Universal Competencies of Students: Labour Market vs Higher Education

  This study aims to identify the most frequently occurring universal competencies in job descriptions available for university graduates, refl ecting the demand for such competencies in the Russian labor market. The identifi ed list of competencies was then compared with two lists of key universal competencies from higher education (Federal State Educational Standards of Higher Education (FSES HE) (3++) and the “Russia – the Country of Opportunities†platform). The empirical foundation of the research comprises descriptions of 2,218,411 job vacancies sourced from major intersectoral job aggregators. Through a parsing procedure, 20 universal competencies were identifi ed as a result of the analysis. The most frequently encountered among these were: teamwork, profi cient oral and written communication, responsibility and results orientation, analytical and systemic thinking, multitasking, organizational competencies, attention to detail, and interpersonal skills. Furthermore, it was found that the list of key universal competencies from the “Russia – the Country of Opportunities†platform almost entirely meets employers’ demands for universal competencies among young specialists, in contrast to the list of universal competencies documented in FSES HE (3++).  The novelty of this research lies in the utilization of large data sets to identify the most sought-after universal competencies, whereas traditionally, the demand for these and other competencies in the labor market is assessed by individual organizations or experts.  This study contributes to the discussion on the role of higher education in preparing young specialists. In particular, an attempt is made to evaluate the relevance of lists of universal competencies from the perspective of education as one of its expected learning outcomes. The results of this research may be beneficial for leaders of competency centers and methodologists involved in developing programs for enhancing students’ universal competencies.