pp. 225–246). Dordrecht: Springer.
Direção-Geral de Estatísticas da Educação e Ciência. (2013). Desemprego dos diplomados. [Graduate unemployment]. Retrieved December 16, 2015, from https://doi.org/www.dgeec.mec.pt/np4/92/
European Students Union. (2014). Student advancement of graduates. Employability. employability with students’ eyes. Brussels: Author.
Eurostat. (2015). Real GDP growth rate. Retrieved December 16, 2015, from https://doi.org/ec.europa.eu/eurostat/web/national-accounts/data/main-tables
Fugate, M., Kinicki, A. J., & Ashforth, B. E. (2004). Employability: A psycho-social construct, its dimensions, and applications. Journal of Vocational Behavior, 65, 14–38.
Gabinete de Planeamento, Estratégia, Avaliação e Relações Internacionais/Ministério da Ciência, Tecnologia e Ensino Superior. (2011). A procura de emprego dos diplomados com habilitação superior [The job search of higher education graduates]. Lisbon: Author
Hall, P. A., & Soskice, D. (2001). An introduction to varieties of capitalism. In P. A. Hall & D. Soskice (Eds.), Varieties of capitalism: The institutional foundations of comparative advantage (pp. 1–68). Oxford: Oxford University Press.
Harvey, L. (2000). New realities: The relationship between higher education and employment. Tertiary Education and Management, 6, 3–17.
Harvey, L. (2005). Embedding and integrating employability. New Directions for Institutional Research, 128, 13–28.
Hillage, J., & Pollard, E. (1998). Employability: Developing a framework for policy analysis (Research report RR85). London: Department for Education and Employment.
Holdsworth, C., & Quinn, J. (2010). Student volunteering in English higher education. Studies in Higher Education, 35, 113–127.
Holmes, L. (2013). Competing perspectives on graduate employability: Possession, position or process? Studies in Higher Education, 38, 538–554.
Jackson, D. (2014). Factors influencing job attainment in recent Bachelor graduates: Evidence from Australia. Higher Education, 68, 135–153.
Konidari, S. (2010). Exploring impacts of volunteering on university students. London: London Metropolitan University.
Lindsay, C., & Pascual, A. S. (2009). New perspectives on employability and labour market policy: Reflecting on key issues. Environment and Planning C: Government and Policy, 27, 951–957.
McQuaid, R., & Lindsay, C. (2005). The concept of employability. Urban Studies, 42, 197–219.
Ministério das Actividades Económicas e do Trabalho. (2005). Portaria n.º 256/2005 de 16 de Março [Ordinance no. 256/2005 of 16th of March]. DIÁRIO DA REPÚBLICA — I SÉRIE-B. N.º53 — 16 de Março de 2005. Lisbon: Author.
Moreau, M. P., & Leathwood, C. (2006). Graduates’ employment and the discourse of employability: A critical analysis. Journal of Education and Work, 19, 305–324.
Newton, B., Oakley, J., & Pollard, E. (2011). Volunteering: Supporting transitions. London: V The National Young Volunteers Service.
Orr, D., Gwosć, C., & Netz, N. (2011). Social and Economic Conditions of Student life in Europe (Final report. Eurostudent IV 2008–2011. Bielefield: W. Bertelsmann Verlag.
Paine, A. E., McKay, S., & Moro, D. (2013). Does volunteering improve employability? Evidence from the British household panel survey. Birmingham: Third Sector Research Centre.
Pinto, J. M. (2012). Cultural and educational heritage, social structure and quality of life. In G. Neave & A. Amaral (Eds.), Higher education in Portugal 1974–2009 (pp. 89–107). Dordrecht: Springer.
Rothwell, A., Herbert, I., & Rothwell, F. (2008). Self-perceived employability: Construction and initial validation of a scale for university students. Journal of Vocational Behavior, 73(1), 1–12.
Sin, C. (2012). The Bologna master degree in search of an identity. European Journal of Higher Education, 2, 174–186.
Sin, C., & Amaral, A. (2014). Employability and higher education: Academic and employer perceptions. Paper presented at 27th CHER Annual Conference, Rome, 8–10 September.
Sin, C., & Neave, G. (2014). Employability deconstructed: Perceptions of Bologna stakeholders. Studies in Higher Education, 1–16 (online first).
Smetherham, C. (2004). First class women in the world of work: Employability & labour market orientations. Cardiff: Cardiff University, School of Social Sciences.
Smith, V. (2010). Enhancing employability: Human, cultural and social capital in an ear of turbulent unpredictability. Human Relations, 63, 279–300.
Tavares, O. (2013). Routes towards Portuguese higher education: Students’ preferred or feasible choices? Educational Research, 55, 99–110.
Thrupp, M. (1998). Exploring the politics of blame: School inspection and its contestation in New Zealand and England. Comparative Education, 34, 195–209.
Tomé, E. (2007). Employability, skills and training in Portugal (1988-2000): Evidence from official data. Journal of European Industrial Training, 31, 336–357.
Tomlinson, M. (2007). Graduate employability and student attitudes and orientations to the labour market. Journal of Education and Work, 20, 285–304.
Tomlinson, M. (2008). ‘The degree is not enough’: Students’ perceptions of the role of higher education credentials for graduate work and employability. British Journal of Sociology of Education, 29, 49–61.
Tymon, A. (2013). The student perspective on employability. Studies in Higher Education, 38, 841–856.
Van der Heijde, C. M., & Van Der Heijden, B. I. (2006). A competence-based and multidimensional operationalization and measurement of employability. Human Resource Management, 45, 449–476.
Vieira, D. A., & Marques, A. P. (2014). Preparados para trabalhar? [Prepared for work?]. Porto: Forum Estudante. Consórcio Maior Empregabilidade.
Ylonen, A. (2010). The role of student ambassadors in higher education: An uneasy association between autonomy and accountability. Journal of Further and Higher Education, 34, 97–104.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Sin, C., Tavares, O. & Amaral, A. Who is responsible for employability? Student perceptions and practices. Tert Educ Manag 22, 65–81 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1080/13583883.2015.1134634
Received:
Accepted:
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/13583883.2015.1134634