Heliyon 9 (2023) e21023 Available online 29 October 2023 2405-8440/© 2023 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd. This is an open access article under the CC BY license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/). Review article Global employability skills in the 21st century workplace: A semi-systematic literature review Hasanuzzaman Tushar a,b,* , Nanta Sooraksa a a School of Human Resource Development, National Institute of Development Administration, Bangkok, Thailand b College of Business Administration, IUBAT—International University of Business Agriculture and Technology, Dhaka, Bangladesh ARTICLE INFO Keywords: Employability skills 21st-century workplace Employers’ expectations SPAR-4-SLR ABSTRACT This study conducts a semi-systematic literature review of research pertaining to employability to identify essential employability skills that employers seek in recent graduates. The comprehensive analysis of the existing literature review aims to present a set of global employability skills, identify similarities, variations, or changes in these skills across time, and explore the most relevant existing employability skills for the 21st-century workplace. The review includes 30 years of research articles and government reports published in English and considers 25 studies based on the Scientific Procedures and Rationales for Systematic Literature Reviews (SPAR-4- SLR). After removing duplicates, 87 unique skills were identified and listed under three distinct temporal themes (the 1990s, 2000s, and 2010s), with problem-solving, communication, teamwork, adaptability, and willingness to learn among the most commonly reported skills over time. The study found a mismatch between employers’ expectations and graduates’ possessed skills. Therefore, the list of employability skills identified in this study can serve as a valuable tool for addressing this mismatch. The study’s findings can also help educators and employers to better align their efforts to prepare students for the modern workplace. 1. Introduction The 21st century has significantly changed the way of work and the workplace environment. Advancements in technology, socioeconomics, and industry have greatly affected organizations. These changes are anticipated to further intensify in the future, especially in the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic [1]. In order to adapt to this rapidly evolving landscape, organizations must have employees who are dedicated to excelling in technical and professional skills, embracing emerging technologies, demonstrating self-motivation, and actively engaging in their work. These are essential for achieving high levels of competence, confidence, and the ability to complete tasks effectively [2,3]. It is broadly termed employability skills that are recognized as a constructive approach that can help to meet today’s challenges in the modern workplace. However, the majority of research studies consistently indicated that graduates continue to lack market-driven employability skills necessary for success in the 21st-century workplace [4–8]. As per the IMF [9], there is an ongoing increase in global economic growth (forecasted at 5.5 % growth in 2021 and 4.2 % in 2022). Nonetheless, the challenge of unemployment is concurrently surging significantly in developing and less developed nations. As stated by the ILO [9], the global count of unemployed individuals reached around 201 million in 2021, marking a slight increase from the previous year. However, it’s worth noting that this number is likely to have been affected by the COVID-19 pandemic, which has * Corresponding author. School of Human Resource Development, National Institute of Development Administration, Bangkok, Thailand. E-mail address: [email protected] (H. Tushar). Contents lists available at ScienceDirect Heliyon journal homepage: www.cell.com/heliyon https://doi.org/10.1016/j.heliyon.2023.e21023 Received 6 May 2023; Received in revised form 9 October 2023; Accepted 12 October 2023
Heliyon 9 (2023) e21023 2 significantly impacted the labor market and the global economy. In recent years, the lack of job opportunities for the young working-age population has been an emerging challenge for many regions, i.e., Northern Africa (30 % youth unemployment rate in 2021), Arab states (27 %), and Southern Asia (13 %). Based on a survey conducted by Manpower Group, a leading workforce solutions company, in 2020, around 42 % of employers globally faced challenges in recruiting skilled employees. The Forbes Human Resources Council [9] expresses concern over the most significant challenge being the skills gap within companies, a challenge that is projected to become even more profound. Employers are similarly concerned about addressing skill gaps through various strategies, including hiring an employee with possessed skills for the modern workplace, retraining the existing employees, and using automation technology. Employers also consider that higher educational institutions are responsible for developing such required skills, as reported by some studies (e.g. Refs. [10–13]). Moreover, Qenani et al. [13] posited that universities ought to serve as source of culture and creativity, fostering the creation of knowledge, traits, and skills essential for both students’ personal growth and their professional lives. However, numerous empirical works continuously Fig. 1. The Flowchart of SPAR-4-SLR protocol. H. Tushar and N. Sooraksa
