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This article presents the results of a survey of library and information professionals in positions of leadership regarding the skills and knowledge expected of MLS program graduates seeking employment in their organizations. The survey demonstrates that, as libraries and other information agencies continue to expand their role as a vital resource within a community, academic institution, or business, it is critical for prospective library employees to develop a balanced array of competencies that combines soft skills, such as adaptability, leadership potential and team orientation, as well as hard technical skills that have traditionally been important for daily library operations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Although involvement in recreational sports has been found to be beneficial for college students, sparse research has explored how recreational sports student employment has benefitted college graduates who are now active in the professional workforce. Filling this critical gap, this study explored how former recreational sports student employees (n = 10) developed marketable skills and increased their career readiness and professional capabilities. Findings suggest graduates did develop marketable skills that they regularly use as professionals, including interpersonal communication, teamwork and leadership, organization, and cross-cultural competency. Implications for research and recreational sports administration are addressed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study examined the relationship between work experience, educational background, and employability. Utilizing a correlational research design, a researcher-developed questionnaire was administered to a sample of 151 human resources practitioners from the National Capital Region (NCR) through cluster sampling. The research instrument's validity and reliability were evaluated by assessing content and construct validity, along with calculating the reliability coefficient using Cronbach's alpha to establish its psychometric properties. Also, interviews were conducted to triangulate the findings and enhance the study's rigor, addressing potential social desirability and response biases inherent in self-reported data from online surveys. Pearson R Correlation Analysis assessed the strength and direction of the linear relationships among these variables. The results indicated that employers prioritize work experience over educational background in hiring decisions. Specifically, there is a low but significant positive relationship between the preference for work experience and the likelihood of applicants being hired, as well as between the preference for educational background and employment probability. These findings suggest that job seekers might enhance their employability by acquiring relevant work experience and that hiring practices could benefit from placing greater emphasis on practical experience. Thus, the study acknowledges limitations including the use of simple random sampling and the geographic focus on the National Capital Region, which may affect the generalizability of the findings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

ABSTRACT Amid growing concerns about social mobility in Britain's higher education system, our study delves into universities' role in addressing the social gap within the financial and professional services sectors. The social reproduction theory underscores how upper‐class students often benefit from greater exposure to dominant cultural and educational practices, providing them with a competitive advantage in navigating the higher education landscape. To combat these challenges, Higher Education Institutions (HEI) have invested heavily in Employability Development Opportunities (EDOs). Drawing on primary data from finance and accounting students and employability officers at one of these HEIs, our research aims to investigate which EDOs are perceived as most relevant for students to succeed in the financial and professional services industry. First, we confirm that both work experience and real‐life activities are most valuable and unavoidable, prompting business schools to include compulsory exposure to the finance industry as part of the curriculum. Second, we find that career development activities are useful as a starting point but not enough for students to secure an internship. Finally, while previous literature shows that extra‐curricular activities do not significantly impact student employability, we argue that some of these activities, for example, the Finance Society, are as valuable as real‐world exposure. Indeed, the Finance Society was found to be the most helpful source of information, advice and networking for finance students. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study assessed the Experiential Transfer of Training among Mariano Marcos Memorial Senior High School (SHS) TVL -- Home Economics Graduates, focusing on the specializations of Cookery, Bread and Pastry Production, and Food and Beverage Services. A mixed-methods design was employed, involving surveys of graduates and interviews with work immersion supervisors, teachers, and industry supervisors. The study found that graduates generally perceived a high level of transfer of training and alignment with their current job roles. Key themes from interviews included the importance of hands-on training, industry partnerships, and ongoing professional development. However, areas for improvement were identified, such as technical skills refinement and curriculum length. Industry supervisors emphasized essential qualities like adaptability, communication, and technical proficiency in graduates' work performance. A statistically significant difference was found between perceptions of working performance and the work immersion program. The findings highlight the effectiveness of the SHS-TVL-Home Economics program in preparing graduates for the workforce while identifying opportunities for enhancement. Recommendations include strengthening industry partnerships, extending training duration, and regularly evaluating the program for continuous improvement. This study contributes valuable insights to optimize experiential learning and employability of SHS-TVL-Home Economics graduates. