Student Perceptions of the Importance of Employability Skill Provision in Business Undergraduate Programs

Abstract

Studies examining student perceptions of employability skill development in business undergraduate programs are limited. Assurance of student buy-in is important to ensure learners engage with skill provision; to enable them to articulate their capabilities to potential employers; and to facilitate the transfer of acquired skills. The author examined 1,019 students’ perceptions of the importance of employability skill development, the relative importance of skills, and the influence of certain demographic–background characteristics. Findings indicate undergraduates value skill development, most particularly communication and teamworking, and some significant variations in importance ratings. Alignment with other stakeholder perceptions and the influence of context are discussed.

Keywords:

• business
• competency
• employability
• generic skills
• undergraduate