Heliyon 9 (2023) e21023 3 reported that universities’ academic programs are outdated and fail to fulfill the labor market expectations [12,14–17]. This current mismatch is observed by many studies all over the world, e.g., Australia [18], the USA [19], the U.K. [20], China [21], South Africa [22], Vietnam [23], Spain [3], Malaysia [24], India [25,26], and Bangladesh [27]. While numerous studies have delved into the topic of employability skills, this paper aims to provide a fresh perspective by addressing specific gaps in the existing literature. The primary rationale behind this study is to shed light on the growing concern that recent graduates often lack the market-driven employability skills demanded by the modern workplace [6,7,28]. This discrepancy has far-reaching implications for the labor market, as evidenced by the simultaneous rise in global unemployment rates, particularly in developing and less developed countries [9,29]. The implications of this gap in employability skills extend beyond academia and directly impact graduates’ employability prospects and long-term career trajectories. The disconnect between what universities impart and what the labor market demands underscores the urgency to bridge this gap. Failure to address this issue could lead to prolonged periods of unemployment, reduced workforce productivity, and economic stagnation, impacting both regional and global contexts. Consequently, there is a compelling need for comprehensive research to explore and understand the intricacies of this mismatch and propose viable solutions to align employability skills with current and future workplace demands. Numerous extant literature review studies on employability skills have been conducted with varying purposes and across different timeframes. For instance, Sarfraz, Rajendran, Hewege, and Mohan [30] categorized employability skills from diverse stakeholder perspectives. Williams, Dodd, Steele, and Randall [31] explored to conceptualize the notion of employability, while Neroorkar [32] scrutinized the variations of employability skill measures. Additionally, Eldeen, Abumalloh, George, and Aldossary [28] identified industry-specific skills. However, this study aims to explore, synthesize, and analyze literature on employability skills for fresh graduates, conducted in a 30-year period from 1990 to 2019 through a semi-systematic review. Subsequently, the study seeks to provide a comprehensive list of required employability skills for fresh graduates, perceive similarities, differences, or changes in these skills over time, and examine the key employability skills that are most valued in today’s 21st-century workplace. 1.1. Research questions and objectives The above-discussed problem statement underscores an apparent mismatch between employers’ expectations and graduates’ possessed skills across the globe. Therefore, obvious questions may arise regarding employers’ expectations from fresh graduates and how to get informed about the students’ employability skills. These fundamental questions led the researcher to identify employability skills through a semi-systematic literature review. The questions employed to navigate this study are as follows. - What are the essential employability skills employers want from fresh graduates? - What are the variations and shifts in employability skills over the specified period? 2. Methods The current study carried out a thorough examination of the literature on employability by conducting a semi-systematic literature review. Literature reviews are crucial for analyzing and bringing together different studies [33]. According to Snyder [34], a semi-systematic review typically examines the progression of research within a chosen field over time or traces the development of a particular topic across various research traditions. Considering the diverse spectrum of disciplines that underpin the literature on employability skills, conducting a fully systematic and quantitative meta-analysis was unfeasible. Consequently, a semi-systematic method was employed, enabling the derivation of content or thematic analysis from the identified seminal literature [35]. This study followed the SPAR-4-SLR protocol as described by Ref. [36]Paul et al. [36] to ensure the transparency of the literature review procedure. While PRISMA and PRISMA-P are more descriptive in nature, they might have limited applicability for reviews seeking to contribute theoretically [36]. Assembling, arranging, and assessing are the three main phases of the SPAR-4 SLR process. Each of these phases has six sub stages, including identification, acquisition, organization, purification, evaluation, and reporting [36]. Fig. 1 presents a schematic outlining the