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The university system must be able to respond to the growing demand for graduates with certain skills that guarantee their employability. A key requirement of this goal is the use of different teaching-learning methods, such as the flipped classroom methodology. However, although some studies have shown the advantages of this model, more research is needed to identify the reasons for these positive effects and the contexts in which it works best. In this paper, we analyse the perceptions of students of six undergraduate subjects at the University of Jaén (Spain) concerning their acquired competences and the formative assessment received in a flipped classroom environment. In addition, we analyse whether these two variables influence these student perceptions of achieving better academic outcomes. The results show that both aspects explain student perceptions of better performance and are key elements in the provision of a better learning environment. In this way, these results contribute to the literature concerning the positive effects of a flipped classroom on the teaching-learning process in higher education. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Within the UK, sandwich courses, i.e. degree programmes that include a year spent on a work placement, usually during the third year of a four-year course, are increasingly offered by higher education institutions to maximise the proportion of their graduates moving into employment and, particularly, jobs that are deemed 'graduate-level'. Indeed, there is evidence of a strong positive correlation between participation in sandwich courses and employment. Although this positive impact is particularly marked for students from widening participation (WP) backgrounds, such students are also significantly less likely to undertake a sandwich course. The article draws on 50 interviews with higher education staff and students to argue that many of the most significant barriers experienced by WP students are related to various temporal challenges. In doing so, it expands the body of work on the frequent mismatch between hegemonic university time and the time of students from under-represented backgrounds. In addition, it argues that WP students are less able than their more privileged peers to take advantage of the 'slow time' necessary to undertake a work placement, and that the rhythms of external actors are also relevant when explaining the challenges faced by WP students. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

How do workers in low-skilled jobs picture their futures? How are aspirations for career reorientation activated? What influence do institutions have on the objectives that individuals pursue? How do various socio-occupational groups approach and manage their future? What are the major differences between skilled and low-skilled workers? These are some of the questions raised after a series of reforms passed in France that aim to make all individuals the genuine agents of their professional lives and pathways rather than being the passive focus of training programmes and employability initiatives. This paper seeks to investigate these issues. Based on Sen's capability approach and the French linked and longitudinal Defis surveys, we contend that French low-skilled workers are more likely to aspire to career reorientation but have less capability to aspire. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Recent decades have seen increases in parents' time with children and their endorsement of time‐intensive parenting, but little is known about adolescents' attitudes regarding the time that parents in general (i.e., not their own parents specifically) spend with children. We analyze separate attitudinal measures of fathers' time and mothers' time with children using data from the eighth and tenth grade Monitoring the Future surveys for 1991 to 2019. Overall, the majority of adolescents agree that most fathers and mothers, but especially fathers, should spend more time with their children than they do. Black girls are the most likely to agree that fathers and mothers should spend more time with their children while white boys are the least likely. The largest increases in agreement that fathers and mothers should spend more time with their children are found for white girls. Exploring parental education and mother's employment as potential mechanisms for these trends, we find that attitudes about the time most fathers and mothers should spend with children have converged across parental education levels and maternal employment statuses over the years of our study. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the present study, we combined the Focus on Multilingualism approach with the human capital theory to investigate multilingual profiles among first-generation adult immigrants in Germany and the relationship between immigrants' multiliteracy and their employment status. We used data representative for Germany on the self-reported literacy skills in the majority, heritage, and foreign languages of first-generation immigrants (n = 451, age 18–64) gathered in the LEO 2018 study. To analyze multilingual literacy skills, we estimated adults' multilingual profiles using LCA. In a second step, we conducted logistic regression models with multiliteracy and employment status. We found two multilingual profiles of first-generation immigrants: a profile with higher and a profile with lower literacy skills in all investigated languages. The profiles differed by the level of adults' literacy skills in all investigated languages and showed a unique non-overlapping language ordering pattern. The results gained from the logistic regressions revealed that multiliteracy in first-generation immigrants may represent human capital in Germany. After controlling for additional variables (age, gender, education), the analysis showed that higher multiliteracy increases the probability of adult immigrants' employment. Furthermore, our findings indicated independent positive effects of literacy in each language in multilingual repertoires on employment probability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The main objective of this research is to analyze whether the competency training of graduates of a Spanish university facilitates quality employability and student satisfaction. For this purpose, a total of 1,383 interviews were carried out between December 2023 and April 2024. This sample was evaluated using a reflexive structural equation model with Smart PLS 4, enabling the analysis of the reliability and validity of the relationships between causal variables among latent and manifest variables, as initially hypothesised. Finally, the model confirms the strength of the relationship between the dependent variable and the independent variables, settling the direct effect of