Education Commons^™

The Relationship Between Student Employment, Employability-Building Activities And Graduate Outcomes, Denise Jackson

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

There is continued pressure on universities to develop future-oriented graduates given documented skill gaps and global talent shortages. Although work experience supports work-readiness and is prioritised among graduate employers, little is known about the labour market gains from student employment compared to work experience embedded within the curriculum (e.g. internship or work placement), and how one may influence the other. Drawing on the lens of capital resources and signalling theory, this study uses national survey data from 152,226 recent Australian graduates to examine the relationship between student employment, in-curricular work experience and labour market outcomes. The findings affirm the high …

Are We Talking About The Same Thing? The Case For Stronger Connections Between Graduate And Worker Employability Research, Jos Akkermans, William E. Donald, Denise Jackson, Anneleen Forrier

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

Purpose and approach: This article presents the case for creating stronger connections between research on graduate and worker employability. We offer a narrative review of commonalities and differences between these research streams and offer thoughts and suggestions for further integration and mutual learning. Findings: We outline some of the main theories and concepts in the graduate and worker employability domains. Furthermore, we analyze how these show considerable overlap, though they have barely connected with each other yet. We also formulate an agenda for future research that would spur stronger connections between the fields. Finally, we turn to our fellow authors, …

Exploring University Student Engagement And Sense Of Belonging During Work-Integrated Learning, Anna D. Rowe, Denise Jackson, Jenny Fleming

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

Work-integrated learning (WIL) is recognised as a valuable pedagogical strategy for developing graduate employability, increasing employment prospects and contributing to a range of other learning outcomes. The purpose of this exploratory study was to determine the degree to which WIL students in higher education, felt they fully engaged in workplace activities and experienced a sense of belonging to their workplace environment. Further aims were to identify factors that facilitated and inhibited their engagement and belonging. Data were collected using an online survey of 151 students undertaking WIL as part of a university degree, in the contexts of business, sociology and …

The Relative Importance Of Work Experience, Extra-Curricular And University-Based Activities On Student Employability, Denise Jackson, Michael Tomlinson

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

Declining graduate labour markets, perceived devaluing of degree qualifications, and intense focus on graduate employment metrics have increased pressure on universities to enhance their students’ employability. Formal curricula developments have been accompanied by co-curricular and extra-curricular offerings intended to enhance students’ career readiness and emerging graduate profiles. Using survey data from undergraduate and postgraduate students in an Australian and UK university (N = 352), multivariate techniques examined participation in employability-related activities and students’ perceptions of their importance for their employability. Data revealed differential participation based on student profile characteristics and the type of activity undertaken. Overall, these were valued for …

Australian Postgraduate Student Experiences And Anticipated Employability: A National Study From The Students’ Perspective, Elizabeth J. Cook, Linda Crane, Shelley Kinash, Amy Bannatyne, Joseph Crawford, Gary Hamlin, Madelaine-Marie Judd, Jo-Anne Kelder, Helen Partridge, Sarah Richardson

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

Postgraduate students are navigating a rapidly evolving landscape for their future careers. In this context, higher education providers are responsible for supporting and monitoring postgraduate (masters and doctoral) students’ development for both education and employability contexts. This empirical research provides a rich analysis of feedback breakfasts, focus groups and interviews with 319 postgraduate student participants from 26 universities. Emergent themes highlight widespread lack of confidence in university-mediated student experiences, particularly in the context of employability, and pessimism regarding career outcomes. Students expressed a view that higher education providers need to direct further attention and relevant supports toward postgraduate education. Future …

Evaluation Of Work-Integrated Learning: A Realist Synthesis And Toolkit To Enhance University Evaluative Practices, Elizabeth J. Cook

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

Situated in the context of work-integrated learning (WIL), this paper aims to build the evaluative capacity of universities in response to an increasing need for evaluation in higher education. It contributes a realist synthesis of international peer-reviewed literature on university evaluation of WIL, which revealed no use of evaluation theory or approaches by the authors. In response, to support the enhancement of university evaluative practices, this paper offers a toolkit of evaluation theory and approaches, with examples relating to WIL, featuring an evaluation planning tool (RUFDATAE). RUFDATAE is demonstrated using a study from the realist synthesis, to highlight its relevance, …

Embedding Work-Integrated Learning Into Accounting Education: The State Of Play And Pathways To Future Implementation, Denise Jackson, Stephanie Meek

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

© 2020, © 2020 Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group. There is increasing pressure on higher education institutions to better prepare students for future work, augmented by widespread measurement of their performance using graduate employment metrics. Accounting is no exception with growing attention on whether, and in what ways, accounting curricula is aligning to labor market demands. This paper considers the importance of career preparedness among accounting students and higher education institutions’ effectiveness in achieving graduate outcomes that meet the needs of the profession. It contemplates the challenges in preparing accounting students for contemporary work and explores …

Enabling The Development Of Enterprise Capabilities Among Higher Education Students Through Work-Integrated Learning In Coworking Spaces, Denise Jackson, Hairong Shan, Susan Meek

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

This project trialled an innovative, scalable model of work-integrated learning (WIL) in micro-businesses in a coworking space. WIL embeds industry and/or community engagement into the curriculum through authentic learning and assessment activities. This project focused on workplace-based WIL, specifically, business students undertaking internships in a cluster of coworking spaces—under the umbrella of ‘Spacecubed’—in Perth CBD, Australia.