methodology, which is subsequently elaborated upon in the following section. At the initial phase (assembling), this study identified peer-reviewed and government-associated published literature by employing a thorough and refined search strategy. The following three online databases were used in the search for relevant articles: Google Scholar, ERIC, and JSTOR. Further citations were obtained by reviewing the reference lists of relevant literature related to employability skills. The following keywords were used to define search criteria and to identify employability skills: “employability*“, “employability skills*“, “employability AND fresh graduates*“, and “employability skills AND recent graduates*“. The search strategy was limited to full-text literatures in English published between 1990 and 2019. This study conducted searches for relevant literatures that explicitly incorporated the selected terms in the title, abstract, keywords and/or full contents. The search keywords were consistent across all databases. In this initial phase, research studies with titles referencing employability skills (such as models, measurement scales, or tools) were included, and their abstracts and/or keywords were reviewed. In cases where the title alone did not adequately establish relevance to the inclusion criteria, the complete manuscripts were accessed, and their whole contents were retrieved for detailed examination to determine if they met the inclusion requirements. The current study kept the literatures that addressed three inclusion criteria: a) articles in English bearing titles mentioning employability skills, b) articles published between 1990 and 2019, and c) concerned employability skills required for fresh graduates. The search process retrieved a total of 18,162 studies: 16,500 studies in Google Scholar, 1068 in ERIC, and 594 in JSTOR. To find the studies for reviews, various word combinations were employed. H. Tushar and N. Sooraksa
Heliyon 9 (2023) e21023 4 In the second phase (arranging), each piece of literature underwent a thorough examination using the data extraction sheet after obtaining the list of manuscripts that fulfilled the initial inclusion criteria. A data spreadsheet was generated to record the subsequent organizational codes extracted from the included studies: authors, publication year, research location, study design, and study outcomes. During the purification stage, a total of 1786 duplicated literature sources were disregarded, leaving an additional 15,925 for elimination after evaluating titles and abstracts. Further refinement led to the exclusion of 262 articles due to non-English language publications, and 120 studies from low-quality sources and working papers were also omitted from the analysis. A total of 35 studies were discarded as their outcomes and key content were found to be less relevant and not aligned with the inclusion criteria. Following this rigorous process, 34 studies were obtained from the literature search and their full content was retrieved for further examination. As the aim of this study was to compile a comprehensive global set of employability skills, a process of skill saturation was applied to identify unique skills, resulting in the exclusion of 9 studies. Ultimately, the current review encompassed 25 seminal journal articles and government-associated reports. To ensure reliability, the co-author also reviewed the extracted pieces of literature. In addition, a reviewer not associated with the study assessed the quality of the data. In the last phase (assessing), the categorization of employability skills for this review employed a thematic analysis approach. A total of 87 skills were identified across 25 seminal literatures. Unifying themes within these skills were identified and subsequently classified into three distinct temporal dimensions: the 1990s, 2000s, and 2010s. This study also formulated a roadmap for future research endeavors. In the concluding sub-stage (reporting), the study utilized tables and figures to identify, synthesize and analyze the variation or shifts of employability skills across different periods. Furthermore, the study evaluated the limitations and the pragmatic implications of the outcomes. 3. Findings The notion of employability was relatively vague two decades ago and has now permeated workplaces, governmental policies, and literature in multiple disciplines (i.e., psychology, education, sociology, management, policy studies, and career research) over the past two decades [37]. The usage is somehow connected to all the recent changes in the exponential work and workplaces, i.e., social, economic, demographical, and technological. The recent push from the challenging labor market and changing global environment promotes the notion of employability and its implications. In many countries, it takes a central place in the national labor and higher education policies for the welfare of large cohorts of young labor market entrants ILO. [38]. Notably, it has become one of the four pillars of the European employment strategy [37,39] and a significant national