Employability in the College Sector: A Comparative Study Simon McGrath, Seamus Needham and Volker Wedekind with Marius Calitz, Tim Grant and Trish vd Merwe

The Project DBIS funding 3 colleges / 3 universities : Coastal KZN College Northlink College West Nottinghamshire College University of KwaZulu-Natal University of the Western Cape University of Nottingham Research approach “Beacon colleges” 3 day team visits to each college Tours Policy documents Meetings with management Meetings with lecturers Employer focus groups Student focus groups

The Deficit Model of Employability Employability has typically been thought about in terms of individual deficits, particularly in soft skills and attitudes A recent employer survey in England found that employers rated the following as the 5 greatest skills needs: literacy numeracy enthusiasm commitment timekeeping (Lanning, Martin, Villeneuve-Smith 2008)

Expanding the Notion of Employability Clearly, these are important and we have heard much about the latter attitudes (and related ones) However, it is important to ask further questions of employability What does employability amount to in a context of mass youth unemployment, as in South Africa? How important are employability skills as opposed to other factors such as gender, race, poverty, caring responsibilities, transport availability/affordability? It is also important to recognise the limitations of employability as a notion – e.g., South African notion of productive citizenship – is employability only about being productive?

Rethinking Further Education’s Role in Employability

Students More than a set of skills, dispositions, attitudes and knowledge Linked to the full cycle from application, admission, choice, support through to destination bksb Interviews Selection Student support systems

Students Complex Skills picture Sectorally specific Includes literacy, numeracy and life skills specialisation vs multi-skilling need to be recognisable Workplace dispositions Can do attitude Time management ‘Spitting and swearing’ ‘obedience’

Students Questions Employee rights Diversity Structural nature of the economy Saving, medical, insurance

Staff Central to the success of the system Passion and Commitment Generate excitement about their field Modelling and embodying Staff act as mentors/masters Model the behaviour expected in the workplace Time Respect Appearance

Staff Soft skills taught directly or indirectly by the discipline staff Provide support and care Know their students Aware of personal troubles Use their networks to place students

Staff Issues Retention HE drift Teacher qualification Programme requirements Demoralisation Diversity management

Institution Employable institution Spatial organisation Simulating work environments Income generation The boundaryless college Niching Colleges as academic beacons The data problem

Employers Expectations Engagement Concerns Challenges

Policy Funding norms and funding opportunities Joined-up government? Strategy, opportunism and policy flip-flop