Graduates' employability has emerged as a measure of institutions' success since recent higher education (HE) reforms and massification. A variety of strategies have been designed and implemented to ensure the smooth transition of graduates into the labour market. Our research compares the actions taken by two local higher education institutions…

This study aims to explore how higher education institutions respond to the challenge of incorporating soft skills into their curricula. It employs a mixed-methods approach in which the quantitative analysis of the disciplines addressing this issue is complemented by a thematic analysis of semi-structured interviews conducted with four higher…

The proper alignment between supply of Vocational Education and Training (VET) and labour market demand is critical to successfully achieve VET's main benefits, such as reduction of academic dropout rates, unemployment reduction and economic growth. This article presents the study carried out in Leiria region (Portugal) to define VET areas…

Despite rising participation rates in Portugal, a gap persists between general and vocational upper secondary students' transition to higher education (HE). This study employs a qualitative methodology, specifically through content analysis of focus group discussions, to explore the factors influencing vocational students' reluctance towards…

Aligning learning goals with the needs of the labour market is a difficult task for universities, especially in the present day. Although organisations seek professionals with flexible and varied skills, universities often underestimate the importance of cross-curricular skills. Thus, this article aims to identify the perception of recent…

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to provide an example of best practice towards enhancing employability in the cross-sectoral labour market for doctorate-holders. This was achieved through an Erasmus+ KA2 (Strategic Partnership) skills development project which created a training programme (TRANSPEER) involving a multi-disciplinary cohort of…

Intellectual property includes not only copyright but also industrial property (IP), which consists of inventions (patents), trademarks, industrial designs and models, and designations of origin. In order to identify the importance of these competencies of non-lawyers, e.g. engineers, managers, in companies, an online survey was conducted in some…

Purpose: This paper aims to find out what conditions are needed to enhance higher education curricula towards employability from the perspective of different stakeholders in the graduate labour market. Design/methodology/approach: An empirical study was developed, using a qualitative approach, based on semi-structured interviews with higher…

The mission of higher education institutions (HEI) includes fostering conditions that enable student participation, and a commitment to their professional success. Pedagogical strategies which combine learning that goes beyond the university and involves a service-learning (SL) course carried out in the context of a pedagogical innovation…

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to analyse whether there is an adjustment between the Portuguese higher education supply and the needs of the labour market. Design/methodology/approach: An empirical study is performed, using a quantitative approach, relating the job offers for graduates registered at the employment centres and the number of…

Adult migrants in all OECD countries are a diverse group, with different profiles and levels of education. Even if they hold tertiary degrees, they are more likely to have poorer labour market outcomes, including lower earnings. Participation in the labour market is more difficult for foreign-born adults who arrived at a later age and acquired…

In a time where employability issues are at the top of political agendas and employment prospects represent the most important predictor of satisfaction with higher education, the question about how higher education institutions can better prepare their graduates for the labour market becomes increasingly important. Taking the career construction…

Purpose: Available literature overlooks the factors that affect employers' opinions of the skills graduates bring to the labour market. The purpose of this paper is to examine the relationship between the perception of graduates' skills and the employers' anticipative and remedial strategies. Design/methodology/approach: A qualitative multiple…

This article explores non-traditional student and graduate views of the university in Ireland and Portugal as it relates to their expectations of, and experiences in, the labour market. The research is based on in-depth biographical interviews with 61 non-traditional students and graduates conducted longitudinally (85 interviews in total). The…

Even though Critical Thinking (CT) is an important goal for higher education institutions and labour market professionals, studies dealing with employers' perceptions on CT meaning and envisioning in the workplace are scarce. Intended to tackle this gap, the current study provides an overview of the need for and practical application of CT in the…