policy on youth employment in the United Nations. Thereafter, many terms and sets of skills are formed and used in the literature to refer to employability skills, i.e., attributes, competencies, qualities, professional skills, generic skills, and characteristics [8]. However, this review process attempts to generate a set of general graduate employability skills and perception of employers’ expectations from fresh graduates. To generate a primary pool of skills, the following three sections discuss the most cited reports and studies from an extensive literature review from 1990 to 2019. The three temporal dimensions attempted to provide a comprehensive overview of employability skills in the historical period (i.e., the 1990s, 2000s, and 2010s). The study selected 25 significant reports and research studies to provide a synopsis and to look at the variation or shift of employability skills over time. The selected five studies were published in the 1990s, six in the 2000s, and the other fourteen in the 2010s. 3.1. 1990s During the 1990s, a number of noteworthy reports and studies (see, for example [40–44]) explained the required skills for the employers’ exponential needs of the world of work. Notably, two reports originating from the USA [44,45] are often cited in contemporary employability literature as foundational works to identify the skills. The American Society for Training and Development (ASTD) conducted the study in 1990 with the support of a U.S. Department of Labor grant [46]. It published the work titled “Workplace basics: The essential skills employers want.” The study found 16 skills categorized under six dimensions, including “fundamental skills-literacy, writing, and arithmetic”; “communication-verbal, auditory”; “adaptability-problem solving, creative thinking”; “self-improvement - career planning, motivation, self-esteem, and goal setting”; “group effectiveness skills- teamwork, social skills, and negotiation”; and “influencing skills-accepting organizational culture, and leadership” [45]. The ASTD study emphasizes the perspectives of employers and lists workplace basic skills at all levels of workers. Afterward, the U.S. Department of Labor established the Secretary’s Commission on Achieving Necessary Skills (SCANS) in 1991 to update the Carnevale et al. [45] report. The SCANS report revised the skills through the perspectives of both employers and graduates. The study was concluded by proposing 36 essential skills categorized into three foundational skill sets and five competencies. The five competencies include resource management (selecting, organizing, allocating time, money, staff, resources, and space), interpersonal skills (teamwork, negotiating, and leading, serving, or teaching others), information (acquiring, using, evaluating, interpreting and communicating information properly), understanding system (analyze social, organizational, and technological structures to observe and improve its performance), and technology (selecting, applying, maintaining, and troubleshooting technologies). The three components of the skills are: “fundamental abilities (literacy, writing, arithmetic, auditory, and verbal skills)," “cognitive abilities (innovation, willingness to learn, solving problems, and reasoning)," and “personal attributes (accountability, self-worth, self-control, social competence, and ethics)." The scope and implication of the SCANS report are much broader than the ASTD report in identifying young people’s employability skills. Despite this, both studies are examples of great insight into employability skills and have been acknowledged by industry and higher education to date. In a study within the same decade, McLaughlin [42] developed an evolving employability skills profile essential for Canadian H. Tushar and N. Sooraksa
5Table 1 Common top ten employability skills in the 1990s. Employability Skill (1990–1999) Problem solving Self-esteem Teamwork Communication Creativity and initiative Interpersonal skills Adaptability Responsibility Goal-setting Learning Studies/Report Context H. Tushar and N. Sooraksa
Heliyon 9 (2023) e21023 5 ASTD [46] USA X X X X X X X X SCAN [44] USA X X X X X X X X McLaughlin [42] Canada X X X X X X X X X AGR [40] UK X X X X X Kajihara [47] Japan X X X X X X X X
6Table 2 Common top ten employability skills in the 2000s. Employability Skill (2000–2009) Communication Team work ICT skill Problem solving Self- esteem Creativity and initiative Self- management Planning and organizing Adaptability Time Management Studies/Report Context ACCI [50] Aus. X X X X X X X X X X Btt[51]UKXXXXXXXXH. Tushar and N. Sooraksa
Heliyon 9 (2023) e21023 6 Bennett [51] UK X X X X X X X X CBI [52] UK X X X X X X X X Andrews & Higson [53] EU X X X X X X X X X Archer, & Davison [54], UK X X X X Bridgstock [55] Aus X X X X X X X X X
