IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/ssi/jouesi/v10y2023i4p390-407.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Training higher education students for employability skills: Is it worth it?

Author

Listed:
  • Mercedes Rubio-Andrés

    (Complutense University of Madrid, Spain)

  • María del Mar Ramos-González

    (Complutense University of Madrid, Spain)

  • Manuel M. Molina-López

    (CEU San Pablo University, Spain)

  • Miguel Ángel Sastre-Castillo

    (Complutense University of Madrid, Spain)

Abstract

This paper reflects on the importance of employability skills for higher education students in the present and future working environment to determine the impact these skills may have on student competitiveness and satisfaction. The study focused on university students in the Madrid region during their final academic year who participated in a teaching activity that launched real business challenges. We created a model that analyzed the impact of employability skills on student competitiveness and satisfaction and the mediating role of competitiveness in two different moments (before and during the COVID-19 pandemic). Empirical findings suggest that students' improved employability skills increased their competitiveness and satisfaction, with competitiveness as a mediating factor. Thus, academic authorities must focus on students acquiring employability skills, which are among the most valuable in the labour market and positively impact student competitiveness and satisfaction. This way, future graduates can work successfully in a changing and demanding world and find positions aligned with their training. In contrast to some studies that place the teacher as the research target, ours focused on the student and the impact these skills have on the variables mentioned.

Suggested Citation

  • Mercedes Rubio-Andrés & María del Mar Ramos-González & Manuel M. Molina-López & Miguel Ángel Sastre-Castillo, 2023. "Training higher education students for employability skills: Is it worth it?," Entrepreneurship and Sustainability Issues, VsI Entrepreneurship and Sustainability Center, vol. 10(4), pages 390-407, June.
    • Handle: RePEc:ssi:jouesi:v:10:y:2023:i:4:p:390-407
    DOI: 10.9770/jesi.2023.10.4(24)
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://jssidoi.org/jesi/uploads/articles/40/Rubio-Andres_Training_higher_education_students_for_employability_skills_Is_it_worth_it.pdf
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://jssidoi.org/jesi/article/1099
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.9770/jesi.2023.10.4(24)?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Vladimir Menshikov & Oksana Ruza, 2021. "Entrepreneurial potential of students," University Economic Bulletin, Hryhorii Skovoroda University in Pereiaslav, Faculty of Financial, Economic and Vocational Education, issue 49, pages 70-80, May.
    2. Vladimir Menshikov & Irena Kokina & Oksana Ruža, 2021. "The entrepreneurial potential of Latvian students: the role of the university environment," Entrepreneurship and Sustainability Issues, VsI Entrepreneurship and Sustainability Center, vol. 9(1), pages 502-518, September.
    3. Hogan, Robert & Chamorro-Premuzic, Tomas & Kaiser, Robert B., 2013. "Employability and Career Success: Bridging the Gap Between Theory and Reality," Industrial and Organizational Psychology, Cambridge University Press, vol. 6(1), pages 3-16, March.
    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. Georgia Yfantidou & Eleni Spyridopoulou & Alkistis Papaioannou & Athanasios Koustelios & Vicky Katsoni, 2024. "Sustainable Strategies for Innovative Cooperation in Human Resources Training between the Business Sector and Universities through Internship Programs from the Pre- to Post-COVID-19 Period," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 16(17), pages 1-19, August.

