Letter from the editors

Dear Colleagues,

Welcome to our fourth issue for the year and what will be our final one before the upcoming special issue on employability and employment outcomes. This issue has three articles that touch upon the development of graduate attributes (employability, generic skills, and indigenous knowledge), along with another that strongly critiques graduate attribute frameworks. Complementing this, we have a book review by Gavin Moodie of Skills for human development: transforming vocational education and training, by Lesley Powell and Simon McGrath, which proposes a realist-capability model comprising eight capabilities which shape, and are shaped by, social structures.

Universities often articulate desired graduate attributes, such as deep disciplinary knowledge and generic transferable skills, in ‘graduate attribute frameworks’. While appearing value-neutral and pragmatic, Neave and Wald critique the emphasis on employability, arguing the case for ‘powerful knowledge’ that is discipline-based but with broader application.

Engaging with university alumni through mentoring programs is a powerful way to help students learn to apply knowledge to practical problems, as well as improving career prospects. Mentors can also gain from re-engaging with their former university. Dollinger, Arkoudis and Marangell examine this across three alumni mentoring programs, offering recommendations for gaining ‘win-win’ outcomes.

Indigenous students are underrepresented in Australian higher education, but indigenous knowledge is also largely absent in university curriculum. Drawing on Certeau’s notion of tactics and strategies, Page, Trudgett and Bodkin-Andrews investigate the implementation of an Indigenous Graduate Attribute curriculum project into the strategic framework of an Australian university.

Does higher education improve generic literacy and numeracy skills? Ross Williams compares OECD test scores for high school children and adults in 31 countries, reporting high school performance as the dominant factor with only minor influence of higher education.

‘World-class university’ strategies have become ubiquitous around the world, but the picture in Asia is uneven when it comes to the role of foreign and expatriate academics. Burford and colleagues examine the largely undocumented situation in Thailand, where foreign academics are viewed as both an opportunity for development, and a threat to stability and harmony.

Finally, through surveys and interviews, Floyd and Preston find the challenge and wider institutional impact are primary motivations of Associate Deans in UK universities. Almost none sought to move away from teaching or research, but transitioning back is a challenge.

As always, we hope you enjoy reading the articles in this issue.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.