How to Promote Students’ employability in Higher Education

Promoting students’ employability in Higher Education With the democratization and globalization of education the higher education sector has been witnessing tremendous transformation with the expansion of the knowledge economy and the remarkable growth of student enrollment.

This trend is manifested not only across the traditional educational centres, such as the US, the UK and Western Europe but also in emerging regional educational hubs, such as Malaysia and the United Arab Emirates. As a result, the competition in most employment sectors is rising massively, with an ever-increasing number of graduates racing to enter the job market (Guardian, 2016).

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In this context, Universities are expected to effectively prepare students for this competitive environment, equipping them with the necessary skills and qualifications to find jobs and pursue successful careers. To achieve this, HE institutions must formulate and implement strategies that bridge academia with practice and promote student employability, within and beyond the curricula of the various programmes of studies.

Middlesex University Dubai, recognizing the promotion of student employability as a strategic priority, has developed a range of strategies to this aim, ranging from experiential learning and employer engagement to the building of networks and industry partnerships. In relation to the formal curriculum, in order to ensure that programmes and courses offered are aligned with the current trends in the job market, it is crucial that institutions maintain close ties with the industries connected to their disciplines, monitor the trends in the job market and systematically revise and update their content to make sure that their learning outcomes meet the latest trends and requirements.

Furthermore, the pursuance of the development of employability and transversal skills is considered to be a priority in the recruitment process for employers (European Commission, 2014; CBI on Higher Education, 2009). Providing such skills to students effectively prepares them to enter the professional world. In this framework, the university curriculum must be updated to ensure the appropriate focus on the development and enhancement of transferable skills that are indispensable across various employment sectors and in high demand by employers, such as interpersonal, organization, teamwork, research, and presentation skills.

Moreover, during their programme of studies, students must be exposed to experiential and active learning strategies, in the context of which they are required to undertake projects and activities that mirror the employment roles they aspire to undertake after graduation.

Law students’ participation in moot competitions (trial simulations) is an excellent example of experiential learning. Mooting enhances students’ research and communication skills, develops their critical thinking, improves their team working abilities while helping them to develop professional networks and enhancing their employability profile (Pope and Hill, 2007; Hernandez, 1998; Gaubatz, 1981). Lastly, partnerships between industry and higher education institutions generate mutual benefits. For universities, partnerships can provide support for the achievement of their educational, research and service missions, they can help them expand their students’ (and staff) teaching and learning potential, as well as focus their research on contemporary issues relating to legal practice. For the industry, such partnerships provide access to publicity, to expertise, to potential employees (including a meaningful involvement in their training), as well as opportunities to leverage their own internal research capabilities (Prigge & Torraco, 2006).

There is no doubt however that the principal beneficiaries of those partnerships are the students, the professionals of the future. Research has found that ‘employer engagement’ at universities enables students to develop their soft skills and business acumen, and enhance graduate employability (University of Reading, 2009). It is extremely beneficial to give the opportunity to employers to get involved with (future) employees training at an early stage in a meaningful and efficient manner, enhancing ‘business engagement in learning’ (Higher Education Academy, 2015).

A wide range of initiatives and activities can be undertaken through higher education-industry partnerships. These include the joint development and delivery of training to students and professionals, collaborations in research and development projects and the provision of support to students for the development of employability skills. Industry professionals can be invited as guest lecturers to give their insights of how learning concepts are applied in practice, or provide a regional or industry-specific perspective.

Besides the traditional career days hosted in higher education institutions annually, students should have the chance to meet with professionals in more frequent, smaller-scale networking events, such as panel discussions on contemporary topics, discipline-specific career networking events, etc. These events will provide students with the opportunity to gain an insight on the careers they aspire to follow, to be inspired by role models and to build their networks, which play an essential role in shaping a successful career. For instance, the Law and Politics Department of Middlesex University Dubai and Microsoft Gulf, have established the Future Lawyers Network, a networking platform shared by law students, recent graduates and legal professionals.

The platform is now launching a mentoring scheme, pairing students with distinguished legal professionals, to provide them with the opportunity to get one-on-one guidance and advice on preparing for a career in legal practice. Through a range of strategies, higher education institutions are required to foster a learning environment that not only enables undergraduate and postgraduate students to successfully complete their studies but essentially equips them with transferable skills to assist them in entering or advancing in the professional world.