PasteIt is becoming increasing difficult to ignore the importance of employability. Higher Education Academy (HEA, 2011) suggests that employability skill is making graduates more employable by equipping them with a set of business skills, understandings and personal attributes, this potentially enables the graduates to be successful in their chosen occupation and is of benefit to not only the community, the workforce and the economy, but is also of benefit to student. Moreover unfortunately, the current situation of support for entrepreneurship in higher education lacks depth
Rae, (2004) state that it has been a long standing complaint of employers as well as the managers, that the newcomers i.e. students fresh out of college / universities lack Skills that is needed by employers and therefore they are unemployable. Embedded employability in higher education is the leading cause of business management jobs in London.
According to Juhdi et al., (2010) employers have been very serious in recruiting competent employees with vast experience so that they can cut short on training.
However Confederation of British industry is supporting a nationally recognised record of employability skills it claims two thirds of students like the idea too and says a growing number of colleges and universities already have their own local schemes (Littlemore, 2011).
Mal (2009) suggest that team work is a key transferable employable skill, no matter the state of the economy or the state of the job market, you need certain skills to make you employable. Employability plays an important role in students maintaining employment, however it is also an important component in the economic and play a vital key role in the UK economy.
Moreover, Hinds (2005) suggests that all students in further and higher education need to develop their employability skills. These skills are frequently specified by employers in the job advertisements they publish to recruit new employees from colleges and universities. Recruitment and selection stage, employers pay careful attention to ensure that the young people they recruit are able to communicate orally and in writing, work as a member of a group, solve problems, manage projects, handle and manipulate data and gather information. However, there is evidence that academically educated entrepreneurs are more important in developing regional economies than entrepreneurs with a lower level of education. This view is based on research results that reveal that entrepreneurs with a higher academic background are more often innovative, use modern business models, and base their ventures on the use of new technology (Pajarinen et al., 2006). Furthermore in the history of UK development embedded employability in higher education has been thought of as a key factor in the job market. Employers, having continuous arguments suggesting whilst there is strong demand for employing graduates, there are also gaps between employer requirements and the skills and attributes presented by applicants furthermore, Students usually leave higher education with a good appreciation of their chosen subject as they have studied it intensively for few years (Cottrell, 2003). However, the individual subject skills may still not fully meet employer requirements, as there is a tension between formal education and vocational training (Foley et al., 2004). However, Harvey et al. (1997) showed that supplementing a graduate's education in a specific subject with a range of business skills, such as communication and teamwork, is beneficial to a student job placement. Whilst employability skills are becoming a more important factor in student choice, this is often not matched by (HE), learning and attainment in this area. Students frequently do not display quite basic social and occupational skills of confirming meetings, attending interview appointments, presenting themselves effectively. However Rae, (2007) state that despite extensive development, and evidence of innovative practices to foster employability within universities, employability remains a complex and problematic area without clear or obvious solutions. Employability is an issue of direct concern to students (COX et al., 2006) The prime motivation in attending university for the majority of students is not to study a particular subject in depth, but to enhance their employment prospects.
While previous researcher such as Smith, (2008) may insight into embedded employability skills in higher education much is problematic in the context of such research it fails in some areas none focus on private universities and employer views in London. Cross-London spread of higher education institute also has the potential to engage academic staff who may not have previously considered employability, higher education and entrepreneurship as a relevant or appropriate activity within the curriculum identity. Some staff may be initially resistant to discussions around the embedding of employability within the higher education curriculum, mainly because of how best they understand what was meant by employability, and institute did not communicate the meaning. Faceâ€toâ€face meetings with private university were extremely useful in this process as we were able to negotiate meaning, brainstorm ideas, and find out the local context, interests, and drivers for individual preference and their university. Private university identified different priorities including issues around entrepreneurship, social employability, and selfâ€employment and perhaps using higher education and employability knowledge and skills to help identify, apply for, and manage research.
In this context, UK higher education has been issued with several new challenges. On one hand, there are masses of new students entering higher education institutions and many of them need special attention to develop their capacities to the expected level Pavlin et al., (2014), On the other hand, there is a need to support investments in new technologies by research and development, whereby these investments shorten technological cycles and rapidly change job requirements which tend to increase (Wert, 1999). This raises the problem of the fit between the knowledge and competencies that are acquired and actually required. The emerging economic and unemployment crisis underway since 2008 has importantly strengthened employability pressures calling for more direct support for higher education systems to meet employers' needs. The accent on improving higher education graduates' employability has grown stronger. Despite stagnating finances in UK Higher Education sector, it is believed that higher education systems can improve the professional employability of students by shifting from traditional disciplinary-based teaching to problem- solving learning, the involvement of students in research and work practices, and orienting the curriculum towards learning outcomes. Studies with the idea that by the end of each cycle students are equipped with competencies which enable them to fit into different segments of work.