Heliyon 9 (2023) e21023 7 employers, with support from the Conference Board of Canada. The objective was to prepare students for the future workplace. The study mainly emphasized the perception of the multiple stakeholders. The findings outlined all essential skills under three dimensions: academic skills (able to communicate, think, learn, solve problems, use technology and subjective knowledge), self-management skills (demonstrating positive attitudes and behaviors, self-esteem, integrity, and personal ethics, creativity and initiative, ready to take responsibility and adaptability toward change), and teamwork skills (able to work with others, understand others culture, plan and make decisions with team, lead and organize the group for high performance). The Association of Graduates Recruiters [40] added some individual-centric skill sets for U.K. graduates in the same year. The skills include self-awareness, self-esteem, action planning, self-promotion, and networking. Moreover, Kajihara [47] developed 22 employability qualities required by Japanese employers. The study was based on a survey of 200 Japanese companies supported by the Ministry of Labor. The proposed skills include vitality, honesty, responsibility, adaptability, personality, sociability, dedication, ambition, initiative and creativity, ready-to-face challenges, and visionary thinking. The study also found that the required employability skills vary from industry to industry (i.e., manufacturing prefers honesty and sociability on top; financial organizations value more on enterprise, honesty, responsibility, and adaptability; engineering organizations appreciate creativity above all) [48]. Unlike the different sets of skills, there are some common agreement between the studies mentioned above. After careful analysis of the selected studies and government-associated reports from other countries between 1990 and 1999, 85 skills were found in total, whereas 39 unique skills were identified after removing the duplicate skills (see Appendix 1). Table 1 presents the common top ten employability skills in this decade, including problem-solving, self-esteem, teamwork, communication, creativity and initiative, interpersonal skills, adaptability, responsibility, goal-setting, and learning. All the studies in this period reported that problem-solving, self-esteem, and teamwork are the utmost essential skills expected by employers. Communication is the next commonly reported skill, followed by creativity and initiative. Apart from the top ten skills, there are also some widely reported skills, including planning and decision-making, critical thinking, basic IT skills, leadership, integrity, and personal management. 3.2. 2000s Secondly, during the 2000s, numerous significant studies (refer to Table 2) took place on the concept of employability skills. This study selected the literature from diverse countries to observe the variation of the skills needed by employers from fresh graduates. In 2002, the ACCI-Australian Chamber of Commerce and Industry, associated with the BCA-Business Council of Australia (BCA) and the Department of Education, Science and Training (DEST), published a research project titled “Employability Skills for the Future” [49]. They proposed an employability skills framework with a large set of facets of the skills under eight essential skills (communication, problem-solving, teamwork, initiative, and enterprise, personal management, planning and organizing, learning, and technology) in conjunction with the personal competencies (loyalty, commitment, adaptability, integrity, self-esteem and so on). Later, in 2006, the Government Skills Australia (GSA), operating under the Department of Education, also promoted the aforementioned skills framework to prepare graduates for employment and future learning. In the UK, Bennett [51] researched 1000 job advertisements to outline the transferable skills required by employers. The study found that employers’ top requirements are communication, I.T., organization, teamwork, interpersonal, motivation, analytical, and self-esteem. CBI [52] suggested that the fundamental skill for the U.K. graduate is a positive attitude. The report underpinned seven other competencies: self-management, problem-solving, ability to work in a team, application of numeracy and I.T., business and customer awareness, communication, and literacy. The report also revealed that employers are dissatisfied with the following skills of new graduate recruits: foreign language skills, business awareness, and self-management, information about the job or career, and positive attitude toward work. Furthermore, Archer and Davison [54] added a few more on the satisfaction gaps in the skills of new graduates: decision-making skills, good writing skills, communication, experience related to a potential career, confidence, passion, and personal development skills. On the other hand, the report also considered that employers are most satisfied with I.T. skills, academic qualifications and skills, and intellectual ability. During the same period, Andrews and Higson [53] conducted research across four European Union countries (UK, Austria, Slovenia and Romania). Their study identified the critical skills required by the employers, considering perspectives from both graduates and employers. The study suggested that employers prefer a