Employability is always used as a measure to gauge the value of graduates. Hence, most past studies attempted to identify competencies that can enhance the level of employability of graduates today. While these past studies found some competencies to be more important than others, the influence of graduate's attitude, mainly their level of…

The objective of this study is to identify the competencies required to achieve success in the transition from higher education to the labour market based on the perceptions of employers. This paper analyses the assessments made by a group of engineering company employers. An item-battery of 20 competencies was grouped into 3 dimensions by using…

The purpose of this article is to investigate the views of university graduates and human resource managers (HRMs) on graduates' employability in terms of the soft skills required by the labour market. Soft skills (personal attributes that enhance an individual's interactions, job performance and career prospects) are necessary in the labour…

The dramatic expansion of the number of higher educational institutions in Taiwan has contributed a great deal to the growing unemployment rate of university graduates. Given the accumulated number of students who graduated in previous years and failed to find a job, the pressure of finding a job is growing each year. On the other hand, however,…

The Rural Engineering Department (Technical University of Madrid) ran three competence surveys during the 2006-2007 and 2007-2008 academic years and evaluated: (1) the competences gained by agricultural engineer's degree and agricultural technical engineer's degree students (360 respondents); (2) the competences demanded by agricultural employers…

This paper attempts to investigate if the undergraduates' core competencies are able to meet with the requirements set by the employers and to analyse the effectiveness of personal qualities and employability skills development in private university in Malaysia. Questionnaires survey, mean score comparison, and independent sample t-test are used…

A high level of personal capacity, the relevant professional competence and technical skills are essential for a graduate's successful transition to the workplace. The purpose of this survey was to identify the main competencies that higher agricultural education graduates should possess, based on the perceptions of potential agricultural…

A study examined British employers' adoption of National Vocational Qualifications and Scottish Vocational Qualifications (NVQ/SVQs) and the occupational standards underpinning them. Data regarding current/projected use of the NVQ/SVQs and their perceived costs, benefits, and difficulties of implementation were collected from the following:…

In an effort to determine the effectiveness of Lakeshore Technical Institute's (LTI's) Associate Degree Nursing (ADN) program, questionnaires were administered to 1982 program graduates (N=45) and their employers (N=43) requesting an assessment of the graduates' preparedness to perform 39 nursing functions. Responses were submitted to a…

A study examined which agricultural mechanics skills were being taught by vocational horticulture teachers in Pennsylvania and compared the degree of proficiency possessed by teachers for particular competencies with the indicated relative importance of these competencies as perceived by employers in the horticulture industry. Also examined were…

A project was conducted to identify the occupational curriculum elements needed by vocational home economics education teachers in Texas and to develop a plan for implementing these elements into teacher education programs in the State. To determine exactly which skills need to be taught to individuals preparing to teach vocational home economics…

A study examined the following four alternatives to traditional vocational-technical high schools for delivering vocational education: apprenticeship programs, Comprehensive Employment and Training Act (CETA) programs, cooperative education, and industrial training. Two survey instruments were created specifically for the study: (1) a worker…

The contribution of competency-based training (CBT) to Australia's vocational education and training (VET) sector was examined through three data collection activities: review of Australian and international literature on VET and CBT; telephone survey of a sample of training managers of 195 companies across Australia; and 8 intensive case studies…

This document, which is designed for educators at community and technical colleges throughout Texas, presents and examines employer-defined workplace competencies for high-technology occupations and outlines instructional strategies and capstone experiences for use in improving technical education and preparing students for high-technology…

A project was conducted at State Fair Community College (SFCC) in Sedalia, Missouri, to develop an associate of science degree curriculum in renewable energy resources and their application in agriculture. A pilot study, designed to verify and rate the importance of 138 competencies in fuel alcohol production and to ascertain employment…