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ARE OUR GRADUATES EMPLOYABLE? Plenary 3 Lee Chew Ging Professor of Quantitative Methods Dean Nottingham University Business School The University of Nottingham Malaysia Campus

© Asian Institute of Chartered Bankers All rights reserved. Employability is not the same as gaining a graduate job Employability  Employment What is employability?

© Asian Institute of Chartered Bankers All rights reserved. There is no single agreeable definition of employability Existing literature suggests that employability includes a.the ability to gain initial employment b.the ability to maintain employment and move between jobs and roles within the same organisation c.the ability to obtain new employment if needed What is employability?

© Asian Institute of Chartered Bankers All rights reserved. What can a graduate do to build his/her employability? Knowing his/her strengths and weaknesses Building his/her confidence and self-belief Researching and understanding the opportunities available and knowing how to access them

© Asian Institute of Chartered Bankers All rights reserved. Being able to reflect, evaluate and make sensible decision on his/her future and being able to act upon them Knowing how to present his/her skills, knowledge and competencies to employers What can a graduate do to build his/her employability?

© Asian Institute of Chartered Bankers All rights reserved. What can a graduate do to build his/her employability? Employability is about much more than getting and building skills, knowledge and personal attributes, it is also about having a positive self image and presenting oneself successfully

© Asian Institute of Chartered Bankers All rights reserved. Can higher education develop employability? A degree is no longer enough Recruiters are looking for “work-ready” graduates with clear evidence of job specific knowledge and skills in addition to high level of graduate attributes

© Asian Institute of Chartered Bankers All rights reserved. Can higher education develop employability? Job specific knowledge This will be captured by the curriculum design Each programme will have aims and intended learning outcomes valued by industry But, can these aims and intended learning outcomes be delivered?

© Asian Institute of Chartered Bankers All rights reserved. Can higher education develop employability? Generally, syllabus of a programme can’t covered what is needed, because a)Complexity of an industry b)Duration of a programme c)Lack of engagement with industry d)Lack of qualified teaching staff

© Asian Institute of Chartered Bankers All rights reserved. Can higher education develop employability? How to engage with industry? a)Setting up industry advisory board b)Providing internship opportunity c)Introducing guest lecture series

© Asian Institute of Chartered Bankers All rights reserved. Can higher education develop employability? Can industries support the engagement initiatives of higher education sector?

© Asian Institute of Chartered Bankers All rights reserved.

Can higher education develop employability? Do we have enough qualified teaching staff? – It is not about whether a teaching staff has a PhD – It is about how many PhD holders are still researching for knowledge creation – It is about how many teaching staff involve in industry engagement to develop subjects with knowledge and skills needed by the industry

© Asian Institute of Chartered Bankers All rights reserved. Can higher education develop employability? Skills and graduate attributes 1.Communication and interpersonal skills 2.Problem solving skills 3.Using own initiative and being self-motivated 4.Working under pressure and to deadlines 5.Organisational skills 6.Team working 7.Ability to learn and adapt 8.Numeracy 9.Valuing diversity and difference 10.Negotiation skills

© Asian Institute of Chartered Bankers All rights reserved. Can higher education develop employability? Can these skills and graduate attributes be taught? May be It depends on how a subject is assessed and delivered

© Asian Institute of Chartered Bankers All rights reserved. Can higher education develop employability? Example 1 N11440 Entrepreneurship and Business

© Asian Institute of Chartered Bankers All rights reserved. Can higher education develop employability? Example 2 N11127 Quantitative Methods 1b

© Asian Institute of Chartered Bankers All rights reserved. Can higher education develop employability? It is not possible to develop all skills and graduate attributes needed by industries through teaching and learning process

© Asian Institute of Chartered Bankers All rights reserved. Can higher education develop employability? Example 1: Valuing Diversity and Difference The qualities that make a manager successful in one culture may be the very reason for failure when leading across cultures

© Asian Institute of Chartered Bankers All rights reserved. Can higher education develop employability? These can be achieved if a higher education institution has 1.Study abroad scheme - see the world - experience different styles of education - take in a new culture - make lifelong friends

© Asian Institute of Chartered Bankers All rights reserved. Can higher education develop employability? 2.High percentage of international students from many countries

© Asian Institute of Chartered Bankers All rights reserved. Can higher education develop employability? Example 2: Numeracy Numeracy skills are very important, irrespective of whether one considers the job to be “working with number”

© Asian Institute of Chartered Bankers All rights reserved. Can higher education develop employability? Numerical skills performing mental arithmetic being able to estimate Statistics interpreting graphical information making comparisons in order to draw conclusions Applying general arithmetic using and applying mathematical concepts in a work environment

© Asian Institute of Chartered Bankers All rights reserved. Can higher education develop employability? The development of numeracy skills should start at primary and secondary levels Learners can be seen applying their numeracy skills in different subjects, such as mathematics, science, physical education, religious and moral education

© Asian Institute of Chartered Bankers All rights reserved. Can higher education develop employability? Students who make an effort to fully participate in academic, co-curricular, extra curricular and work experience benefit from a well-rounded education, and contribute fully to the life of the university and community

© Asian Institute of Chartered Bankers All rights reserved. Can higher education develop employability? Students will be aware of the benefits, skills and transferable experiences that can be gained by taking advantage of the co-curricula and extra- curricula opportunities that are available

© Asian Institute of Chartered Bankers All rights reserved. Conclusion Employability of graduates depends on student experience provided by higher education institutions. It needs a balanced a)Academic experience b)Social experience c)Life experience

© Asian Institute of Chartered Bankers All rights reserved. Conclusion Higher education institutions can only support students in taking responsibility for their personal, professional and academic development

© Asian Institute of Chartered Bankers All rights reserved. Conclusion Higher education institutions can produce highly employable graduates if high education institutions can encourage all students to become “autonomous learners”