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M.M. Dudina, Candidate of Pedagogical Science,
Associate Professor,
E.E. Glotova, postgraduate,
the Department of Psychology and Physiology,
Russian State Vocational Pedagogical University,
Ekaterinburg, Russia,
dudinamm@gmail.com
g-e-e@bk.ru
GRADUATE EMPLOYABILITY: THE REQUIREMENTS OF RUSSIAN AND FOREIGN EMPLOYERS
In recent times in the discussion of the training problems in higher education there is dissatisfaction with employers preparing students to work in the real conditions. Availability problems according preparing graduates with employers note not only domestic but also foreign researchers.
From the position of the orientation of higher education to prepare students, taking into account the requirements of the Bologna agreement, it is necessary to study the universal demands of employers: the content and level of development of graduates' competencies for their successful adaptation to the labor market and to plan the ways of their formation in the educational process of universities. The paper deals with the questions of effective graduates employment, the experience of overseas universities to form employability skills and competence required by Russian and foreign employers. Authors are going to develop and implement additional educational programs based on the results of the study to form a set of competencies which have been established by employers using modern training technologies and involving of experts from various business communities.
Key words: employability skills, higher education, graduates, competencies for effective employability, employers, employment technology, labor market, employers' requirements.
One of the factors that determines the vector and intensity of changes in the socio-economic basis of society is the graduates' compliance with the requirements of potential employers. It is impossible to ensure the progressive stuff development in various economy sectors without the participation of universities and business.
However, in recent times, at the discussion of the problems of training of experts in higher educational institutions at different levels of management of socio-economic development of the country, we have noted a dissatisfaction of employers by the preparation of students to the work in the real conditions. Not only domestic but also foreign researchers note the existence of problems in accordance of training of university graduates with requirements of employers.
The main issues for debate unfolding today about an effective employment of students are the following: 1) What requirements does the employer made to basic competencies of graduates,
enabling them to adapt more successfully in the labor market; 2) What competencies should be formed and how we can ensure the formation of these skills in the university conditions.
For a more detailed study of this issue, we have analyzed the modern Russian and overseas scientific researches, dedicated to the requirements of employers to the graduates of higher educational institutions, the results of which will help to formulate foreground competences demanded by the labor market and to develop a model of effective employment of graduates on the basis of these data.
The interest in this problem arises in Russia since the signing of the Bologna agreement in 2003, when a close attention have been paid abroad for decades to the preparation of the professional competencies of graduates, of their adaptation in the labor market, of their career development by universities1. The importance and the relevance of the ongoing studies are re-
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fleeted in scientific publications and in the decisions that state takes regarding the policy of the development of professional training of future experts, as well as in the measures taken by employers themselves as one of the most interested stakeholders in the workers with a high level of professional training.
European society considers the training of students with a high level of employ-ability as one of the priorities. Careers and Em-ployability at the University of Liverpool, led by Paul Redmond, who also deals with problems of employability of students in the Association of Graduate Careers Advisory Services (AG-CAS), notes that today universities must prepare graduates with a high level of employability, regardless of the specialization2. The university offers a wide range of options for the development of competencies of an effective employment. The university also works directly with employers who always give feedback on the quality of training of graduates, as well as provide their platforms for building and deploying the necessary skills3.
The analysis of the information collected in the interview survey of such centers exploring the views, as University of Glasgow SCRE Centre and Edge Foundation, identified foreground competencies, which should have a graduate at the end of his study at the university: team working, problem solving, self-management, knowledge of the business, literacy and numeracy relevant to the post, good interpersonal and communication skills, ability to use own initiative but also to follow instructions, leadership skills where necessary4.
However, at the presentation of clear requirements for graduates and recommendations to universities to build these competencies, the employers express dissatisfaction with the quality of training of graduates. Many employers have noted that not only the level of education is important to them, but also an experience obtained during graduate studies, internships, extracurricular activities at the university and industrial practice. All of the above actions can be useful for the development of competencies imposed by employers, as well as it is a real opportunity for a student to successful express himself and to get worthy recommendations and an invitation to work. When selecting a young specialist for the vacant position, for employers also are important: the ability of a graduate
to create a positive opinion of himself, his self-presentation in the interview and a well-written resume (CV). According to employers' mind, graduates are not prepared for the first meeting, for an interview at companies. There are suggestions that young professionals lack of knowledge and skills of correct positioning of themselves and their abilities.
