Enhancing Employability of Graduates in Engineering

Abstract

The paper presents the results of a study on students’ and employers’ perceptions of the employability skills of new graduates in engineering. The main objectives of the research are: to explore the perception of Master’s students concerning their own skills, knowledge and characteristics which help them to be employable; to explore the students’ perception of the targeted job; to identify the employability skills followed by the employers in the recruitment process and in the next period, right after hiring; to assess whether there are differences in the perception regarding the motivating factors at the workplace, between employers and students. In order to explore issues pertinent to the research objectives, interviews with students, young graduates of technical degree programs provided by the University Politehnica of Bucharest, and employers were conducted. Students were asked to specify both subject-specific competences and the transversal competences owned. These data were complemented with the employers’ views on graduates’ employability. The focus was on exploring their opinions regarding the strengths and weaknesses of graduates/ probationers, during the interview/ or in the next period, right after hiring. The employers’ opinion concerning the facilities offered to graduates and young employees revealed the nature of their partnership with the higher education institution, in order to promote employability. The research findings were used for identifying and choosing the best useful tools and developing specific materials that support the work of counseling to career planning for students in the target group.

Keywords: Employability skillsemployers’ expectationswork environmentassignmentwageswork program

Introduction

The employability is a dynamic concept. It has evolved over time, with the focus balancing

between the work requirements of employment and the supply-side- individual characteristics. A

narrower perspective of the concept was proposed by Fugate, Kinicki & Ashforth (2004), who

emphasized the need for employees to acquire various characteristics valued by current and prospective

employers: “employability is a form of work specific active adaptability that enables workers to identify

and realise career opportunities” (p. 16). They conceived employability as a psycho-social construct

consisting of three overlapping dimensions: “career identity” (goals, hopes and fears; personality traits;

values, beliefs and norms; interaction styles; and time horizons); “personal adaptability” (the willingness

of the individual to develop/ change his/ her attributes in order to meet the demands of the situation);

“social and human capital” (social networks, work experience, training and skills development) (p. 20-

32). Hillage & Pollard (1998), McQuaid & Lindsay (2005), Baum et al. (2008) (as cited in Green et al.,

2013) elaborated broader models of employability, which include contextual factor, such as labour market

demand and regulations.

Results from the European Commission report (Humburg, Van der Velden & Verhagen, 2013)

show that professional expertise (subject-specific knowledge and expert thinking) and interpersonal skills

are the most important skills set that affects graduates’ employability. Work experience is also an

essential asset for new recruits (European Commission, 2010; Humburg, Van der Velden & Verhagen,

2013), being even able to compensate for lower grades and a field of study which is not entirely suitable

for the job. Employability skills presented in different studies (Brown et al., 2010; Bynner and Parsons,

2002; Krahn et al., 2002; Scarpetta et al., 2012; Simmons, 2009; Worth, 2005) (as cited in Green et al.,

2013) comprise hard skills (technical skills), soft skills (non-technical skills) and attributes that

contributes to a persons’ employability. Blades et al. (2012) (as cited in Green et al., 2013) define

employability skills as those focusing on “personal, social and transferable skills seen as relevant to all

jobs, as opposed to job-specific technical skills or qualifications” (p. 30).

“Employers’ perception of graduate employability” (European Commission, 2010) shows the

perception of graduates recruiters regarding the importance of various skills/ capabilities when recruiting

higher education graduates, the level of employers’ satisfaction with these skills, the factors that influence

the level of graduate recruitment and the major challenges that companies face in hiring graduates.

The report “STEM Graduates in Non-STEM Jobs” (Mellors-Bourne, R., Connor, H & Jackson, C.,

2011) presents the factors that have a significant impact on STEM (science, technology, engineering and

mathematics) graduates who choose to pursue a STEM career, e.g. “have a definite career in mind at

entry to university”; “undertake degree-related work experience”; “not change career plans during

university”. (p. 39).

