Employability
Employability refers to the attributes of a person that make that person able to gain and maintain employment.
Overview
Employability is related to work and the ability to be employed, such as:- The ability to gain initial employment; hence the interest in ensuring that 'key competencies', careers advice and an understanding about the world of work are embedded in the education system
- The ability to maintain employment and make 'transitions' between jobs and roles within the same organization to meet new job requirements
- The ability to obtain new employment if required, i.e. to be independent in the labour market by being willing and able to manage their own employment transitions between and within organisations
Lee argues that employability is not a set of skills but a range of experiences and attributes developed through higher-level learning, thus employability is not a "product' but a process of learning.
Employability continues to develop because the graduate, once employed, does not stop learning. Thus employability by this definition is about learning, not least learning how to learn, and it is about empowering learners as critical reflective citizens. Harvey‘s definition is important for it emphasizes the employability of graduates, which is similar to our context, hence, able to provide insight about how to measure graduates' employability and what are the differences between graduates and experienced individuals in the labor market.
Berntson argues that employability refers to an individual's perception of his or her possibilities of getting new, equal, or better employment. Berntson's study differentiates employability into two main categories – actual employability and perceived employability.
Several employability definitions have been developed based on, or including input from business and industry. In the United States, an Employability Skills Framework was developed through a collaboration of employers, educators, human resources associations, and labour market associations. This framework states, "Employability skills are general skills that are necessary for success in the labor market at all employment levels and in all sectors". After conducting research with employers across Canada, the Conference Board of Canada released Employability Skills 2000+, which defines employability as "the skills you need to enter, stay in, and progress in the world of work". Saunders & Zuzel found that employers valued personal qualities such as dependability and enthusiasm over subject knowledge and ability to negotiate.
In relation to freelance or ''ad hoc'' work
In the future fewer will be employed and more people work as free lancers or ad hoc on projects. Robin Chase, co-founder of Zip Car, argues that in the future more work will be done as freelancers or ad hoc works. Collaborative economy and other similar platforms are reinventing capitalism, for example platforms like Freelancer.com, a new way of organizing demand and supply.Freelancer is also an example of how employability can be developed even for people who are not employed – Freelancers offers exposure of certification and in the future similar platforms will also offer continuous upgrade of competencies for the people associated.
In relation to university degree choice
The Complete University Guide website lists the ten most employable degree subjects, indicating the degree of employability with a percentage. The subject with the most employment is Dentistry, the subjects with ordinately less employment, after the 1st most are as follows; Nursing, Veterinary Medicine, Medicine, Physiotherapy, Medical Technology, Optometry Ophthalmology Orthoptics, Occupational Therapy, Land and Property Management, Aural and Oral sciencesOrganizational issues
Employability creates organizational issues, because future competency needs may require re-organization in many ways. The increasing automation and use of technology also makes it relevant to discuss not only change but also transformation in tasks for people. The issues are relevant at government level, at corporate level and for individuals.Institutions for employability
In the past, government had institutions to handle unemployment and employment. In the future this will be extended to include employability. In many parts of the world, Wheebox conducts 'National Employability Test' an online test that measures candidate's Business communication, Critical Thinking Skills, Numeracy, Coding Skills for IT, Learning Agility and Interpersonal Skills.The Institute for Employability
Singapore has created an Institute for Employability that works on competency upgrades, to reduce risk of unemployment, and increase the competitiveness of the nation and corporations and the employability of the individual.Books
- Signing up for competitive advantage: how signature processes beat best practice. With Gratton, L. London: Advanced Institute of Management Research, 2006
- A bias for action: how effective managers harness their willpower, achieve results and stop wasting time. With Bruch, H. Boston, MA: Harvard Business School Press, 2004. London Reference Collections shelfmark: YK.2007.a.10796
- Transnational management: text, cases, and readings in crossborder management. London: McGraw-Hill, 2000
- Managing across borders. 2nd ed. London, Hutchinson Business, 1998
- The individualized corporation: a fundamentally new approach to management. With Bartlett, C. London, Heinemann, 1998
- The differentiated network. With Bartlett, C. Los Angeles CA: JosseyBass, 1997
- An integrative theory of firm growth implications for corporate organization and management. With Hahn, M. & Moran, P. Fontainebleau: INSEAD, 1997
- Management competence, firm growth, and economic progress. With Hahn, M. & Moran, P. Fontainebleau: INSEAD, 1997
- Brown, P. and Hesketh, A. The Mismanagement of Talent: Employability and Jobs in the Knowledge Economy. Oxford, Oxford University Press.
- Hind, D. and Moss, S. Employability Skills. 2nd Edition. Sunderland, Business Education Publishers.
- Schneider, K. and Otto, H-U. From Employability Towards Capability. Luxembourg.
Journal articles
- Beyond self-interest revisited. Journal of Management Studies, 43 2006, pp. 585–619.
- Bad management theories are destroying good management practices. Academy of Management Learning & Education, 4 2005, pp. 75–91.
- Professional Manager. May 2000, pp. 20–23 Leadership by Ghoshal!
- Management Skills & Development, Feb-Mar 1999, pp. 38–40 A new manifesto for management. With Barlett, C. and Moran, P. Sloan
- Management Review, Spring 1999, pp. 9–20
- Employability Skills Framework". Perkins Collaborative Resource Network. Retrieved 31 October 2014.
- "Employability Skills 2000+". Conference Board of Canada. Retrieved 31 October 2014.
- Saunders, Venetia; Zuzel, Katherine. "Evaluating Employability Skills: Employer and Student Perceptions". BioScience Education. doi:10.3108/beej.
- Tempone, Irene; Kavanagh, Marie; Segal, Naomi; Hancock, Phil; Howieson, Bryan; Kent, Jenny. "Desirable generic attributes for accounting graduates into the twenty-first century: the views of employers". Accounting Research Journal 25 : 41–55.