The Dimension of Policies to Foster Employability in Higher Education

Authors

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.25749/sis.25573

Keywords:

employability, higher education, policies, comparative analysis

Abstract

The emphasis on graduates’ employability is a significant challenge for universities to support their transitions to the labour market, especially in countries with high youth unemployment rates. The concept of employability and its main definitions constitute the framework of this paper, according to which its influence on higher education policies and practices is considered. In the context of knowledge economies and high-skilled labour demands, employability acts as an educational process that supports the transition from university to work. In this regard, the study directly addresses adult education studies, their impact on career pathways and resourcefulness in the development of a life plan.

Based on this framework, the paper illustrates a comparative analysis of employability policies that influence higher education strategies in in Italy, Nigeria and Palestine.

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Author Biographies

Vanna Boffo, Department of Education, Languages, Intercultures, Literatures and Psychology, Faculty of Education, University of Florence, Italy

Full Professor in Adult Education and Head of the Department of Education, Languages, Interculture, Literatures and Psychology at the University of Florence, where she is the Coordinator of Education and Psychology Doctoral Course. Her research focuses on the transition to work at the Higher Education level.

Letizia Gamberi, Department of Education, Languages, Intercultures, Literatures and Psychology, Faculty of Education, University of Florence, Italy

PhD student at University of Florence with a focus on the development of entrepreneurial competences in Higher Education in Italy. She studied and worked in international environments. Her research interest deals with understanding the central role of entrepreneurship competence in promoting the proactive development of young adults’ professional and life projects.

Anike Odusanya, Department of Adult Education, Faculty of Education, University of Lagos, Nigeria

PhD student and a research fellow in the Department of Adult Education, Faculty of Education, University of Lagos, Nigeria. She has participated in conferences, symposiums, workshops, training, exchange programs, and collaborative research with intellectuals who are lovers of learning and re-learning like her. She has received three DAAD Scholarships one of which was a full scholarship for a six (6) month DAAD ERASMUS sponsored project to study in Wurzburg, Germany.

Her research interests cover areas such as Apprenticeship training, Indigenous vocations, Manpower training and development, Women’s Education, and Employment related issues. Odusanya has various publications to her credit.

Reem Akkeila, Development Economics Department, Faculty of Economy and Administrative Sciences, Islamic University of Gaza, Palestine

Director of the Developmental Programs Unit at the University College of Applied Sciences in Gaza, Palestine. She is a Master researcher at the Development Economics Department in the Faculty of Economy and Administrative Sciences at the Islamic University of Gaza. She is interested in the Sustainable Development, the Education for Sustainable Development and lifelong learning in her research. She has more that 12 years of experience in the developmental projects. Reem aims to play a vital role in the human development of Palestinians through her work in related international institutions.

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Published

2022-06-30