graduate with interpersonal competencies, complex business-related knowledge and application, and work experience through a work-based learning program (such as internship or job placement) above all. The study also conceptualized the key transferable graduate employability skills through synthesizing the literature, including professionalism, reliability, adaptability, workability under pressure, networking, teamwork, verbal and written communication skills, ICT skills, creativity, self-esteem, self-management, time management, and willingness to learn. To elaborate further, Bridgstock [55] proposed a notional model of graduate employability skills with a few essential components, i.e., career-building skills, personal management skills, generic skills, subject-specific skills, and underpinning personalities and dispositions. The study pointed out that academic skills, communication, information and technology literacy, career-building, and management skills are essential for a graduate to build a career. Considering the aforementioned literature review between 2000 and 2009, a total of 123 skills were found, and 59 unique skills were synthesized after eliminating the duplicate skills (see details in Appendix 1). The common top-ten skills are shown in Table 2, including communication (reported in all the selected studies), teamwork (reported in all the selected studies), ICT skills (reported in 5 studies), problem-solving (reported in 5 studies), self-esteem/confidence (reported in 5 studies), creativity and initiative (reported in 5 studies), self-management (in 4 studies), planning and organizing (in 4 studies), adaptability (in 4 studies), and time management (in 4 studies). Besides the top-ten skills, other commonly reported essential employability skills include integrity, responsibility, critical H. Tushar and N. Sooraksa
8Table 3 Common top ten employability skills in the 2010s. Employability Skill (2010- latest years) Communication Problem solving Adaptability Team work Analytical/critical thinking Willingness to learn Integrity Interpersonal ICT Skill Leadership Studies/Report Context Blom and Saeki [61] India X X X X X X X Srivastava & Khare [60] South Asia X X X X X X X X X Rosenberg et al. [56] US X X X X X X X X X X Economist [62] South Asia X X X X Mirza, Jaffri, & Hashmi [64] Pakistan X X X X X X H. Tushar and N. Sooraksa
Heliyon 9 (2023) e21023 8 ,,Su & Zhang [21] China X X X X X X X X Humburg & van der Velden [58] EU X X X X X Yang, Cheung, & Fang [65] China X X X X X X Matsouka & Mihaly [59] Greek X X X X X X X Chowdhury and Miah [27] Bangladesh X X X X X X X X X Bloomberg [57] US X X X X X Nghia [23] Vietnam X X X X X X X X X WEF [66] General X X X X X ISR [63] India X X X X X
Heliyon 9 (2023) e21023 9 thinking, willingness to learn, motivation, networking, passion, attitude, negotiating, commercial awareness, and name a few. 3.3. 2010s Thirdly, from 2010 to 2019, it is documented that a significant number of studies focused on employability skills in various contexts. Notably, attention has continuously increased in the recent years. This study selected fourteen studies in different contexts to provide a synopsis of the required employability skills of fresh graduates. Rosenberg, Heimler, and Morote [56] outlined eight dimensions of basic employability skills with 47 items, such as basic numeracy skill and literacy, critical thinking skill, problem-solving, communication, teamwork, adaptability, interpersonal skill, management skill, leadership skill, application of I.T. skill, system thinking skill, and work ethic. More recently, Bloomberg [57] suggested the top 5 soft skills required by employers in the U.S., including teamwork, critical thinking, complex problem-solving, adaptability, and ethical judgment. Humburg and van der Velden [58] considered six types of skills, namely professional skills, innovative and creative, interpersonal, general academic skills, strategic and organizational skills, and commercial and entrepreneurial skills. Their study highlighted the significance of these skills for the graduate recruitment process across European countries. In Greek, Matsouka and Mihaly [59] suggested that Greek companies value more on a fresh graduate with the following skills: learning orientation, teamwork, extra effort, integrity, communication, professionalism, adaptability, goal setting, emotional intelligence, motivation, self-awareness, and initiative and creativity. The study also reported that the utmost mismatch skills are goal setting, influential skills, leadership, self-awareness, professionalism, and emotional intelligence. The research on employability has received less attention in developing and least-developed countries, particularly within the South Asian region. However, in recent years, a few studies have emerged as a result of an extensive literature search process (refer to Table 3). Srivastava and Khare [60] conducted qualitative research in the Indo-centric region (i.e., India, Pakistan and Bangladesh) and focused on employers’ perceptions of the required employability skills. The