MAJOR IN WORK SKILLS
UNIVERSITY students possess a number of key employability skills — they just don’t know it.
Universities have been criticised for not providing work-ready graduates, particularly compared to vocational education.
However, Deakin University graduate employability lecturer Dr Trina Jorre de St Jorre says skills such as critical thinking, team work, digital literacy, communication and global citizenship are incorporated into many learning activities and assessments.
The problem, she says, is universities don’t tell students when an activity uses these skills so students fail to realise they are developing them.
“Universities do offer a lot of opportunities for students to develop their employability but we need to ensure all students are aware of these and understand … where they are developing them and how they translate to the workplace,” Jorre de St Jorre says. “It seems universities aren’t good at articulating this.
“Helping students understand the skills they possess so they are able to promote those skills will help them prepare for employment immediately after graduation and as they look for opportunities throughout their working lives.’’
A University of Sydney study shows university education boosts many social skills that are valued by employers, including extroversion, agreeableness, conscientiousness, emotional stability and openness to experience.
Lead author of the study, Associate Professor Stefanie Schurer, says social skills developed by university students can be attributed to the demands of their course and the need for good time management, persistence and social and intellectual engagement, as well as exposure to peer groups and extra-curricular activities.
Importantly, Schurer says all students benefit from their time at university.
“These effects do not substantially differ by degree or university type,” she says.
“Furthermore, the longer a student is exposed to university life, the stronger the impact.”
Edward Juers, 22, completed a commerce degree at Flinders University and now works at sustainable finance consulting company 2XE. He believes university graduates possess employability skills “to a degree”.
“I thought (university) gave me just enough of a foundation to be able to integrate (into the workforce),” Juers says.
He believes students develop 40 per cent of the required employability skills at uni.