Developing skills in higher education for post-pandemic work

ABSTRACT

Many white-collar workplaces have changed substantially because of the pandemic. This paper examines how the rise of technology-based distributed work arrangements impacts on the knowledge, skills and competencies that higher education graduates must possess to be successful in post-pandemic white-collar work environments. In addition, this paper examines prior literature to identify digital forms of Work Integrated Learning as a mechanism through which higher education providers can assist graduates in their post-pandemic transition from university to the workplace.

KEYWORDS:

• Employability
• Workplace Readiness
• Education-Workplace Transition
• Internship
• Work-Integrated Learning

Disclosure statement

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

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Leopold Bayerlein

Dr Leopold Bayerlein is an Associate Professor at the University of New England Business School. He is widely recognised for his work in simulated online learning and curriculum transformation. His research is predominantly related to structural higher education, curriculum, and assessment issues, and future focused conceptualisations of accounting education.

Matthew T Hora

Dr. Matthew T. Hora is an Associate Professor of Adult & Higher Education in the Departments of Liberal Arts & Applied Studies & Educational Policy Studies, and the Director of the Center for Research on College-Workforce Transitions (CCWT) at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, where he conducts applied research on college internships, skills development, and critical analyses of employability.

Bonnie A Dean

Dr Bonnie Dean is a Senior Lecturer and Teaching and Learning Specialist at the University of Wollongong. She is interested in WIL curriculum, research and governance. Bonnie is on the ACEN Board of Directors and is ACEN NSW/ACT Chapter Chair. Bonnie is leading UOW WIL Pedagogy strategy through the WIL Advisory Committee.

Stephanie Perkiss

Dr Stephanie Perkiss is a Senior Lecturer at the University of Wollongong and a Certified Practising Accountant. Her research interests are corporate responsibility and disclosure, sociological theory, social and environmental accounting and accountability, with focus on the Sustainable Development Goals and Scholarship of Teaching and Learning in accounting/business higher education.