An educational system is meant to provide a steady supply of flexible and opportunist generalists willing to sharpen or resharpen a skill, in line with perceived labour market opportunities, says Anne Marie Thake.
There has been an increased focus on graduate employability skills in developed economies due to globalisation, international mobility, technology and the economy. Employability skills are considered important in enabling graduates to effectively apply disciplinary knowledge in the workplace. The meaning of what it is for employees to be employable is increasingly difficult to determine as the pace of economic innovation increases.
“All economies are having to deal with complex and overlapping technological and industrial innovations that have serious consequences on employment, skill needs, training processes and labour market institutions” (Cressey, 2018). Changes in the labour markets include the introduction of robotics and the application of artificial intelligence. Digitalisation and the use of algorithms imply that the changes experienced in the coming decades will be extensive and far reaching.
Changes in the labour market and higher education have taken centre stage. Universities are urged to produce ‘employable’ graduates as opposed to employees. They are under pressure to equip graduates with more than academic skills traditionally presented by a subject discipline and a degree. Private organisations urge them to develop the soft skills needed in many types of employment. While ‘a job for life culture’ has become extinct, employability skills have become imperative. Graduate employability is high on the Government’s agenda, because it is perceived that enhancing qualifications and skills of the workforce is a way to increase prosperity and wealth. This is a challenge because degrees, oriented towards a specialism are still considered the key to employability.
The role of generic competencies in a degree, rather than direct subject knowledge, is subject to intense debate in tertiary institutions. However, they have taken advantage of the link to employment opportunities and are promoting this aspect of their ‘product.’ Employers give importance to skills such as communication skills and teamwork since “formal credentials are less reliable guides to success in the adaptable organisations of post-industrial society. Personal qualities are more important than professional discipline, possession of specific credentials, mastery of specialised knowledge or even expert skills” (Scott, 1995, p.112).
Key employers such as accountancy, pharmachem and ICT sectors, have shifted from seeking entry credentials to critical skills because qualifications do not necessarily reflect the actual skills required to the carry out the job. These are the critical and soft skills students learn through experience in attending tertiary education – the so-called hidden curriculum (Thake, 2018).
Skills gaps are a sign of a vibrant and evolving economy
Employers describe the graduates they want as team players who are communicative, demonstrate leadership and are entrepreneurial. The knowledge economy has led one to believe that there are more opportunities than before and that better credentials are viewed as the currency of opportunity leading to good jobs and higher rewards. Education has been totally commoditised and rendered into more certification rather than a holistic education. It seems to be a cultural expectation that students must read for a degree in Malta so as not to be perceived differently by employers.
The increased demand for higher education has led to a greater student intake at the University. It has also become an institution open to non-traditional students, offering adult education, evening courses and seminars. There are many different types of certification ranging from diplomas to refresher courses to some on-line courses. The University is trying to be everything to everyone which may lead to disappointing ‘players’ as there are expectations which cannot all be satisfied.
Education providers are interested in the quality of learning programmes and students. A tertiary institution is not a factory of workers. An educational system is meant to provide a steady supply of flexible and opportunist generalists who are willing to sharpen or resharpen a skill, in line with perceived labour market opportunities. A graduate should be able to retool once out in the labour market.
Public and private employers face the challenge of remaining relevant and competitive in a fast-changing economic scenario by interpreting, discovering and creating new knowledge to enable development of valuable products, processes and services. They depend on students who are equipped with knowledge, skills and attitudes commensurate with the work that a dynamic economy generates. Employing organisations that set employment conditions and educational qualifications are different and have distinctive demands and spheres of influence. Medium and small organisations have different expectations of graduates as do locally or foreign owned companies. They may tend to rely on interviews, references and networks rather than formal qualifications.
Employers lament there are skills gaps that cannot seem to be filled. They claim that the difficulty in filling vacant positions arises from skills shortages and skills gaps. “We would employ more people if only we could find them,” one employer stated. Employers claim that in view of this, they cannot expand their businesses. Instead, they have employed foreign workers to try and address the shortages. It is an illusion that the Government can plan what skills we need for the next decade. Today’s world is continually changing and it a challenge we have to live with and continually adapt to. Skills gaps are a sign of a vibrant and evolving economy.
Employers prefer to employ MCAST graduates because of their immediate response and work readiness. However, other employers prefer graduates for the long-term. If an employer offers jobs that require certain types of mechanical, electronic, routine-based activities and fixed hours, an MCAST graduate tends to be better suited. For innovating companies, employees need to be flexible, forward-looking and able to think out of the box. It is evident that some areas offer better chances of jobs that are related to the field of study than others. The rate of students finding work in their areas is high among graduates in ICT, science, pharmacy, chemistry, accountancy, medicine, engineering and education. Students, who choose accountancy, finance or mathematics and statistics are very marketable.
Nonetheless, employers are concerned there are not only enough graduates in particular segments of the labour market but certain employability skills are not cultivated, among them communication, team-building and entrepreneurial skills. It is imperative to seek employers’ views by economic sector in order to map out the industry and soft skills that are required in each field.
Dr Anne Marie Thake is a lecturer at the University of Malta. She authored the book Graduate Employability Skills in Malta (Kite Group). She is a board member of the Foundation for Human Resources Development (FHRD).