Higher education and professional performance: gaps and opportunities for developing professional skills in marine biologist graduates

ABSTRACT

Professional training plans play a pivotal role in higher education institutions, as they significantly impact employability, graduate performance, and meeting labour market demands. These aspects serve as crucial indicators in the selection processes for prospective candidates in higher education institutions and in accrediting the quality of both degree programmes and the institutions themselves. This study examines the perceptions of Marine Biology graduates from a university in northern Chile regarding the quality and relevance of the training they received during their undergraduate studies. The graduates express concerns about deficiencies in transferrable skills, such as ‘teamwork’, ‘effective communication’, and ‘conflict resolution’, as well as some technical skills that are vital for preparing graduates with social competences necessary for success in inter- and transdisciplinary contexts, essential in fostering positive interactions between society and the ocean. The study proposes curriculum updates and a strategy for establishing a bidirectional link with Marine Biology graduates, including mutual feedback, fostering graduate loyalty, strengthening ties to the working world, and implementing accountability processes. These aspects are critical in professional training, contributing to the optimisation of curricular plans, enhancing employability, and improving job performance across all disciplines and higher education institutions.

KEYWORDS:

• Professional performance
• professional skills
• marine biology
• perception
• graduates
• engagement

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Additional information

Funding

The study did not receive funding for its development.