ERIC Number: EJ1450408
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2024
Pages: 15
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-0307-5079
EISSN: EISSN-1470-174X
The Sustainability-to-Employment Pipeline: The Impact of SDG-Related Curricula on Graduates' Employability
Genc Alimehmeti; Magalì Fia; Angelo Paletta
Studies in Higher Education, v49 n12 p2328-2342 2024
Public and private organizations--including higher education institutions--frequently adopt the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) to facilitate a better future. In their efforts to realize the Agenda 2030, universities are focusing on how teaching and curricula shape students' competencies in interpreting and contributing to current societal challenges. Likewise, with businesses increasingly engaged in sustainable development issues, students will need SDG-related skills to align with current job-market requirements. Here, we examine the relationship between master graduates' employability and the presence and type of SDGs in their curricula. We run a series of logistic regressions where we use three different model specifications: (i) curriculum with an SDG-related ECTS above the mean, (ii) curriculum related to a specific class of SDG (well-being, environment, economy, governance), and (iii) curriculum related to a specific SDG. Further, we consider three aspects of employability: having a job, job coherence (i.e. the match between a job and one's field of study), and employment quality (i.e. having a higher salary). For this purpose, we collected data from 5,784 master's graduates at the University of Bologna in 2017. We derived employability measures from 2020 AlmaLaurea data to have a three-year time lag from graduation. Generally, we find that students who attended courses with SDG-related content achieved a higher and better occupation or a better skill match. At a grouped level, we find that SDG categories have a different impact on the students' working outcomes. For instance, students with more SDG-related ECTS in the economy area have higher odds of being employed, finding a better job-skill match, and getting better salaries. In addition, the single goals were studied by showing the effects on finding work, having a skill match and earning a better salary.
Descriptors: Foreign Countries, Masters Degrees, Graduate Students, Sustainable Development, 21st Century Skills, Education Work Relationship, Career Readiness, Employment Potential, Teaching Methods, Curriculum Development, Educational Benefits, Job Skills
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Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: Higher Education; Postsecondary Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Location: Italy
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A