employability competencies on employability, quality of employment and student satisfaction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article discusses a situation in which civic and political engagement worked for young Algerians as a pathway to employment, attempting to understand why they used this method. A functional analysis inspired by psychological studies on volunteering was applied to analyse 17 interviews conducted with young people who expressed the motivation for employment in the context of engagement with political parties and associations. The results show that engagement with these organizations was a way of strengthening human, social and cultural capital that reflects young people's agency to cope in a context where access to employment requires the ability to navigate through different paths. On the other hand, some inclusive roles of political parties and associations in terms of offering young people socio-professional integration and social development were found. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The primary aim of this study underlines the examination of underlying students' skills and their relationship to the employability of students of Pakistan. The current study also examines the moderating impact of "University Reputation" between students' skills and employability. The authors undertook a quantitative approach in the testing of hypotheses. The primary data collection of 265 respondents was carried out. Students and graduates of different higher educational institutes in Pakistan participated in the questionnaire about their employability perception based on their skills. "Partial Least Square (PLS) based Structural Equation Model (SEM)" has been utilized for the analysis of the relationship between students' skills and students' employability. The propelling findings reveal that students' soft skills, adaptability skills, and personal skills are positively associated with employability and consistent with previous studies, while teamwork skills affect negatively. On the other hand, social mobility skills, career skills, managerial skills, and technical skills do not seem to have a significant role in students' employability. Moreover, university reputation plays a role in the moderation of certain students' skills with employability. This current research makes some valuable contributions to developing the skillset amongst students and graduates of a developing country such as Pakistan. The research focused on the moderating role of university reputation between skill and employability, which was previously ignored, and utilized human capital theory. Finally, the study separately used soft skills, personal skills, adaptability, and managerial skills with employability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: This viewpoint aims to provide an overview of graduate employability in Lebanon from the perspective of the Dean of Olayan School of Business at the American University of Beirut, who is a reputable academic leader heading a world-ranked business school. The discussion also looks at the external factors that affect graduate employability in Lebanon with direct references to the Covid-19 pandemic and the economic crisis. Design/methodology/approach: Through conversation with the Dean of a prominent business school in Lebanon, this viewpoint discusses several topics pertaining to the concept of graduate employability. Findings: To boost graduate employability the focus should be on developing the curriculum, engaging with the alumni network, exploiting the board of governors and building on the school's reputation and legacy. Originality/value: Crises do offer new opportunities. Covid-19 pandemic has prepared employers to accept the idea of remote working, which has helped in boosting graduate employability in Lebanon. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: This study aims to explore the impact of engaging in serious leisure (SL) on the well-being (WB) and self-perceived employability (PE) of university students while also considering the role of career adaptability (CA) as a mediator. Design/methodology/approach: A total of 905 domestic undergraduate students from China completed an online survey. Findings: The findings reveal that participation in SL positively influences WB and PE. Additionally, the results indicate that CA mediates the SL-WB relationship but not the SL-PE relationship. Originality/value: The theoretical contribution of this research comes from advancing our understanding of sustainable career theory through empirical testing of SL, PE, and CA on WB outcomes within a higher education setting. The practical implications of this study involve providing universities with strategies to support domestic Chinese undergraduate students in enhancing their WB and PE through active engagement in SL pursuits and the development of CA. Moreover, our findings serve as a foundation for future research investigating whether insights gained from domestic Chinese undergraduate students can provide solutions on a global scale to address the persistent challenges of improving student WB and PE. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: The current study investigates the factors influencing graduates' perceived employability by utilizing the stimulus-organism-response theory, in the post pandemic era. Design/methodology/approach: A quantitative approach was employed to examine the hypotheses of the research framework through partial least squares structural equation modelling (PLS-SEM) on the SmartPLS software. Findings: The result indicates that course structure has a positive effect on students' grit and community of inquiry (CoI). Also, students' grit and CoI have a positive relationship with students' performance, while students' performance has a positive relationship with perceived employability. Moreover, students' grit, CoI and students' performance sequentially mediated course structure and perceived employability, whereas readiness and self-directed learning strengthen the relationship between students' performance and perceived employability. Originality/value: The findings will benefit university management, government and potential employers on how confident the student is in the chances of a future career after graduating from a higher institution. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: The current study intends to synthesise the prior studies on employability skills among work-ready professionals in higher education through bibliometric and network visualisation tools. This study also identifies the gaps in the existing literature that still need to be filled and maps the course for future investigation. Design/methodology/approach: The current study examined research papers on employability skills among work-ready professionals in higher education to evaluate global patterns and the top authors, institutions, journals, and nations contributing to this field. The authors analysed eight hundred eighty-five papers from the Scopus database between 1982 and 2023 for the study. Open-source bibliometric tools like Biblioshiny were used in the study to examine the body of literature and to spot new directions for future research. Findings: The study's findings indicate that since 2008, researchers, academics, and policymakers have paid more attention to employability skills among work-ready professionals, and 2019 is the year seeing the highest no. of publications. Across the globe, 2077 authors contributed to the articles, papers, and journals published in the particular domain. Regarding location, the United Kingdom is the world's most productive nation, with 342 articles produced. Similarly, Australia, India, and Malaysia are the leading nations that have contributed to the field. Both keywords significantly contribute to scientific knowledge. Practical implications: The gaps in this study will serve as a reference point for researchers conducting future studies in this field. Additionally, the result of this analysis offers a roadmap for higher education to enhance graduate employability by embedding necessary skills into them. Originality/value: There has not been a bibliometric analysis concerning employability skills among Work-ready professionals in the existing literature; hence, this article is innovative. This study is the first attempt at integrating the concept. The study also gives an overview of potential directions for future research in this discipline. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: Drawing on a theoretical framework of sustainable career ecosystem theory, our paper aims to consider how domestic and international postgraduates can enhance their employability through participation in a landscape of practice. Design/methodology/approach: The study employed an exploratory, longitudinal case study design to capture students' lived experiences on an 18-month Master of Professional Practice course at a higher education institution in New Zealand. The data collection procedure involved field note observations (months 1–4), a focus group (month 13) and narrative frames (months 16–18). The sample was domestic students from New Zealand (n = 2) and international students from Asia (n = 5). Findings: One's participation in multiple communities of practice represents their landscape of practice and a commitment to lifewide learning. Through participation in various communities of practice, domestic and international students can enhance their employability in three ways: (1) boundary encounters to develop social capital, (2) transcending contexts to enhance cultural capital, and (3) acknowledging the development of psychological capital and career agency. Originality/value: Our work offers one of the earliest empirical validations of sustainable career ecosystem theory. Expressly, communities of practice represent various contexts whereby employability capital is developed over time. Additionally, the postgraduate students themselves are portrayed as interconnected and interdependent actors, presenting a novel framing of such dependencies at the micro-level of the ecosystem. The practical implications come from informing universities of the value of a landscape of practice to enhance the employability of domestic and international students in preparation for sustainable careers and to promote the sustainability of the career ecosystem. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: This study explores practitioners' perspectives on the perceived gap between university and practice beyond the hard and soft skill paradigm. Utilising Tomlinson's graduate capital model of employability (2017), we explored human, social, cultural, and psychological capitals to enrich the understanding of this issue and employability. It provided a new perspective, useful for implementing curriculum renewal. Design/methodology/approach: This study utilised a two-stage mixed methods design. Using Tomlinson's (2017) Graduate capital model as a framework, the first stage involved distributing an online survey to qualified architects in hiring positions practising in Australia. This served as the foundation for generating qualitative and quantitative data. The second stage involved a two-hour practitioner workshop where the survey results were discussed and expanded upon. Findings: Our results found that the practitioner's perspective on the perceived skills gap is more complex than the hard/soft skill paradigm commonly discussed. Practitioners expressed a need for students/graduates to possess identity and cultural capital to contextualise industry norms and expectations. This knowledge lets students know where and how hard/soft skills are used. Our results also suggest practitioners are concerned with the prevailing individualistic approach to the higher education system and traditional architectural teaching methods, instead suggesting a more industry-aligned collaborative disposition. Originality/value: By expanding the employability discourse beyond hard/soft skills, the results of this research provide an opportunity for architectural curriculum renewal in line with industry expectations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Vocational high schools in "3T" area on Bawean Island have limitations in human resources quality, equipment, production or practice tools, and industrial partnership, which differed from the vocational high schools located in advanced and developed areas. This research objective is to discover the description of employability to the vocational high school students in "3T" area in Bawean island. The research method applied was the qualitative method using the phenomenology approach. The data collection was obtained through semi-structured interviews. This research participant was eight students at vocational high school "X," "Y," "Z," and "W" schools in Bawean Island, which is one of the "3T" area. The analysis method in this research was content analysis. This research result shows that students in the "3T" area were showing their effort to prepare themselves in facing the job market by enhancing their employability in learning activities within the class or practice in the laboratory. The