Top 5 Tips for fostering employability skills in Higher Education

Employability describes being able to gain employment. It also translates into success within a specific job. This issue is increasingly important for the dynamic higher education sector. Ensuring graduates have specific attributes, skills and knowledge can support employability. Below are five tips for higher education institutions to help foster higher employability among their graduates.

1. DETERMINE WHAT EMPLOYABILITY MEANS FOR YOU

   There are many views of what employability skills involve, and it is the responsibility of higher education institutions to determine what this means for them. Consequently, a research-based approach is recommended, as only through conducting tracer studies of graduates and securing sufficient data can approaches and content be realigned within institutions to address the needs of students, teachers, employers and the larger society.

2. EMBRACE SELF-DIRECTED LEARNING AND SUPPORT STUDENT AGENCY

   In using educational strategies that promote self-directed learning, such as problem-based and co-operative learning, students may learn essential skills and become self-directed in their further self-development once they are employed. Such a method also implies a student-centred approach through which student agency can be supported within higher education institutions.

3. FORM NETWORKS AND BE COLLABORATIVE

   Higher education institutions must form strong networks with the labour market, professional bodies and the institution’s alumni to gauge the needs of potential employers. Only through such a collaborative approach can there be alignment between the needs of employers and the outcomes of higher education institutions.

4. INFUSE SOFT SKILLS INTO CURRICULA

   Soft skills, such as effective communication, problem solving, critical thinking, working well in groups, time management and leadership, can be integrated into curricula without becoming artificial add-ons. These soft skills have the potential to boost graduates’ employability.

5. CREATE LIFELONG LEARNERS PREPARED FOR A DIGITAL WORLD

   Within a context of ongoing technological disruption, graduates need to be prepared for constant and sometimes dramatic changes in the work world. Therefore, graduates should be supported to become lifelong learners who are not only well-qualified but also empowered to pivot from one career to another as contexts change. This also implies constant self-improvement in terms of technological skills and critical engagement with new technologies.