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Translating Employability Capital into Employment Outcomes and Career Development: South African Teachers’ and Principals’ Views

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Graduate Employability Across Contexts

Abstract

This chapter explores the translation of employability into employment outcomes and career development in South Africa’s teaching industry, using the perspectives of currently employed teachers and employers. Thirteen interviews with principals revealed that employers made hiring decisions based on graduates’ teaching qualifications and experience, hard and soft skills, and other qualities. Besides, 15 interviews with currently employed teachers indicated that they succeeded in securing the job by demonstrating their employability through their subject-area strengths, student and classroom skills, non-discipline skills, and personal attributes. In these teachers’ and employers’ views, employed teachers can sustain their employability in the teaching job market through skills development, lifelong learning, teamwork, technological competence, and work ethics. This chapter also discusses the findings and provides some implications for better translating employability into employment outcomes.

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Acknowledgements

I would like to express my gratitude to Candice Wilson-Stykes at the University of Houston’s College of Education, for her comments to improve the manuscript of this chapter.

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Correspondence to Sikhulile Bonginkosi Msezane .

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Msezane, S.B. (2022). Translating Employability Capital into Employment Outcomes and Career Development: South African Teachers’ and Principals’ Views. In: Nghia, T.L.H., Bui, B.C., Singh, J.K.N., Lu, V.N. (eds) Graduate Employability Across Contexts. Springer, Singapore. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-19-3959-4_14

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-19-3959-4_14

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  • Publisher Name: Springer, Singapore

  • Print ISBN: 978-981-19-3958-7

  • Online ISBN: 978-981-19-3959-4

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