Document Type

Journal Article

Publication Title

Studies in Continuing Education

Publisher

Taylor & Francis

School

School of Business and Law

RAS ID

75891

Funders

Higher Education Research and Development Society Australasia

Comments

Jackson, D., Lambert, C., Tofa, M., Bridgstock, R., & Sibson, R. (2024). Career resources and securing quality work: Graduate perspectives. Studies in Continuing Education. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1080/0158037X.2024.2410182

Abstract

Empowering graduates to secure quality post-graduation employment is a key goal for higher education institutions and their students. University support in developing career resources may aid transition to work by enhancing social support and networks, fostering a strong sense of professional self, promoting career self-management, and instilling career confidence. Yet there lacks empirical understanding of these resources and the role they play, including how they interrelate, how they vary by personal characteristics, and how they are developed. This study examines how graduates fare in the labour market, characterises their career resources, and explores the relationship between career resources and graduate-level employment. These insights will contribute to theoretical understanding of building employability and inform effective employability programmes in higher education. The mixed-method approach encompasses an online survey of 324 bachelor graduates of Australian universities, followed by focus groups to further explore participants’ experiences. Employed graduates felt that their work did not align adequately with their degree-based knowledge and skills. Those with greater career confidence, social support, and career self-management experienced better outcomes, with these resources showing strong interconnections. Universities should consider a multi-faceted approach in developing employability, addressing multiple dimensions of career resources from the beginning of students’ degrees.

DOI

10.1080/0158037X.2024.2410182

Creative Commons License

Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 4.0 License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 4.0 License.

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