Global: Graduate Employability and Internationalization of the Curriculum at Home

Abstract

Over the past two decades and more, frequent surveys of employers have found that, while graduates may have the technical skills required for a given role, they often lack the so-called soft skills that are key to effective working. Sometimes called employability skills, these include team-working, negotiation, and mediation, problem-solving, and interpersonal skills, flexibility, organization, and good communication. These surveys have been conducted in a wide array of countries from Australia to Zambia, and similar sets of requirements have been found repeatedly across the world. Academics are often oblivious to such calls from employers, perhaps believing that the intellectual rigor of their program may be compromised by a focus on “mere skills.” Indeed, it is undeniable that education is about much more than getting a job at the end of the process. Yet, global dimensions in working environments are no longer limited to multinational corporations and are now integrated into professions and roles, which had previously been seen as more locally based. It could be argued, therefore, that we are failing our students unless we prepare them effectively for contemporary employment, and a range of scholars have urged that university curricula should be better aligned to employer needs. The ability to interpret local concerns within a global context and to judge the impact of global issues on one’s personal and professional life should surely be an attribute of all graduates in contemporary society.