    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. Monika Mühlböck & Nadia Steiber & Bernhard Kittel, 2022. "Learning to keep the faith? Further education and perceived employability among young unemployed," Economic and Industrial Democracy, Department of Economic History, Uppsala University, Sweden, vol. 43(2), pages 705-725, May.
    2. Roberto Pico-Saltos & David Sabando-Vera & Marcela Yonfa-Medranda & Javier Garzás & Andrés Redchuk, 2022. "Hierarchical Component Model (HCM) of Career Success and the Moderating Effect of Gender, from the Perspective of University Alumni: Multigroup Analysis and Empirical Evidence from Quevedo, Ecuador," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(1), pages 1-25, December.
    3. repec:fst:rfsisf:v:8:y:2023:i:15:p:62-85 is not listed on IDEAS
    4. Samson John Mgaiwa, 2021. "Fostering Graduate Employability: Rethinking Tanzania’s University Practices," SAGE Open, , vol. 11(2), pages 21582440211, April.
    5. Vladimir Menshikov & Givi Bedianashvili & Givi Bedianashvili & Oksana Ruža & Irena Kokina, 2021. "Mobility in the context of entrepreneurial potential of students under the conditions of the COVID-19 pandemic (Latvia, Georgia)," Entrepreneurship and Sustainability Issues, VsI Entrepreneurship and Sustainability Center, vol. 9(1), pages 574-589, September.
    6. Nikos Bozionelos & Konstantinos Kostopoulos & Beatrice van Der Heijden & Denise M. Rousseau & Giorgos Bozionelos & Thomas Hoyland & Izabela Marzec & Piotr Jędrzejowicz & Olga Epitropaki & Aslaug Mikke, 2016. "Employability and Job Performance as Links in the Relationship Between Mentoring Receipt and Career Success. A Study in SMEs," Post-Print hal-01294990, HAL.
    7. Daniel Doz & Darjo Felda & Mara Cotič, 2023. "Demographic Factors Affecting Fuzzy Grading: A Hierarchical Linear Regression Analysis," Mathematics, MDPI, vol. 11(6), pages 1-19, March.
    8. Beatrice van der Heijden & Eleanor M. M. Davies & Dimitri van der Linden & Nikos Bozionelos & Ans de Vos, 2022. "The relationship between career commitment and career success among university staff : The mediating role of employability," Post-Print hal-04381313, HAL.
    9. Andreea Cordos (Labaditis) & Adriana Tiron-Tudor, 2023. "Employability skills for professional accountants in the midstof Industry 4.0 - a literature review," Journal of Financial Studies, Institute of Financial Studies, vol. 15(8), pages 62-85, November.
    10. Antra Singh & Seema Singh, 2021. "Do Employability Skills Matter in Placement: An Exploratory Study of Private Engineering Institutions and IT Firms in Delhi NCR," The Indian Journal of Labour Economics, Springer;The Indian Society of Labour Economics (ISLE), vol. 64(4), pages 1093-1113, December.
    11. Maria Luisa Giancaspro & Amelia Manuti & Alessandro Lo Presti & Assunta De Rosa, 2021. "Human Resource Management Practices Perception and Career Success: The Mediating Roles of Employability and Extra-Role Behaviors," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(21), pages 1-16, October.
    12. Roberto Pico-Saltos & Lady Bravo-Montero & Néstor Montalván-Burbano & Javier Garzás & Andrés Redchuk, 2021. "Career Success in University Graduates: Evidence from an Ecuadorian Study in Los Ríos Province," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(16), pages 1-24, August.
    13. Giovanni Schettino & Leda Marino & Vincenza Capone, 2022. "The Impact of University-Related Variables on Students’ Perceived Employability and Mental Well-Being: An Italian Longitudinal Study," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(5), pages 1-15, February.
    14. Sandra Misiak-Kwit & Yunhua Zhang, 2022. "Entrepreneurial attitude of students - comparative study between China and Poland," Entrepreneurship and Sustainability Issues, VsI Entrepreneurship and Sustainability Center, vol. 9(3), pages 118-133, March.

    More about this item

    Keywords

    competence; higher education; ability; attitudes; entrepreneurial intention;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • A23 - General Economics and Teaching - - Economic Education and Teaching of Economics - - - Graduate
    • C15 - Mathematical and Quantitative Methods - - Econometric and Statistical Methods and Methodology: General - - - Statistical Simulation Methods: General
    • I23 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Education - - - Higher Education; Research Institutions
    • M12 - Business Administration and Business Economics; Marketing; Accounting; Personnel Economics - - Business Administration - - - Personnel Management; Executives; Executive Compensation
    • M51 - Business Administration and Business Economics; Marketing; Accounting; Personnel Economics - - Personnel Economics - - - Firm Employment Decisions; Promotions

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    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:ssi:jouesi:v:10:y:2023:i:4:p:390-407. 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: Manuela Tvaronaviciene (email available below). General contact details of provider: .

    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.