The new future and the employment imperative: effectively aligning student interest, industry needs and university programmes
Journal of Applied Research in Higher Education
ISSN: 2050-7003
Article publication date: 23 May 2023
Issue publication date: 5 March 2024
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this study is to investigate the differences between labour market requirements in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) in the 21st century and university graduates’ level of knowledge, skills and aspects of competence (KSAs) qualification benchmark.
Design/methodology/approach
The study used a discourse analysis methodology, which is a qualitative and interpretive method of analysing texts. The content for the analysis was extracted from Scopus, Ebscohost, Proquest, Google Scholar, Web of Science, news, publications, thesis papers, dissertations and other research papers. A narrative approach for analysing the content was adopted.
Findings
The findings reveal that new graduates often encounter difficulties in searching for jobs due to a lack of awareness of how to conduct an employment search that best aligns their KSA with the requirements and needs of the labour market. The study concludes that to increase the employability of graduates, higher education institutions should reduce the KSAs gap by collaborating with the private sector and providing students with relevant, industry-based job experience before graduation.
Originality/value
This study investigates the gap between graduate KSAs and labour market requirements in the 21st-century UAE. The findings of the study encapsulate the weaknesses and shortcomings of the current educational systems amid the reform agenda in the UAE. It also deliberates upon the state-of-the-art recommendations regarding making the country a knowledge-based economy and society.
Keywords
Acknowledgements
The author is very thankful to all the associated personnel in any reference that contributed to the purpose of this research.
Citation
Singh, A. and Blessinger, P. (2024), "The new future and the employment imperative: effectively aligning student interest, industry needs and university programmes", Journal of Applied Research in Higher Education, Vol. 16 No. 2, pp. 469-482. https://doi.org/10.1108/JARHE-09-2022-0285
Publisher
:Emerald Publishing Limited
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