IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/gam/jsusta/v12y2020i15p5900-d388035.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Graduate Employability and Competence Development in Higher Education—A Systematic Literature Review Using PRISMA

Author

Listed:
  • Marta Abelha

    (CEIS20–Centre of 20th Century Interdisciplinary Studies, University of Coimbra, 3000–186 Coimbra, Portugal
    Portucalense Institute for Human Development, Portucalense University, 4200–072 Porto, Portugal)

  • Sandra Fernandes

    (Portucalense Institute for Human Development, Portucalense University, 4200–072 Porto, Portugal
    CIEC–Research Centre on Child Studies, University of Minho, 4710–057 Braga, Portugal)

  • Diana Mesquita

    (CIEC–Research Centre on Child Studies, University of Minho, 4710–057 Braga, Portugal)

  • Filipa Seabra

    (LE@D, Open University (UAb), 1269-001 Lisboa, Portugal)

  • Ana Teresa Ferreira-Oliveira

    (CISAS, Escola Superior de Tecnologia e Gestão, Instituto Politécnico de Viana do Castelo, Rua Escola Industrial e Comercial Nun’Álvares, 4900-347 Viana do Castelo, Portugal)

Abstract

This paper aims to develop a systematic review on graduate employability and competence development, intending to present an international perspective on the matter. It analyses the role of higher education institutions in promoting the development of competences for employability. The Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews (PRISMA) statement was used as a formal systematic review guideline for data collection. Data was obtained from research studies over the period 2009–2019. The analysis included a total of 69 papers from Web of Science (WoS) and Scopus databases. Results show that Europe leads the number of publications on these topics during the past decade. One of the main issues associated with competence development and graduate employability found in the review is related to the (mis)match between university graduates’ competences and employers’ needs. Findings indicate that higher education institutions are concerned with using strategies to enhance the development of competences for graduate employability. Graduate employability and competence development around the world depend on a strong sense of innovation and collaboration practices implemented in higher education.