study suggested that critical thinking, willingness to learn, leadership, communication, analytical skills, time management, hardworking, positive thinking and attitude, and problem-solving were valued by Indian employers. Blom and Saeki [61] listed 26 skills and categorized them into three factors based on the importance ratings by Indian employers while recruiting fresh engineering graduates. The three factors include core employability skills (integrity, entrepreneurial skills, self-discipline, willingness to learn, flexibility, empathy, and teamwork), professional skills (problem-solving, customer service skills, application of academic knowledge, and creativity), and communication skills (written and verbal communication, English language communication, ICT skills, technical skills, and few others). To this list, the Economist [62] added English language communication, quantitative skills, and advanced-level computer skills were also essential in India. More recently, the India Skill Report (ISR) [63] ranked communication skills, adapting skills to the changing environment, and willingness to learn are the top preferences of Indian employers above all. The report also indicated that interpersonal skills, learning agility, conflict resolution, emotional intelligence, and self-determination are crucial for the Indian job market. Pakistani employers prefer voluntarism, leadership, communication, entrepreneurial skills, career planning, loyalty, conceptual understanding, and respect for elders [60]. To add in this list, Mirza, Jaffri, and Hashmi [64] identified 24 essential skills under three categories for Pakistani employers when hiring new graduates. The categories were based on the employers’ perception that includes communication and business-specific skills (verbal communication, customer service skills, interpersonal skills, entrepreneurship, problem-solving, proper planning, and organizing), core employability skills (teamwork, hard work, self-discipline, self-motivation, initiative), and professional skills (decision-making skill, application of academic knowledge, ability to use of modern tools, ICT skills, integrity, self-awareness, and technical skills). The study’s findings identified the gap in possessed professional skills among Pakistani students and employers are also least satisfied with it. Building upon the findings of Srivastava and Khare (2012), their research revealed that employers in Bangladesh expect a range of skills from their workforce. These include attributes such as hardworking, interpersonal, behavioral, adaptability, respect for labor, language proficiency, safety awareness, ICT proficiency, business acumen, commitment, sincerity, negotiation skills, and familiarity with the Kaizen method. Recent studies by Chowdhury and Miah [67] posited a seven-dimension with 30 employability skills for entry-level H.R. positions in Bangladesh. The dimensions were derived from the perspectives of both students and employers, encompassing personal skills (confidence, team building, self-awareness, well-groomed, listening, organizing, and enjoying challenges), specific communication skills (applying knowledge, info management, breadth knowledge, written communication, subject knowledge, work ethic, and safety), academic skill (relevant internship, taking major courses, and activity-based intern), integrity skill (commitment, honesty, attitude, and responsibility), generic skill (critical thinking, problem-solving, judgment ability, negotiation, and creativity), interpersonal (networking, up to date knowledge, and media communication), adaptability (professionalism, self-management, and flexibility), and students valued differently on these two skills influential (university image, type of university, and reference), and team skill (team leading, compromiser, encourager, and evaluator). In China, Su and Zhang [21] proposed a competency model with 16 employability skills under five dimensions based on both perspectives of students and employers. The skills include responsibility, teamwork, professional knowledge, moral quality, creativity and initiative, problem-solving, and communication. In addition, Yang, Cheung, and Fang [65] proposed 15 measurement items of employability skills for entry-level hotel employees in China. The 15 significant skill items were grouped into four skill dimensions, including job performance and self-management (adaptability, integrity, working independently, enthusiasm, and positive attitude), organization and time management (responsibility, setting priorities, and time management), creativity and innovation (willingness to learn, innovative, creative and initiative), and problem-solving skills (leadership, identifying problem and solution, analytical and critical thinking). On the other hand, Nghia [68] specified 35 skills with six dimensions that are sought by the employers in Vietnam. The six dimensions include career development skills (decision-making, career planning, planning and organizing, adaptability, H. Tushar and N. Sooraksa