According to Tucker et al., (2010) most recently, an article publish about studies in Higher Education stated that Employability issues are at the very core of contemporary HE in the UK (Cranmer, 2006). The graduate labour market is not a level playing field, and students obviously do need to develop and effectively present the kinds of personal skills and qualities demanded by employers if they are to stand a chance (Leatherwood et al., 2006). For example, it has become very apparent over the last few years that information literacy skills are too important to students' future success to be ignored (Osborne et al., 2007). The current economic downturn and subsequent recession has put pressures on employability and in turn this has increased the pressure on private universities to produce employable graduates. Rae (2008) given the UK may experience for the first time a period of economic downturn during the era of mass participation in higher education, it is unclear what implications these factors may have for higher education. It is now extremely important that a graduate leaves Higher Education with a deeper knowledge of the labour market. Given that an increasing number of people are obtaining degrees, the ability to stand out from the crowd has become far more desirable.
Further suggestion to what Smith has highlighted about employability. Furthermore majority of private university do not offered students an optional work placement year where they can gain employability experience in the sector they are studying. In this context, a principle that underpinned the research was to give students in HE sector greater attention, thus enabling an opportunity for students to enhance their employability. Regardless of how services are provided graduate student career issues must be placed in the context of other developmental and life issues that students face (Furlong et al., 2006). In addition to the work placement opportunities, the University's Employment Service should work with businesses, to provide students with career planning sessions tailored to their particular needs. Library Professional can create awareness about the research that can allowed students to further enhance and support the work being done by the employment Service. Students learn in a variety of ways and we have to look at the whole teachingâ€learning environment provided for the students, including the various types of teaching, eâ€learning and other forms of support provided (Entwistle, 2005).
According to Valle et al., (2015) previous studies have tried to point out indicators of employability within the HE sector framework Gerzeli et al., (2007) , Harvey, (2001) , Nurmi et al., (2007) , Yorke, (2003) Teichler et al., (2006) and (Smith et al., 2007). In these studies the satisfaction of HE students with their preparation for the labour market is an important element for the concept of employability. Good opportunities for entering the professional field seem to be a prime factor for students when considering options for admission and choosing a particular programme. However Holmes (2007) is insightful in contending that a graduate identity can only be deemed employable if it is constantly re-built and rehearsed. This implies a consistent anticipation of what is relevant to the occupational settings the student wishes to enter, how one should conduct them self what it would feel like. Yet what Holmes fails to acknowledge is that this is not a consequence of human nature, but quite the contrary, an effect of a social order the political economy of employability and HE that feeds from the student’s desire.
UK fares better Rae (2007) in graduate employability than other European country, such as Germany and France (Brennan et al., 2001). However, it is often the case in employability that simply possessing a degree is not enough in itself for student to start a career. Furthermore it can argued that employability market and society are changing more quickly than higher education sector, at non-graduate and graduate-level employability are increasingly important. However many graduates struggle to find their first job after graduating, from private university in London, but this in itself is not surprising to graduates because student have long experienced the same challenges at particular times, in the early 1980s and 90s in regions such as South East and South West.
Further suggestion is the increasing trend for graduate student to start their careers in agency work, doing casual or temporary jobs, often earning low rates of pay, because student lack the skills employer are looking for or in their area of expertise there is shortage of job creation. Surveys of graduates find a significant proportion of student occupied in what appear to be non-graduate service sector jobs, such as call center operatives (AGR, 2003). However graduate students is simple not the carrier of a set of skills, knowledge and personal attributes, they also have their own unique identity, motivation and personality going beyond personal attributes, which change during the higher education experience (Rae, 2007). Also the context of London University and the degree program, in relation to demand from employers, and in the prevailing economic climate, can be a significant factor.
However one main problems faced by London private universities is the choice of degree program and its relevance to the employability market. Private universities have the freedom to offer the degree course for which the organisation have the capacity and capability, for which they can attract viable numbers of student. Furthermore they should consider having complex academic planning system and aim to involve employers in course validations to ensure HE standards meet employer requirements. However private universities in London have no requirements either individually or collectively, to offer degree courses that meet the need of employer skill or workforce planning. Many London universities, have developed employability strategies and associated provision, since employability became a publicly reportable statistic. Example of universities with strategies and provision of excellent or good practice for reference some featured by HE Academy (heacademy, 2012).
Rae (2004) Suggest that the problem with employability approach is not an outcome of any one module of a course, but rather a result of a holistic learning experience
your essay in here…