Suggested Citation

  • Marta Abelha & Sandra Fernandes & Diana Mesquita & Filipa Seabra & Ana Teresa Ferreira-Oliveira, 2020. "Graduate Employability and Competence Development in Higher Education—A Systematic Literature Review Using PRISMA," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(15), pages 1-27, July.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:12:y:2020:i:15:p:5900-:d:388035
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/12/15/5900/pdf
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/12/15/5900/
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Patricia P. Iglesias-Sánchez & Carmen Jambrino-Maldonado & Carlos de las Heras-Pedrosa, 2019. "Training Entrepreneurial Competences with Open Innovation Paradigm in Higher Education," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(17), pages 1-23, August.
    2. Rafael Bautista-Mesa & Horacio Molina Sánchez & Jesús Nicolás Ramírez Sobrino, 2018. "Audit workplace simulations as a methodology to increase undergraduates’ awareness of competences," Accounting Education, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 27(3), pages 234-258, May.
    3. Naresh Giangrande & Rehema M. White & May East & Ross Jackson & Tim Clarke & Michel Saloff Coste & Gil Penha-Lopes, 2019. "A Competency Framework to Assess and Activate Education for Sustainable Development: Addressing the UN Sustainable Development Goals 4.7 Challenge," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(10), pages 1-16, May.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Sunitha Singh & Sowmya Kshtriya & Reimara Valk, 2023. "Health, Hope, and Harmony: A Systematic Review of the Determinants of Happiness across Cultures and Countries," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 20(4), pages 1-68, February.
    2. Yi Lu & Gayani Karunasena & Chunlu Liu, 2022. "A Systematic Literature Review of Non-Compliance with Low-Carbon Building Regulations," Energies, MDPI, vol. 15(24), pages 1-20, December.
    3. Sandra Carrasco & David O’Brien, 2023. "Build Back Safely: Evaluating the Occupational Health and Safety in Post-Disaster Reconstruction," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(9), pages 1-18, May.
    4. Diah Chaerani & Adibah Shuib & Tomy Perdana & Athaya Zahrani Irmansyah, 2023. "Systematic Literature Review on Robust Optimization in Solving Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) Problems during the COVID-19 Pandemic," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(7), pages 1-18, March.
    5. Venessa S. Casanova & Wenceslao M. Paguia, 2022. "Employability and Job Performance of Graduates of Occidental Mindoro State College Graduate School," Higher Education Studies, Canadian Center of Science and Education, vol. 12(2), pages 193-193, May.
    6. Mochamad Arief Budihardjo & Bimastyaji Surya Ramadan & Soraya Annisa Putri & Indah Fajarini Sri Wahyuningrum & Fadel Iqbal Muhammad, 2021. "Towards Sustainability in Higher-Education Institutions: Analysis of Contributing Factors and Appropriate Strategies," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(12), pages 1-14, June.
    7. Darmaraj Sakaria & Siti Mistima Maat & Mohd Effendi Ewan Mohd Matore, 2023. "Examining the Optimal Choice of SEM Statistical Software Packages for Sustainable Mathematics Education: A Systematic Review," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(4), pages 1-24, February.
    8. Matsika, Cyncia & Zhou, Munyaradzi, 2021. "Factors affecting the adoption and use of AVR technology in higher and tertiary education," Technology in Society, Elsevier, vol. 67(C).
    9. Hanna Górska-Warsewicz & Maciej Dębski & Michal Fabuš & Marián Kováč, 2021. "Green Brand Equity—Empirical Experience from a Systematic Literature Review," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(20), pages 1-34, October.
    10. Bhardwaj, Shikha & Rana, Gunjan A & Behl, Abhishek & Gallego de Caceres, Santiago Juan, 2023. "Exploring the boundaries of Neuromarketing through systematic investigation," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 154(C).
    11. Hanna Górska-Warsewicz, 2022. "Consumer or Patient Determinants of Hospital Brand Equity—A Systematic Literature Review," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(15), pages 1-36, July.
    12. Francesca Gori & Alessandra Castellini, 2023. "Alternative Food Networks and Short Food Supply Chains: A Systematic Literature Review Based on a Case Study Approach," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(10), pages 1-18, May.
    13. Efrat, Alon, 2022. "A significant improvement was found in the Emotional stability following the training. Participating in the training changed the way people associate personality traits with Interaction management," MPRA Paper 118558, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    14. Frederic Dimanche & Katherine Lo, 2022. "The Elusive Search for Talent: Skill Gaps in the Canadian Luxury Hotel Sector," Tourism and Hospitality, MDPI, vol. 3(1), pages 1-16, January.
    15. Vesna Ferk Savec & Katarina Mlinarec, 2021. "Experimental Work in Science Education from Green Chemistry Perspectives: A Systematic Literature Review Using PRISMA," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(23), pages 1-50, November.
    16. Sulca Contreras, Ronny Daniel, 2022. "Demanda de trabajadores con habilidades blandas y nivel de empleabilidad de egresados universitarios [Demand for workers with soft skills and level of employability of university graduates]," MPRA Paper 113695, University Library of Munich, Germany, revised 18 May 2022.
    17. Claudio Roberto Silva Júnior & Julio Cezar Mairesse Siluk & Alvaro Luis Neuenfeldt-Júnior & Matheus Binotto Francescatto & Cláudia de Freitas Michelin, 2023. "Mapping Risks Faced by Startup Investors: An Approach Based on the Apriori Algorithm," Risks, MDPI, vol. 11(10), pages 1-19, October.