A great work on the study of the graduates' employability skills and their competencies demanded by a modern employer, was lead by a leading Western expert, professor at Lancaster University (UK) Manz York and by Professor Peter Knight (Open University). Mantz York defines the employability as a set of competencies, knowledge, skills, personal characteristics, which provides career prospects to the graduates of higher educational institutions for their chosen profession5. The professor includes in employability skills: effective communication skills, the ability to work with others in a team, time-management and organizational skills, study skills/ the ability and desire to learn for oneself, planning skills, business and/or organization awareness, cognitive skills/brainpower, technical ability6.
British experts of the labor market emphasize the fact that the country's economic prospects depend on the universities, namely on the quality of the training of young professionals. Report the Council for Industry and Higher Education conducted a study among 233 employers. The results show that there is a need for joint action with universities, employers, students and the government in solving the problems of addressing the shortfall of skills of graduates. The study emphasizes the importance of "soft skills" — personal qualities, which sometimes are more important than "hard skills" — professional skills related to the performance of certain official functional. The employers indicated the skills, abilities, personality traits, which they consider the most important in attracting young professionals to the state of their company. Top 10 most important skills and capabilities when recruiting new graduates:
1. Communication skills — 86%.
2. Team-working skills — 85%.
3. Integrity - 83%.
4. Intellectual ability - 81%.
5. Confidence - 80%.
6. Character/personality -75%.
7. Planning & organizational skills — 74%.
8. Literacy (good writing skills) — 71%.
9. Numeracy (good with numbers) — 68%.
10. Analysis & decision-making skills — 67%7.
The preparation of young people to the labor market is also an important and responsible mission of the Universities in Indonesia, Malaysia, and Philippines. In Asian countries, just as in Europe, there is a problem with quality training of graduates of higher educational institutions for professional work and for the process of their employment. This problem for Eastern society is particularly relevant, given the disappointing statistics on the number of applicants to universities and youth unemployment. According to UNESCO, the application for higher education exceeded twice in the last two decades, from 68 million (1991) to 151 million (2008). At the same time, the financial crisis that began in 2008, led to an increase in unemployment. According to a report in 2012 of UNESCO, to Bangkok Asia and Pacific Regional Bureau for Education the number of unemployed youth increased twice
from 2007 to 2011 (from 4,8 million to 7,5 million), so that young people continue to be the most vulnerable link in the labor segment.
Eastern experts, as well as the European, agree that the system of training of the student should be structured in view of the requirements of employers to develop the necessary competencies that will enable graduates to efficiently find employment and to be successful in their careers. Labor market experts held a survey among 29 respondents, representing different types of state-owned enterprises. When they were asked whether the skills of graduates match the skills required to the work in their organizations, nearly half of employers — 52% — responded positively. The employers have identified important factors when applying for work:
♦ Higher education — 52% of employer.
♦ On-the-job training — 41% employer.
The competences most desired by the
employers are listed below (arranged in order of importance for the employer):
