Higher Education and Employability Employers feedback on important elements of graduates’ employability Results of a study Julie FIONDA European Commission – Higher Education Policy Unit

Overview: 1.EU Policy Context: Employment and Employability 2.EU actions to help bridge the gap between the worlds of education and work 3.Focus on 'Graduate Employability: what makes the difference?' 2

3 Growing Youth Unemployment

Dat e: in 12 pts Education and Culture EU 27: 5,7 million young people unemployed Context

Agenda for new skills and jobs

Shielded but still vulnerable Higher Education Graduates are significantly better off than non-graduates in the labour market. … But increasing graduate unemployment and underemployment …

 Europe needs more graduates Increase attainment (to 40% by 2020), including among underrepresented, reduce drop-out  Quality, relevance and employability Student centred, high quality provision with enhanced graduate employability  Higher education’s contribution to economic recovery and long term growth Modernising Higher Education An EU Strategy – (adopted 20 Sept 2011) to boost graduate numbers, improve teaching quality and maximise what HE can do to help the EU economy emerge stronger from the crisis

Analysis of skills requirements - Vacancy monitor Analysis of skill mismatch – Surveys on employers Anticipation: European and national projections Up to date information on the most requested occupations Foresight analysis at sector level – European Sector Skills Councils The EU skills panorama central access point for information on skills needs from various sources

Youth Guarantee Youth Employment Initiative Action Teams Country Specific Recommendations European Alliance for Apprenticeships & Quality Framework for Traineeships Increased support for labour mobility - Better data mobility and employment outcomes and matching skills + jobs Youth Employment Package

Research project: What makes the difference: A qualitative appraisal of HE graduate employability in Europe: the employers’ perspective  Perceived quality of graduates - how employers see the output of European universities/HEI  What combination of competences and attributes is most likely to secure that first (or early career) job and why?  Why one graduate may 'have the edge' over another with a similar profile.  Implications for curricula – content and pedagogy? - Better data mobility and employment outcomes and matching skills + jobs Graduate employability

Study Design Phase 1: Literature review Phase 2: Conjoint study: 900 employers in 9 countries (CZ, DE, ES, FR, IT, NL, PL, SE, UK) Simulation of selection procedure in two steps Step 1: who to invite for job interview Step 2: who to hire Phase 3: In-depth interviews: 120 employers in 12 countries (Finance, Engineering, ICT, Media/Comms, Legal, Admin/Policy) Phase 4: Focus groups with stakeholders in each country

Skills measured in this study LM TRENDS Knowledge Society Increasing Uncertainty ICT revolution High Performance workplaces Changes in economic structure Globalisation SKILLS MEASURED Professional expertise General academic skills Interpersonal skills Strategic/organizational skills Innovative/creative skills Commercial/entrepreneurial skills International orientation

A word on the conjoint analysis  force employers to choose between different hypothetical profiles  Realistic simulation  Choices reveal underlying preferences. These preferences can be calculated in so-called ‘part-worths’ and compared to each other  Backed up with more 'traditional' qualitative methods to explore and test the findings and motivations behind choices

Conjoint – step 1

Conjoint – step 2

Findings

What gets candidates an interview? Field of study and work experience “The discipline is really a main indicator for how quickly someone is broken in.” “Work experience shows they can hit the ground running and get on with the job straightaway.” Interview

Signal bachelor’s and a master’s degree differs between countries Interview

Low grades a big deterrent, but not much difference between average and high grades Interview

Prestige of the university comparable to having above average grades vs. average grades “There are universities that are extremely easy, and if on top of that the person doesn’t have good marks, then this means it’s not a very bright person.” Interview

Study abroad signals positive personality characteristics. “Those who spent half a year abroad have a different state of mind, a certain openness.” “Studies abroad? Not that important for this position, but not a downside either.”

Willingness to pay Difference CV attribute level Difference (rescaled) part-worths Difference in % of average salary Match of field of study and job task: complete vs. related Relevant work experience: 1 year vs. no Relevant work experience: 2 years vs. 1 year104.6 Study abroad: partly vs. no Above average GPA vs. average GPA University’s prestige/reputation: high vs. average Master’s degree vs. bachelor’s degree (Sweden) Master’s degree vs. bachelor’s degree (Poland)

Job offer

General academic skills cannot compensate for a lack of professional expertise

Average all-rounder preferred over one-sided specialist

Conclusions

Specific knowledge is the most crucial factor both in securing an interview and in choosing the candidate to hire  Match between the field of study and the job tasks  relevant work experience; Interpersonal skills: almost as important when choosing whom to hire  Less than average and recruitment is extremely unlikely → underperformance in any one a fatal blow

Entrepreneurial/commercial skills: innate? Strategic/organizational skills & Innovative/creative skills: established workers International orientation: ‘a feather in your cap’ but your cap must already be good General academic skills: assumed all graduates have – so doesn’t weigh heavily in selection/recruitment 28

Thank you Where to find out more - EU Higher Education Policy policy/doc62_en.htm