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Sibilla Montanari & Evi Agostini & Denis Francesconi, 2023. "Are We Talking about Green Skills or Sustainability Competences? A Scoping Review Using Scientometric Analysis of Two Apparently Similar Topics in the Field of Sustainability," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(19), pages 1-25, September.
    2. Pilar Laguna-Sánchez & Pilar Abad & Concepción de la Fuente-Cabrero & Rocío Calero, 2020. "A University Training Programme for Acquiring Entrepreneurial and Transversal Employability Skills, a Students’ Assessment," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(3), pages 1-17, January.
    3. Rebeca Kerstin Alonso & Alexander Vélez & María Carmen Martínez-Monteagudo, 2023. "Interventions for the Development of Intrinsic Motivation in University Online Education: Systematic Review—Enhancing the 4th Sustainable Development Goal," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(13), pages 1-14, June.
    4. Deepti Mishra & Alok Mishra, 2020. "Sustainability Inclusion in Informatics Curriculum Development," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(14), pages 1-16, July.
    5. Carla Carvalho & Ana Carlos Almeida, 2022. "The Adequacy of Accounting Education in the Development of Transversal Skills Needed to Meet Market Demands," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(10), pages 1-18, May.
    6. Leire Agirreazkuenaga, 2020. "Education for Agenda 2030: What Direction do We Want to Take Going Forward?," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(5), pages 1-13, March.
    7. Christine Wamsler & Jamie Bristow, 2022. "At the intersection of mind and climate change: integrating inner dimensions of climate change into policymaking and practice," Climatic Change, Springer, vol. 173(1), pages 1-22, July.
    8. Sukru Ada, 2020. "Investigation of the Relationships between Individual Innovation and Sustainable Education Beliefs," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(2), pages 1-14, January.
    9. Temoor Anjum & Petra Heidler & Azadeh Amoozegar & Rao Tahir Anees, 2021. "The Impact of Entrepreneurial Passion on the Entrepreneurial Intention; Moderating Impact of Perception of University Support," Administrative Sciences, MDPI, vol. 11(2), pages 1-14, April.
    10. María Jesús Santos-Villalba & Juan José Leiva Olivencia & Magdalena Ramos Navas-Parejo & María Dolores Benítez-Márquez, 2020. "Higher Education Students’ Assessments towards Gamification and Sustainability: A Case Study," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(20), pages 1-20, October.
    11. Gittings, Lara & Taplin, Ross & Kerr, Rosemary, 2020. "Experiential learning activities in university accounting education: A systematic literature review," Journal of Accounting Education, Elsevier, vol. 52(C).
    12. Alexander K. Killion & Jessica Ostrow Michel & Jason K. Hawes, 2022. "Toward Identifying Sustainability Leadership Competencies: Insights from Mapping a Graduate Sustainability Education Curriculum," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(10), pages 1-18, May.
    13. Diego Galán-Casado & Alvaro Moraleda & María Luisa Martínez-Martí & Miguel Ángel Pérez-Nieto, 2020. "Sustainable Environments in Education: Results on the Effects of the New Environments in Learning Processes of University Students," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(7), pages 1-12, March.
    14. Guia Bianchi, 2020. "Sustainability competences: A systematic literature review," JRC Research Reports JRC123624, Joint Research Centre.
    15. Rosa Isusi-Fagoaga & Adela García-Aracil, 2020. "Assessing Master Students’ Competencies Using Rubrics: Lessons Learned from Future Secondary Education Teachers," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(23), pages 1-15, November.
    16. Morshed Alam & Harshita Aini Haroon & Mohd Faizal bin Yusof & Md. Aminul Islam, 2023. "Framework for Undergraduate Entrepreneurship Education in Australia: Preliminary Exploration," Social Sciences, MDPI, vol. 12(5), pages 1-20, May.
    17. Andrew Osei Agyemang & Kong Yusheng & Angelina Kissiwaa Twum & Emmanuel Caesar Ayamba & Maxwell Kongkuah & Mohammed Musah, 2021. "Trend and relationship between environmental accounting disclosure and environmental performance for mining companies listed in China," Environment, Development and Sustainability: A Multidisciplinary Approach to the Theory and Practice of Sustainable Development, Springer, vol. 23(8), pages 12192-12216, August.
    18. Ankui Hu & Xianhui Mao & Chenghua Fu & Mengkun Wu & Shuai Zhou, 2023. "Engineering Curriculum Reform Based on Outcome-Based Education and Five-Color Psychology Theory," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(11), pages 1-20, June.
    19. Erika González García & Ernesto Colomo Magaña & Andrea Cívico Ariza, 2020. "Quality Education as a Sustainable Development Goal in the Context of 2030 Agenda: Bibliometric Approach," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(15), pages 1-18, July.
    20. Yuzhuo Cai & Jinyuan Ma & Qiongqiong Chen, 2020. "Higher Education in Innovation Ecosystems," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(11), pages 1-12, May.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:12:y:2020:i:15:p:5900-:d:388035. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: MDPI Indexing Manager (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://www.mdpi.com .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.