students' employability includes skills, knowledge, comprehension, personality, career identity, social and human relations, and personal adaptability. Students realize that they are in the "3T" area and must work harder to improve their work skills so as not to lose their jobs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study examined the impact of a vocational English program on English as a Foreign Language (EFL) learners' experience at University A in Vietnam. The research involved 20 participants and employed semi-structured interviews as the data collection method. The findings revealed that the program had a positive influence on participants' language and employability skills, as well as personal growth. Improved confidence, language proficiency, and various employability skills were reported among the participants. However, the study also identified the importance of addressing individual learning needs, optimizing resource utilization, and considering program duration. These findings make a valuable contribution to the existing literature on teaching English and developing employability skills in Vietnam, offering valuable insights into the effectiveness of English language training programs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: The purpose of this study is to investigate the boundary conditions between objective overqualification and perceived overqualification. In addition, we aim to investigate the mediation patterns between objective overqualification, perceived overqualification and job satisfaction. Design/methodology/approach: A two-wave survey was conducted with 382 new entrants of job market. Data was analyzed with Process 3.5 in SPSS 26.0 to test the hypothesized moderated mediation model. Findings: Results indicated that perceived overqualification fully mediated the relationship between objective overqualification and job satisfaction. In addition, the relationship between objective overqualification and perceived overqualification was significant unless employees perceived high internal employment opportunities but low external employment opportunities at the same time. Same moderating pattern was also evident in the indirect effect of objective overqualification? Perceived overqualification? Job satisfaction. Research limitations/implications: This study has theoretical and practical implications for personnel management. Theoretically, this study contributed to the understanding of the relationship between objective overqualification and perceived overqualification. Practically, this study found that offering internal employment opportunities can mitigate the perception of overqualification when employees perceive limited external employment opportunities. Originality/value: This is one of few studies that stressed the boundary conditions between objective overqualification and perceived overqualification under the framework of relative deprivation theory. In addition, this study provided time-lagged evidence of the relationship between objective overqualification, perceived overqualification and job satisfaction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Although entrepreneurial and intrapreneurial intentions have been a hot topic recently, the role of self‐perceived employability has been neglected. This study investigates the relationship between self‐perceived employability and entrepreneurial and intrapreneurial intentions. The relationship was tested using structural equation modeling based on the primary data from 1264 participants in six countries. The results show that self‐perceived employability is significantly related to entrepreneurial intentions in all countries and intrapreneurial intentions in four out of six. The findings contribute to the neglected role of self‐perceived employability, based on which several implications have been provided. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Leveraging Weiner's attribution theory of intrapersonal motivation at the micro level and varieties of capitalism theory at the macro level, we conduct a multi‐country and cross‐level study examining whether individuals' career goals (i.e., perceived importance of learning and development), behaviors (i.e., proactive career behaviors), and outcomes (i.e., perceived employability) as well as the relationships between these variables, differ between different market economies. We challenge extant literature that focuses on the agentic role of individuals and understates the role of context (i.e., market economy influence) in an individual's career development. Using multilevel structural equation modeling, we draw on a survey of 15,201 individuals between 2014 and 2016 from 22 countries representing four different varieties of capitalism. The results showed that workers in hierarchical (HME) and Mediterranean (MME) market economies systematically differed from individuals in coordinated (CME) and liberal (LME) market economies in proactive career behaviors and perceived employability. Moreover, while the positive relationship between perceived importance of learning and development and proactive career behaviors was stronger in CMEs and LMEs compared to HMEs and MMEs, the positive association between proactive career behaviors and perceived employability was weaker. Our study bridges the micro‐macro gap in career studies, adding new insights into the ongoing conversation of contextual influence in individuals' career development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

ABSTRACT The rapid increase in the number of international graduates seeking employment opportunities in host countries has been accompanied by a corresponding growth in related discourse regarding how international students could successfully benefit from post‐study work visa schemes and whether or not they are ‘career‐ready’ in local job markets. This study focuses on the linguistic capital among international graduates during their study–work transition processes. The qualitative analysis highlights that international graduates encounter various language‐related challenges during their transitions. However, their increased investment in English could not be simply interpreted as actions to overcome the language‐related challenges that they had encountered but was also for gaining access to their imagined communities, achieving non‐linguistic goals and employment outcomes. The study draws implications for understanding how international graduates could be better accommodated and encouraged to participate in the wider communities in their host countries. This is important knowledge, as enhancing employment outcomes is not only a goal for students pursuing international education but also of critical interest to countries seeking to sustain the international education industry. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study aims to identify and analyze the self-assessment of entrepreneurship sub-competences among students at Latvian higher education institutions. The research questions addressed include: What is the self-assessment of students' entrepreneurship competence at different levels of education? How and to what extent does the self-assessment of students' entrepreneurship competence vary across different thematic groups? How and to what extent does the self-assessment of students' entrepreneurship competence differ between academic and professional programs? Do bachelor's and Master's students' entrepreneurship competences improve during the study process? Additionally, the study explores the correlation between students' self-assessment of their entrepreneurship competence and their research competence. Data were collected using an assessment tool for students' transversal competences developed in the ESF project "Development and implementation of the education quality monitoring system", which consists of an online survey data and were analyzed with SPSS Statistics v.21. The results show that students evaluated their entrepreneurship competence just above average. Bachelor-level students improved their entrepreneurship competences during their studies, but there were no statistically significant differences between Master's students' evaluations in their first and last study years. Network analysis indicates that the entrepreneurship sub-competence "Identification, mobilization, and efficient use of internal and external resources" is connected with most research competence dimensions, and improving this sub-competence will therefore have the most effect on influencing research competence. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Robots have gained researchers’ attention as new technologies advance in the hospitality industry. In recent years, the worldwide demand for automation has caused the idea of serving robots to raise business sustainability through technological innovations. This study aimed to analyze the efficacy of service robots on employee job loss insecurity and turnover intention. A convoluted mediation and moderation mechanism among study constructs is uncovered using a quantitative process. Our results demonstrate that robot performance efficacy positively relates to robot perceived usefulness and speed of service and positively affects employees’ job loss insecurity. Robot perceived usefulness and speed of service mediate the relationship between robot performance efficacy and employees’ job loss insecurity. The study’s findings also revealed the effect of job loss insecurity on turnover intention. Psychological aspects positively mediate the relationship between job loss insecurity and turnover intention. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The quality of the UK’s doctorate training system plays a fundamental role in fostering vibrant research outputs and attracting global talent. However, while maintaining a consistently high standard of quality remains static and challenging, little is known about how the employability of international doctorate students is shaped and at what juncture it is opportune to support their employability during their research studies. This paper aims to understand the employability of international doctoral students within business schools at British universities, drawing on Urie Bronfenbrenner’s ecological systems theory as a framework. The qualitative study involves 15 international doctoral students from 9 business schools. The findings uncover various environmental systems impacting their employability. In addition, this study theoretically extends employability research by applying Bronfenbrenner’s ecological systems theory to provide a multi-layered understanding of international doctorate employability, offering a novel framework for targeted career support interventions. Further, the implications highlight the urgent need for tailored support to build industrial connections, promote departmental collaboration to scaffold a dynamic research environment, proffer multiple resource channels, and create employment opportunities both inside and outside of the university. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

FRP profile‐concrete hybrid beam, composed of a FRP profile beam, a concrete slab made of normal concrete (NC) or ultra‐high‐performance‐concrete (UHPC), and shear connectors, shows significant potential for employment in large‐span bridges due to its excellent corrosion resistance, lightweight, and easy construction. The structural behavior of such hybrid beam was simulated using a three‐dimensional non‐linear finite element model (FEM) in Abaqus. The Hashin failure model and concrete damage plastic (CDP) model were employed to characterize the progressive failure of FRP, NC, and UHPC, respectively. The FEM considered partial shear connection by utilizing shear load‐slip model and the orthotropic behavior of the FRP profile. The proposed FEM was validated through comparisons with experimental data in terms of load‐midspan deflection curve, load‐end slip curve, and failure modes. A parametric study was subsequently conducted to identify the effects of various factors, including concrete strength, bolt spacing, concrete slab width, concrete slab height, FRP flange and web thickness, and shear span. Based on the results yielded from FEM analysis, the accuracy of the calculation method in Chinese standard (GB‐50608) for predicting the loading capacity of hybrid beams was evaluated and found too conservative. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Empowering graduates to secure quality post-graduation employment is a key goal for higher education institutions and their students. University support in developing career resources may aid transition to work by enhancing social support and networks, fostering a strong sense of professional self, promoting career self-management, and instilling career confidence. Yet there lacks empirical understanding of these resources and the role they play, including how they interrelate, how they vary by personal characteristics, and how they are developed. This study examines how graduates fare in the labour market, characterises their career resources, and explores the relationship between career resources and graduate-level employment. These insights will contribute to theoretical understanding of building employability and inform effective employability programmes in higher education. The mixed-method approach encompasses an online survey of 324 bachelor graduates of Australian universities, followed by focus groups to further explore participants’ experiences. Employed graduates felt that their work did not align adequately with their degree-based knowledge and skills. Those with greater career confidence, social support, and career self-management experienced better outcomes, with these resources showing strong interconnections. Universities should consider a multi-faceted approach in developing employability, addressing multiple dimensions of career resources from the beginning of students’ degrees. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Competition in higher education seems ubiquitous. Universities today compete for values such as diversity and internationality in the same way as they compete for innovation, impact and employability. The meaning and perception of competition in higher education have changed substantially within the last decades. Competition today is imperative, attribute and action. It is detached from distinct frames – relevant in political science, sociology and economics alike – and both measure and goal in itself. Given the centrality and ambiguity of competition in higher education today, understanding how competition operates is central to grasping contemporary dynamics that reshape higher education. Against this background, the question 'How do universities compete?' relates to a constructivist perspective that critically reflects research frames on competition in two distinct ways. First, this perspective refrains from adapting comprehensive economic or sociological frames to higher education without taking the specificities of higher education into account. Second, such a context-sensitive view on competitions corresponds with attention to the level and form of agency competing organisations exhibit. Overall, the contributions in this special issue provide context-sensitive analytical frames that respond to empirically observable competition in higher education. The way universities compete depends on contextual factors of how competition is organised, the role of intermediaries as well as the interrelationship between state agency and organisational self-perceptions as acting organisations. Initially directed at increasing efficiency, competition is characterised nowadays by a wide range of intended and unintended effects that will be identified and discussed in this special issue. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: Sustainable employability has emerged as a multifaceted construct that measures individuals' abilities to function in the labour market throughout their working lives. Therefore, it is no longer just about analysing how to achieve a successful transition from school/university to employment, but also about identifying the conditions that will allow people to continue to be capable and motivated in the long term. The aim of this work was to identify and rank the personal factors of an individual that contribute to his or her perceived sustainable employability. Design/methodology/approach: The authors used a quantitative methodology to estimate the structural model proposed. A stratified random procedure was used to administer an online questionnaire to 202 university master's degree students. Before testing the structural model, the validation of each scale was performed, both at the exploratory and confirmatory levels. Findings: The results indicate that four groups were key to improve individual sustainable employability: (1) Health Status; (2) Career Competencies; (3) Core Self-Evaluations and (4) Overcoming Competencies. Research limitations/implications: The results are of interest to any individual, employed or not, insofar as they can reflect on the relevance of each category and how to improve them at the individual level. Originality/value: This study contributes to research on sustainable employability focus on the analysis of young people by providing empirical evidence on its relationship with other key variables, in an area where the literature remains mainly conceptual and centred in workers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Amidst increasing pressures on Humanities, Arts, and Social Sciences (HASS) disciplines regarding graduate career readiness, this study examines HASS student participation in work-integrated learning (WIL) and its impacts on employability and short-term employment outcomes, using data from the Australian Graduate Outcomes Survey from 2020 to 2023. The research examined the extent of participation across WIL types (work-based, non-workplace and global) and its influence on graduates’ perceived employability and employment outcomes (full-time employment and perceived overqualification), while investigating demographic differences using descriptive analysis and logistic regression models. Results indicated rising WIL participation yet identified disparities by activity type and among student groups. Work-based WIL (e.g. internships) was the most effective type for enhancing employability and facilitating transitions into professional roles and work aligned to degree study. Non-workplace WIL (e.g. projects), while beneficial for skill development, showed limited impact on immediate employment outcomes and there was relatively low participation in global WIL (e.g. industry study tours) across all discipline groups. The study illuminates the need for more inclusive WIL programmes and flexible models to accommodate diverse student needs. Recommendations for HASS faculties include integrating career development learning, optimising industry engagement and providing targeted support for underrepresented groups. By aligning WIL experiences with emerging labour market opportunities, HASS faculties can prepare graduates for successful careers, addressing both individual aspirations and broader economic needs. Future research regarding WIL in HASS could focus on postgraduate participation and industry perspectives on scaling programmes to ensure initiatives effectively bridge the gap between academic learning and professional practice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cyclic N‐sulfonyl ketimines constitute an accessible class of lead‐like heterocycles with a vast application in both synthetic organic and medicinal chemistry. In this context, we harness the capabilities of these heterocycles in four different isocyanide‐based multicomponent reactions. Our goal was to create libraries of compounds with functional groups and vectors that are compatible for structural elaboration and optimization of their physical properties. We synthesized 15 unprecedented compounds with high diversity and complexity, whereas we have obtained four single crystal structures of each scaffold, unraveling their geometrical features and potential employment in drug discovery. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Interest in the role of employability in student–dietitian transitions is increasing. However, little is known about the cross‐cultural transition‐to‐work experience of Australian‐trained dietetic graduates of international backgrounds, as well as strategies to optimise work‐readiness. The present study aimed to explore graduates' career narratives and identify employability capitals that enabled successful transitions to work. Methods: A qualitative interpretive approach was employed via a cultural lens. Eighteen participants from five Asian countries who had graduated from an Australian university within 3–15 years, with work experience in Australia or in their respective home countries, took part in in‐depth interviews. Thematic analysis was performed, guided by the graduate capitals based approach. Results: Transition‐to‐work was dynamic and non‐linear; four themes and 12 subthemes identified: (1) upon graduation, participants felt ambivalent about their decision to either stay in Australia or return home, influenced by graduate visa restrictions, and individual perceptions of their ability to mobilise cultural strengths to gain employment; (2) to get a foot in the door, participants demonstrated resilience, embraced uncertainty and utilised social networks to increase employment opportunities in Australia and their home countries; (3) regardless of which country they worked, graduates reported struggling with their cross‐cultural identities in the workplace; and (4) eventually, these graduates appreciated their ethnic capital, thrived in their work and extended a helping hand to their junior cross‐cultural dietitians. Conclusions: Initiatives facilitating connections to the host country and supporting cultural and ethnic capital development, along with ongoing research reviewing employability capital applications, will benefit cross‐cultural dietetic graduates and the communities they potentially will serve. Key points: International student dietitians graduated in Australia often faced additional barriers in seeking employment compared to their domestic counterparts.International dietetic graduates had to choose to return to home country or stay for employment in Australia but their option was limited by residency rights and connections to the communities.For those who stayed, they demonstrated resilience, embraced uncertainty and utilised social networks to increase employment opportunities.For graduates who went home, they experienced back‐transition and translation of Australian dietetics knowledge in the Asian communities.Despite difficult circumstances, international dietetic graduates mobilised graduate capitals to optimise their transition‐to‐work journey and eventually found their cross‐cultural identity in the workplace. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article explores how international students in China are engaging with employability-related programmes to enhance their employment outcomes in their home countries, underpinned by the Graduate Capital Model (GCM). Thirty international students in China participated in in-depth interviews. Findings revealed that international students studying at elite universities in China are very aware of building and enhancing their employability via key forms of capital: acquiring human capital (knowledge and skills) to contribute to their home countries, building social capital in China and elsewhere, and developing stronger career, cultural and identity capital through internships and other work-related programmes, as well as psychological adaptability and flexibility. Most importantly, they are proactive in interweaving strategies for this range of capital to enhance their employability and achieve successful employment outcomes. The findings contribute to the empirical understanding of the employability strategies employed by international students in China, while also providing recommendations on enhancing and facilitating employability of current and future international students there to match with the needs of global employment practices and policies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Whole-of-course approaches have emerged as an important topic in the contemporary outcomes-based education environment. While research-informed accounts of whole-of-course approaches exist, most take undergraduate education as the default. Few examples feature postgraduate education where students seek career enhancement rather than entry. Employing case study methodology, this paper discusses an innovative whole-of-course approach taken in the design and delivery of an Australian postgraduate education course. What marks it as innovative, is that the whole-of-course approach consists of two interrelated strands: One follows a (more familiar) whole-of-course practice of scaffolding graduate attributes, course and subject learning outcomes and is primarily driven by university interests and academics. A second whole-of-course process works alongside the first but is driven by postgraduates' professional practice and career goals. The paper concludes by suggesting that a whole-of-course approach to design combined with a whole-of-course student process can reconcile postgraduates' learning needs with the interests of the university. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study examines the impact of educational attainment on employment and earnings in Nepal. Using the Nepal Labour Force Survey 2017–2018 cycle, we employ an extended earnings function derived from the foundational Mincer equation to estimate returns to education. The results underscore the overall positive impact of education (1.76, 3.73, 7.68 and 11.00% increase in earnings by primary, secondary, bachelor's and master's degrees, respectively), which is lower than the average observed in other low– and middle– income countries, except in higher education. The results also indicate persisting disparities for females and disadvantaged groups. The study emphasizes the need for strategic interventions, improved educational infrastructure and inclusive policies to foster equitable opportunities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]