Australian graduates’ work readiness – deficiencies, causes and potential solutions

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Author
Prikshat, Verma
Montague, Alan
Connell, Julia
Burgess, John
Date
2019-11-20Acceptance date
2019-10-30
Type
Article
Publisher
Emerald
ISSN
2042-3896
Metadata
Show full item recordAbstract
Purpose – It is widely reported that there is a competence deficit between graduating from Australian higher
education (HE) and becoming work ready and that the deficit is becoming more pronounced. The purpose of
this paper is to examine the work readiness competencies of Australian HE and vocational education (VE)
graduates. The reported competence deficits, the causes of these deficits and the potential strategies to
overcome these deficits are discussed.
Design/methodology/approach – A qualitative, inductive research design was used to examine
Australian graduates’ work readiness competence, potential deficits, their causes and possible solutions to
gain some preliminary insights and help shape future research. A multiple case design was used comprising
key stakeholders’ in-depth interviews and focus group discussions. In-depth semi-structured interviews and
focus group discussions were conducted to gain insights from the key stakeholders.
Findings – The stakeholders reported that the Australian VE and HE sectors do not sufficiently prepare
graduates in terms of their work readiness skills. Self-management skills, communication (written and
expression), team-work skills, cognitive skills, system thinking and innovation and creativity were the main
work readiness competency deficits reported by the stakeholders.
Research limitations/implications – The research has its limitations in terms of the limited sample and
time frame, and the absence of input from graduates. The results of the study indicate the deteriorating state
of the Australian graduate labour market and emphasise that an integrated approach is urgently required
from all stakeholders to facilitate the transition and reduce the time taken from graduation to employment.
Originality/value – The focus of the study is located in the Australian labour market in terms of the
competencies that reportedly are present upon graduation and the competencies that employers are looking
for on recruitment. The requisite competency list and the deficits are examined through the lens of four
stakeholder groups; government representatives, industry representatives and VE and HE representatives.
Keywords Employability, Competence deficits, Government and industry stakeholders,
Journal/conference proceeding
Higher Education, Skills and Work-Based Learning;
Citation
Prikshat, V., Montague, M., Connell, J. & Burgess, J. (2019) 'Australian graduates’ work readiness – deficiencies, causes and
potential solutions', Higher Education, Skills and Work-Based Learning. DOI: 10.1108/HESWBL-02-2019-0025.
Description
Article published in Higher Education, Skills and Work-Based Learning available at https://doi.org/10.1108/HESWBL-02-2019-0025
Sponsorship
Cardiff Metropolitan University (Grant ID: Cardiff Metropolian (Internal))
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