Developing a processual employability model to provide education for career self-management

Sam Jan Cees Krouwel*, Anna van Luijn, Marjolein B.M. Zweekhorst

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to JournalArticleAcademicpeer-review

Abstract

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to introduce a practical model for the evaluation and adaptation of educational programmes in order to incorporate employability development focussed on enabling graduates to self-manage their career. Design/methodology/approach: The model integrates several perspectives on and conceptualisations of the nature of employability and its development. The integration of various elements is justified on the basis of existing research and the experience of local educational practitioners. Findings: The model integrates insights from the Graduate Employability Development model (Harvey et al., 2002), the CareerEDGE model (Dacre Pool and Sewell, 2007), the Career Management Employability model (Bridgstock, 2009) and adopts three career competencies as outcome indicators (Akkermans et al., 2013). The resulting model describes in simple terms what educational practitioners may adapt in the process of employability development to enhance the ability of prospective graduates to manage their own careers. Research limitations/implications: The model remains theoretical and the relations it implies require further validation. Involving graduates and students in evaluating the model may contribute to validating its scope and applicability. Practical implications: The model provides a practical tool to retrospectively and prospectively evaluate the institutional provision of employability development education. It may serve as a basis for adaptation to other programmes. Originality/value: By adopting a processual perspective on employability, the model shifts away from the possession of a predefined set of characteristics, and towards enabling students to actively influence their own employability.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)116-128
Number of pages13
JournalEducation and Training
Volume62
Issue number2
Early online date2 Jan 2020
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 6 Feb 2020

Funding

In line with the first step of the HEA guide ( Cole and Tibby, 2013 ), this paper illustrates the development of a novel understanding of processual employability development with the explicit goal of informing the adaptation and evaluation of educational practice. The model was developed while keeping in mind the context of a diverse student population and dynamic labour markets. A primary demand placed on the model by this context is that it should focus on enabling students to self-manage their careers, rather than developing a predefined set of characteristics. The integration of components was informed by the emphasis on the institutional role in developing the type of employability that facilitates such career self-management. The resulting conceptual model presents a novel and practical perspective on the modelling of employability, and can be used as a concrete starting point by educational practitioners who wish to enhance the employability development potential of their educational programmes. The present study was funded by a Comenius Teaching Fellowship awarded by the Dutch organisation for scientific research (NWO) to Anna van Luijn (MSc) in 2017. The Comenius Teaching Fellowship is intended to fund small scale projects for educational innovation for the benefit of students in Dutch higher education. Figure 1 The processual employability education model Table I The six career competencies as defined in Akkermans et al. (2013) Dimension Competency Description Communicative Self-profiling “Presenting and communicating personal knowledge, abilities and skills to the internal and external labour market” Networking “The awareness of the presence and professional value of an individual network, and the ability to expand this network for career-related purposes” Reflective Reflection on motivation “Reflecting on values, passions and motivations with regard to one’s personal career” Reflection on qualities “Reflecting on strengths, shortcomings and skills with regard to one’s personal career” Behavioural Work exploration “Actively searching for work-related and career-related opportunities on the internal and external labour market” Career control “Actively influencing learning processes and work processes related to one’s personal career by setting goals and planning how to fulfil them”

Keywords

  • Career competency
  • Career management
  • Employability
  • Graduates
  • Modelling
  • The Netherlands

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