The main purpose of this study was to investigate the sociocultural factors influencing learners of Arabic as a foreign language in the Sultanate of Oman. A qualitative inquiry approach was adopted for the study, using in-depth interviewing, and students' diaries to understand how the sociocultural context impact non-Arab learners of Arabic in the…

The market for college students is trending lower and future projections are not encouraging. We must take action to make our programs more competitive. Using in part, the O*NET database, the authors propose a set of processes to assess business students' (and particularly management students') career aspirations and to align them with the defined…

One of the primary goals of tertiary education is to prepare students for employment. There is debate as to whether university courses adequately provide students with 21st century workplace skills (Kaminski, Switzer, & Gloeckner, 2009; Kivunja, 2014). In a rapidly changing workforce, institutions must constantly adapt to maintain the…

The link between higher education and employment is central to the understanding of social stratification and social mobility. We use three theories to analyse the importance of education and credentials in recruitment decisions in European graduate labour markets: human capital (HC), network capital (NC) and reputational capital (RC) theory.…

As students face rising tuition costs, increasing debt burdens, and uncertain employment prospects, a central question arises: Is college worth it? Although empirical research consistently finds that a college education is a profitable investment, media stories continue to cast doubt on the value of the degree. Findings from two recent studies…

Digital skills will have a crucial role to play in the United Kingdom's (UK's) economy beyond the pandemic, helping to drive growth, productivity and innovation across the rest of the economy whilst building on the UK's status as a world-leader in digital tech. Our research looks at the future of digital skills, based on new large scale surveys of…

Significant research exists on the benefits and potential challenges of employing individuals with developmental disabilities (DD), including autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Most of this research has focused on employment preparation and attainment practices targeted at persons with DD. There has been no knowledge synthesis related to building…

This study takes an ergonomic perspective to discuss the mismatch between academic training and employers' expectations in the Chinese context. Drawing on information from 36 MA students who worked as translation interns before graduating from two leading Chinese universities, this article presents the latest developments in China's translation…

This study examines the perceptions of employers, university authorities, English teachers and students concerning needs to promote English achievement in a Mexican university. By drawing on data collected from focus groups and questionnaires, the evidence suggests that there are several needs which hinder the attainment of English objectives in…

This study aims to determine the problems encountered in the process of acquiring vocational skills in vocational high schools and their suggestions according to the opinions of teachers working in the vocational branches of the production-manufacturing sector. In the research, the phenomenological method, one of the qualitative research methods,…

Information systems (IS) curriculum review is a continuous process. Universities seek to offer content that they believe will be most beneficial to students as they begin their career. However, that content may or may not satisfy employer needs. This paper, which is part of a larger study, seeks to determine if required course content matches the…

Purpose: Higher education institutions play an important role in the economic growth of any country, through skills and productivity of their graduates. Employers have some expectations about the skills the graduates possess when they graduate out of universities. The purpose of this paper is to examine the skills employers look for in graduates…

Employers provide their interpretation of the meaning of "communication skills" in this qualitative study of 22 managers. Employers understand written communication to be types of documents, a way to write, and a mode of communication. Oral communication skills mean a style of interacting, presenting, and conducting meetings. Visual…

Higher education institutions must take into account the changing nature of the world of work. They must understand the capacities and competencies demanded by graduates of universities because in an unpredictable world, careers will undergo permanent changes and must respond to the changing needs of the labour market. In this article, we present…

Previous research has documented substantial overqualification and an association with social disadvantage and fields of study. Overqualification persistence has been less studied. Persistence is more important than prevalence because skill and job matches are likely to involve lags. Our data set allows us to estimate the prevalence, the…