1. Communication skills.
Table 1
Requirements for Graduates' Competencies by Employers
Competence rank 1 (%)* rank 2 (%)* rank 3 (%)* rank 4 (%)* rank 5 (%)*
Achievement motivation О 4,48 7,46 19,4 68,66
Ability to work in a team О 5,97 5,97 25,37 62,69
Purposefulness О О 13,43 26,87 59,7
Study skills/ the ability and desire to learn for oneself 1,49 1,49 5,97 32,84 58,21
Ability to take responsibility 1,49 О 1О,45 34,33 53,73
Sociability, openness and willingness to cooperate О 2,99 8,96 34,33 53,73
Effective communication skills 1,49 1,49 7,46 37,31 52,24
Workflow Management 1,49 4,48 1О,45 31,34 52,24
Client orientation 5,97 2,99 4,48 35,82 5О,75
Loyalty to the employer 1,49 4,48 11,94 34,33 47,76
Analytical skills О 5,97 11,94 34,33 47,76
Planning skills О 5,97 14,93 32,84 46,27
Adaptability to the conditions of internal and external environment 1,49 2,99 4,48 46,27 44,78
Knowing the principles of sales/sales skills 6,О6 12,12 6,О6 33,33 42,42
Independence 1,49 О 1О,45 49,25 38,81
Compliance with corporate culture of the organization 7,58 7,58 4,55 42,42 37,88
To be able to present company qualitatively 7,58 4,55 16,67 34,85 36,36
Conflict Management О 4,48 2О,9 4О,3 34,33
Information Management 2,99 4,48 1О,45 49,25 32,84
Knowing the business processes 1О,45 13,43 2О,9 32,84 22,39
Knowing the tools to promote the company 9,23 16,92 21,54 3О,77 21,54
Businessman skills 19,4 11,94 25,37 25,37 17,91
* The percent of respondents' answers
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2. Teamwork skills.
3. Integrity.
4. Intellectual capacity.
5. Self confidence.
6. Personality/individual character.
7. Planning skills.
8. Writing skills.
9. Computing skills.
10. Analytical and problem solving skills8.
As for the Russian employers, most experts
agree that, due to economic growth and constant changes, Russian employers haven't formulated uniform requirements yet for the competencies of personnel. However, there is one strict requirement based on the need to adjust the employee under changing external factors — the willingness of a specialist to work in different professional environments at the expense of his thinking and ways of organizing9. Therefore, we held a regional study, which allowed to determine foreground competencies, requirements of employers, their views on the young professionals that will serve to create a model of the formation of competencies for the effective employment of graduates. Based on the results of the held analysis of modern domestic, as well as foreign studies on this issue, we identified competencies required by employers for young professionals, which formed the basis of the study10. The survey involved 67 employers in various industries. Starting from the results, first of all, at the selection of young professionals, the employers focus on:
♦ Personal and business qualities — 88.06%
♦ The level of expertise — 83.58%
♦ Professional experience — 76.12%
♦ Specialization and quality of education - 64.18%
♦ Compliance with the corporate culture of the organization — 37.31%
In their requirements for graduates of higher educational institutions, the respondents of our survey, as well as of the British, have done the greatest emphasis on personal qualities, opposed to specialized knowledge and skills (corresponding to the profile of the direct activity of the organization). This fact confirms that a young professional must not only have professional knowledge and skills, but also certain personal competencies for a successful employment. In the table, we placed competencies in terms of their relevance to the employer.
To understand the level of importance of each competency, the respondents indicated its rank. The results are shown in the Table 1.
Thus, the presence of the identified competencies, which are expressed as a need of an employer in a young professional, allow us to determine the algorithm and the content of diagnostic tasks, the results of which will enable the graduates of higher educational institutions to successfully undergo the procedure of employment in terms of the dynamically developing labor market and to demonstrate a relevant professional effectiveness: 1) To identify foreground competencies required by the employer, detailing their content and component wise composition; 2) To determine the degree of expression of competencies in students of undergraduate courses using selected and developed diagnostic tools; 3) To develop and to realize an additional educational program aimed at the forming of competencies set by the employers, using modern teaching technologies involving experts from various business communities; 4) To determine the formation of each competency on the results of the held educational program, using selected and developed assessment tools.
References
1. The Bologna Process: Glossary (based on the experience of the monitoring study) / Baydenko V.I., Seleznev N.A., Vorozheykina O.L., Karacharova E.N., Tarasyuk L.N., 2009 [Electronic Resource] URL: http: //win-dow.edu.ru/resource/942/66942 (accessed September 9, 2014).
2. Mantz Yorke. Learning & Employability in Higher Education: What It Is — What It Is Not [Electronic Resource] URL: http://aces.shu.ac.uk/employability/re-sources/id116_employability_in_higher_education_336. pdf (accessed September 15, 2014).
3. Pam Calabro. Student Employability: A Network Imperative. 2010. 13 p.
4. Graduate Employability in Asia. Published by UNESCO Bangkok Asia and Pacific Regional Bureau. — Thailand, 2012 [Electronic Resource] URL: http://unesdoc. unesco.org/images/0021/002157/215706e.pdf (accessed September 15, 2014).
