Purpose: Our work adds to the debate regarding higher education graduates' skills required in the labour market in Germany and beyond. Design/methodology/approach: Using Q-methodology and the accompanying narrations, we explore German employers' and employees' views (N = 26) on characteristics required at the entry level. Findings: Our findings…

The agricultural industry is demanding a skilled workforce. Leadership is often identified as a desired employability skill but understanding the relationship between leader and follower during the leadership process in agricultural contexts is limited. The purpose of this qualitative study is to understand how employers contextualize the follower…

There are a growing number of zoo science degree programs in the US, designed to prepare entry level employees for a zoo or aquarium career that includes animal care, conservation, and public education. These bachelor's degree and associate degree programs include a focus on many areas of science as well as a variety of practical knowledge.…

This study investigates students' learning needs to prepare them for workplaces characterised by rapidly changing information and communication technology (ICT) requirements. Interviews enabled employers to give their perspectives on the types and extent of software used by accounting graduates, their required workplace ICT competencies and the…

Recent changes in the labour market and higher education sector have placed graduates' employability on the agenda of researchers, policymakers and employers in both advanced and developing economies. Yet, the question of whether higher education equips graduate students with the employability skills employers require remains under-studied…

This study devised a 20-item, six-dimensional Employability Skills Index for entry-level jobs in marketing and sales based on the perceptions of students, and a second, 22-item, six-dimensional Employability Skills Index based on the perceptions of employers. Both indexes demonstrated sound reliability, and we presented initial support for the…

In this paper, we analyse the effects of workers' self-rated attitudinal skills and their performance on vocational skills tests on their wage. The survey was conducted with garment workers who had experience of less than three years in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. The constituting elements of attitudinal skills were examined using the questionnaire for…

Employers demand for skilled technology workers has never been higher. Opportunities for individuals interested in working in technology to acquire the requisite skills have expanded to meet the increased demand. The expansion of training offerings calls into question the quality of new ventures such as coding academies and the necessity of…

This paper presents evidence of employer and graduate attitudes on the skill set requirements for professional accountants, and whether university accounting programs develop these skills, and in particular emotional intelligence (EI) skills. We use priority indices and strategic mapping to evaluate the positioning of 31 skills. This analysis…

Community colleges have a strong history of providing vocational education and occupational training to meet changing workforce demands of local industries. In the Midwest, agricultural industries have expressed an expanding need for middle-skilled workers with postsecondary, pre-baccalaureate credentials. The 21st century agricultural landscape…

With the skyrocketing costs of higher education and the increased scrutiny of how educational institutions prepare graduates for the workplace, this dissertation explored how the "outsiders," or employers, view and determine the value of academic credentials. Using the premise of credentialism, this grounded theory, qualitative study…

Employers and policy makers have criticized higher education institutions for the perceived knowledge and skills deficiencies of their graduates. This article seeks to identify the gaps between employer needs, curricular priorities, and accrediting standards, specifically in the management domain. To this end, the authors content analyzed 200 job…

The authors examine the issue of employability of university accounting students from the perspectives of accounting firm employers, junior auditors, accounting lecturers, and accounting students. Areas of investigation include perceived importance of employability skills and desirable personal qualities; and early employment problems encountered…

This study examined the perceptions of community employers as to the skill levels of graduates from Career and Technology Education (CTE) programs. This study also examined the perceptions of former students of CTE programs. The skill level is the skills that the job market deem necessary to be successful in a particular industry. This study also…

This research establishes the role of communication education in employability by determining how employers of graduates view communication, identifying communication skills that employers view as relevant, and establishing whether these skills are included in communication courses. To achieve these aims, local businesses were surveyed, and the…