Methodology

The investigation was part of a broader research on the employability of graduates in engineering,

conducted in October- December 2015, within the SCOP project- “Increasing the students' performance

through practice and guidance”, co-financed by the European Union under the European Social Fund. The

research results were used for the development and provision of guidance and counseling for 250 students

in master programs in technical fields, in order to increase employment and adaptability to support their

first job.

The paper presents various aspects regarding the individual characteristics required for a job, and

the working context (interpersonal relationships, physical working conditions and features of the

workplace), from the perspectives of students, graduates and employers: students’ perception on their

own employability skills; graduates and employers’ views on the personal attributes valued by employers

in the recruiting process and in the next period after hiring; students’ perception on the targeted job

(working conditions, the employment/ professional status, wages, the working program etc.) and their

expectations from employers; employers’ views on the facilities offered, in the companies they represent,

to master’ students and young graduates.

For the investigation we used both, qualitative methods (focus group and individual interviews

conducted with students, graduates and employers) and quantitative methods (analysis of the study

programs documents). The sample was selected using convenience sampling. It comprises: thirty five

master’ students attending the study programs organised by the Faculty of Engineering and Management

of Technological Systems, University Politehnica of Bucharest, four graduates and six employers -

representatives from companies of production/ distribution of metal fabrications/ equipment. Students and

graduates were invited to participate in the project as members of the target group, and included in the

sample on the basis of their options. Participating companies were selected considering the field of the

business activity.

Results

Discussions

Almost all skills considered important by employers in the recruiting process were mentioned by

master students among their personal attributes. Comparing their views, we appreciate that differences

may arise regarding the practical training of graduates.

Neither competences profiles presented by master students, nor the skills mentioned by employers

comprise understanding of cultures of other countries, knowledge of a second language, ability to work in

an interdisciplinary team or ability to work in an international context. According to the Eurobarometer

survey on “Employers’ perception of graduate employability” (2010), foreign language skills are more

important in the private than in the public sector, and especially to recruiters with international contacts

(European Commission, 2010). In certain organizations few people with excellent skills of this kind are

sufficient.

In the literature on high performance working (Humburg, Van der Velden & Verhagen, 2013),

facilities provided to graduates and young employees to enhance employability- a competitive and

incentive working environment, the opportunity to make effective use of their skills and develop them-

are considered beneficial for employers. According to the research results, the exploitation by the

organisation of the skills employees currently have to offer, and providing employees with opportunities

for learning new things in a dynamic, competitive and incentive work environment were the aspects most

frequently mentioned by students when describing their expectations from employers.

Conclusions

Students’ skills and preferences are very important in determining the mix of vocational provision,

but reflection on labour market requirements should be also considered (OECD, 2010). Career guidance

services in the university should provide students with clear information about the study programs, in

order to help them to choose those that provide the type of competences which are most needed in the

labor market. On the other hand, by informing students about the areas of skills shortage and the labour

market returns (e. g. wage returns), career counselors can support students, most interested in the financial

aspects, for example, to prepare for well-remunerated jobs.

Strengthening the collaboration between the university and industries may allow students to make

informed choices about training programs and targeted jobs, and provide employers with correct

information about the learning outcomes of the graduates.

References

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2. European Commission (2010). Employers’ perception of graduate employability. Analytical report.
3. Fugate M., Kinicki A.J. and Ashforth B.E. (2004). Employability: A psycho-social construct, its dimensions, and applications. Journal of Vocational Behavior 65, p. 16, 20-32.
4. Green, A. E., de Hoyos, M., Barnes, S.-A., Owen, D., Baldauf, B., Behle, H. (2013). Literature review on employability, inclusion and ICT, Report 1: The concept of employability with a specific focus on young people, older workers and migrants. Luxembourg: Publications Office of the European Union, p. 17-20, 29.
5. Humburg, M., Van der Velden, R., Verhagen, A. (2013). The employability of higher education graduates, Maastricht: Publications Office of the European Union, p. 4, 21.
6. Mellors-Bourne, R., Connor, H, Jackson, C. (2011). STEM graduates in non-STEM Jobs. BIS Research Paper number 30, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills. Cambridge: Careers Research & Advisory Centre (CRAC) Ltd., p. 39, 141.
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