5. Kevin Lowden, Stuart Hall, Dr Dely Elliot, Jon Lewin. Employers' Perceptions of the Employability Skills of New Graduates. Report of University of Glasgow SCRE Centre and Edge Foundation 2011. 42 p.
6. Will Archer, Jess Davison. Graduate Employability: What Do Employers Think and Want? / Prepared by The Council for Industry and Higher Education. 2008. 20 p.
7. The future of graduate employability: looking forward to 2012 [Electronic Resource] URL: http://www.the-guardian.com/higher-education-network/2011/oct/24/ graduate-employability-2012 (accessed September 17, 2014).
8. Opfer E.A. The Monitoring Requirements of Employers as a Means of Quality Management of Educational Process in High School: Synopsis. dis. ... Cand. Ped. Sciences: 13.00.08. Volgograd, 2013. 22 p.
9. Glotova E.E. The Current Requirements of Employers to Graduates: Competence Approach // Human and Education. 2014. № 4(41). 185-187 pp. [Electronic Resource] URL: http://obrazovanie21.narod.ru/ Files/2014_4_185-187.pdf (accessed February 18, 2015).
10. Dudina M.M., Glotova E.E. The Contents and Forms of Graduates' Training to Effective Employment // The Problems of Modern Pedagogical Education. 2015. V. 5. № 47. 48-55 pp.
НАВЫКИ ЭФФЕКТИВНОГО ТРУДОУСТРОЙСТВА ВЫПУСКНИКОВ ВУЗОВ: ТРЕБОВАНИЯ РОССИЙСКИХ И ЗАРУБЕЖНЫХ РАБОТОДАТЕЛЕЙ
М.М. Дудина, канд. пед. наук, доцент, Е.Е. Глотова, аспирант, кафедра психологии и физиологии, Российский государственный профессионально-педагогический университет, г. Екатеринбург, Россия, dudinamm@gmail.com, g-e-e@bk.ru
В последнее время все чаще при обсуждении проблем подготовки специалистов в вузах на разных уровнях управления социально-экономического развития страны отмечается неудовлетворенность работодателей подготовкой студентов к работе в реальных условиях. Наличие проблем в соответствии подготовки выпускников вузов требованиям работодателей отмечают не только отечественные, но и зарубежные исследователи. С позиций ориентации высшего образования на подготовку студентов с учетом требований Болонского соглашения необходимо изучить универсальные требования работодателей к содержанию и уровню сформированности компетенций выпускников, позволяющих им наиболее успешно адаптироваться на рынке труда, а также наметить пути их формирования в образовательном процессе вузов. Представляется невозможным обеспечение кадрового сопровождения не только конкретных отраслей экономики, но и отдельных предприятий без гармонизации подходов вузов и работодателей к данной проблеме. Объединенные усилия, опыт и возможности отдельных структур позволят решить проблемы в области подготовки молодых специалистов к эффективному трудоустройству. Для более детального изучения данной проблемы авторами был проведен анализ современных отечественных и зарубежных научных исследований, посвященных вопросам требований, предъявляемых работодателями к выпускникам вузов, результаты которого помогут сформулировать приоритетные компетенции, востребованные рынком труда. Одной из задач нашей работы по подготовке выпускников вузов к эффективному трудоустройству является проведение регионального исследования работодателей по вопросу предъявляемых требований к выпускникам вузов, определение востребованных компетенций с целью получения достоверной информации из первоисточника. Полученные данные позволят разобраться с основными запросами работодателей, мнениями относительно молодых специалистов, а также на основе этих данных разработать методику формирования компетенций по эффективному трудоустройству, разработать и реализовать дополнительные образовательные программы по формированию компетенций эффективного трудоустройства выпускников с использованием современных учебных технологий и с привлечением экспертов, практиков, потенциальных работодателей из различных секторов бизнеса.
Ключевые слова: высшее образование, выпускники, трудоустройство, компетенции эффективного трудоустройства, технологии трудоустройства, работодатели, рынок труда, требования работодателей.