The project aims were broadly 1) to trial and evaluate ways to enhance enterprise capabilities among business students through WIL and 2) to introduce a model of WIL that overcomes some of the barriers that have previously prevented smaller organisations from participating in WIL. …

Career Values And Proactive Career Behaviour Among Contemporary Higher Education Students, Denise Jackson, Michael Tomlinson

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

The paper draws on evidence from a survey of Australian and UK students (N = 433) on students’ career values and their relationship to their proactivity in career self-management. Much of the dominant approaches to careers have focused on career competencies and adaptability in the context of increased movement from traditional to more self-managed career trajectories. Limited attention has been given to the role of career values in shaping individuals’ approaches to career management, particularly among higher education students. This study reveals data on a range of career values among students on a continuum between intrinsic and extrinsic careers. It …

Skill Mastery And The Formation Of Graduate Identity In Bachelor Graduates: Evidence From Australia, Denise Jackson

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

Mastery of certain generic skills and the successful formation of pre-professional identity are widely considered to influence graduate work-readiness and job attainment. Given their links with enhanced productivity, performance and innovation, skill development and graduate identity appear critical amidst ongoing global stagnation in advanced economies. This paper focuses on the success of higher education in developing generic skills and graduate identity using national data (n = 80,891) for 51 providers. It investigates the influence of certain demographics, study and degree characteristics on these important areas of undergraduate curricula. Furthermore, it gauges recent graduate perceptions on the importance of skill development …

Working Together To Achieve Better Work Integrated Learning Outcomes: Improving Productivity Through Better Employer Involvement, Denise Jackson, Sonia Ferns, David Rowbottom, Diane Mclaren

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

The overarching aim of this twelve-month project, funded by the Australian Chamber of Commerce and Industry, was to develop industry understanding of Work-Integrated Learning (WIL) and assess the support needed by employers to better engage in WIL. Data gathered in a survey of Western Australian employers and industry focus groups prompted the establishment of a WIL Advisory Service (WAS). The service was founded by the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Western Australia (CCIWA) to broker relationships between employers and universities, and provide support to improve WIL outcomes. In this study, student and employer users of WAS were asked to …

Factors Influencing Job Attainment In Recent Bachelor Graduates: Evidence From Australia, Denise Jackson

Research outputs 2013

Favourable graduate employment outcomes are critical for future enrolments in higher education. Enrolments fund higher education providers and ensure a continuous supply of graduates to enhance organisational effectiveness, national productivity and global competitiveness. Recent evidence suggests the global financial crisis has softened graduate labour markets. Stakeholder concerns for graduate career prospects and the adequacy of return on investment from studying at university prompt exploration of those factors which influence graduate employment outcomes. This study tests, using logistic regression, a model of job attainment in recent Bachelor graduates of Australian higher education providers using national data gathered in 2011 (n …

Student Perceptions Of The Importance Of Employability Skill Provision In Business Undergraduate Programs, Denise Jackson

Research outputs 2013

Studies examining student perceptions of employability skill development in business undergraduate programs are limited. Assurance of student buy-in is important to ensure learners engage with skill provision; to enable them to articulate their capabilities to potential employers and to facilitate the transfer of acquired skills. This study examines 1019 students’ perceptions of the importance of employability skill development, the relative importance of skills and the influence of certain demographic/background characteristics. Findings indicate undergraduates value skill development, most particularly communication and team-working, and some significant variations in importance ratings. Alignment with other stakeholder perceptions and the influence of context are discussed.

Business Graduate Employability – Where Are We Going Wrong?, Denise Jackson

Research outputs 2013

Persistent gaps in certain non-technical skills in business graduates continue to impact on organisational performance and global competitiveness. Despite business school’s best efforts in developing non-technical skills, widely acknowledged as fundamental to graduate employability, there has been considerably less attention to measuring skill outcomes and even less on their subsequent transfer to the workplace. It appears stakeholders are assuming transfer occurs automatically in graduates, neglecting the influence of learning program, learner and workplace characteristics on this complex process and its potential impact on graduate employability.

This paper unpacks the concept of transfer and proposes a model of graduate employability which …