Exploring business graduates employability skills and teaching/learning techniques

ABSTRACT

The purpose of this study is to identify a set of employability skills required for business graduates. The study also sets to determine teaching/learning techniques that are effective in acquiring these employability skills. Data were collected using a questionnaire consisting of 5-point Likert-scale questions. Respondents are from 43 industry professionals, including human resource managers, 44 faculty members working in higher educational institutions, and 450 graduates working in various organisations. Findings indicated that, although ranked differently, overall graduates and industry professionals are on the same page in terms of required employability skills. The respondents also regard organisational skills, entry-level digital skills, problem-solving skills, teamwork, subject-related skills, goal-oriented characteristics, communication capabilities, decision-making abilities and creativity as highly required employability skills. In contrast, graduates and faculty members have different views about teaching/learning techniques required to gain the targeted employability skills. The findings of this study would be useful to policy makers in understanding the required employability skills for business graduates and also, the teaching/learning techniques that are suitable in achieving these employability skills.

KEYWORDS:

• Employability skills
• business graduates
• human development
• teaching/learning techniques

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported through the Annual Funding track by the Deanship of Scientific Research, Vice Presidency for Graduate Studies and Scientific Research, King Faisal University, Saudi Arabia (Project No. AN00059)

Notes on contributors

Muhammad Bhatti

Muhammad Awais Bhatti, PhD, MBA, is an associate professor in the College of Business, King Faisal University, in Hofuf, Saudi Arabia. His areas of expertise include Human resource management, Supply Chain management, strategic management, human resource development, and entrepreneurship.

Mansour Alyahya

Mansour Alyahya, PhD, is an assistant professor in the College of Business, King Faisal University, in Hofuf, Saudi Arabia. His areas of expertise include consumer behaviour, Social media effects, Digital marketing and Tourism marketing.

Ahmed Abdulaziz Alshiha

Ahmed Abdulaziz Alshiha, PhD, M.Sc. MBA, is an assistant professor in the College of Tourism and Archaeology, King Saud University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. His areas of expertise include strategic management, and human resource in hospitality industry.

Madeeha Gohar Qureshi

Madeeha Gohar Qureshi is currently working as research economist in Pakistan Institute of Development Economics, Islamabad, Pakistan.

Ariff Syah Juhari

Ariff Syah Juhari holds a PhD from Loughborough University, UK and currently an Assistant Professor at the College for Business Administration, Prince Sultan University in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia,

Mohammed Aldossary

Mohammed Aldossary, PhD, is an assistant professor in the College of Business, King Faisal University, in Hofuf, Saudi Arabia. His areas of expertise include digital innovation, new product development, operations management and supply chain management.