Heliyon 9 (2023) e21023 10 self-awareness, management, and leadership skill), learning and personal development skills (willingness to learn, responsibility, problem-solving, teamwork, and self-assessment), interpersonal and communication skills (sociability, foreign language, presentation, self-esteem), intellectual skills (creativity, basic numeracy, and critical thinking), literacy skills (reading, writing, and listening skills), and information skills (information management, ICT skills, learning resources searching skills). More recently, WEF [66] proposed a top ten comparing skills expected by employers over the 2018 to 2024 period. The report posits that analytical and critical thinking, complex problem solving, active learning, creativity and initiative, trustworthiness, emotional intelligence, reasoning, time management, leadership, and social influence are essential skills. To this list, system analysis, evaluation, technology design, and programming will be added as trending skills in 2024. On the other hand, manual skills and physical abilities, basic skills (reading, writing, math, and listening), technology installation and maintenance, and monitor and control skills declined in 2022. The India Skill Report (ISR) [63] ranked communication skills, adapting skills to the changing environment, and willingness to learn are the top preferences of Indian employers above other skills. The report also indicated that interpersonal skills, learning agility, conflict resolution, emotional intelligence, and self-determination are essential for the Indian job market. Taking into account all the discussed studies between 2010 and 2019, a cumulative total 237 skills were identified. After eliminating the duplicated skills, 69 unique skills were specified (see Appendix 1). Table 3 indicates the commonly reported top-ten skills are as follows: problem-solving (appeared in 12 studies), communication (appeared in 11 studies), adaptability (in 10 studies), teamwork (in 10 studies), analytical and critical thinking (in 9 studies), ready to learn (in 10 studies), ethics and integrity (in 9 studies), interpersonal (in 8 studies), leadership (in 8 studies), and ICT skills (in 8 studies). Despite the top ten skills, other commonly demanded skills include creativity and initiative, positive attitude, hard work, professionalism, emotional intelligence, time management, appearance, responsibility, and so on. 4. Discussion The analysis encompassed research studies and government-related reports published in English over the span of the past 30 years. In the initial stage, 38 unique skills were reported in the 1990s, 59 in the 2000s, and 69 in the 2010s. In total, 166 skills were found, whereas 87 unique skills were sorted after eliminating the duplicate skills. However, few skills were industry-specific (e.g., accounting knowledge, system analysis, programming, and so on), 33 skills appeared in one study, and 10 appeared in only two studies. The commonly reported top 15 employability skills (1990–2019) are as follows: problem-solving (in 22 studies), communication (reported in 21 studies), teamwork (in 21 studies), adaptability (in 17 studies), willingness to learn (in 17 studies), creativity and initiative (in 17 studies), ICT skill (in 16 studies), analytical/critical thinking (in 15 studies), integrity (in 15 studies), interpersonal skill (in 14 studies), self-esteem (in 13 studies), leadership (in 12 studies), planning and organizing (in 12 studies), responsibility (in 11 studies), and selfmanagement (in 10 studies). The purpose of this semi-systematic literature review was two folds: first, to see the similarity, variation, or shift of employability skills over the selected time, and second, to explore and list the existing employability skills required by employers from fresh graduates that served the research question of this study. The literature review findings revealed that communication, problemsolving, and teamwork remained the top required employability skills in the selected period. Notably, computer and technologyrelated skills are valued more in recent literature due to the new wave of automation technology. Besides time management, emotional intelligence, work ethics, judgment ability, entrepreneurial skill, hardworking, respecting seniors, foreign language, and practical experience are only reported in the 21st century studies. Some skills (i.e., hardworking, respecting seniors, and entrepreneurial skills) are reported only in South Asian literature, and some skills (i.e., work ethics, judgment ability, and emotional intelligence) are identified in the 2010s literature. Despite the similarities and variations in employability skills, the literature review also indicated a shift in these skills over time. The earlier studies reported that basic literacy, numeracy, manual skills, and skills related to financial management were on top of the list of employability skills. On the other hand, the recent employability skill report (see, example [66,69]) indicates that these skills are continuously declining. Expectedly, Tymon [8] stated that “the increase in the number of graduates has also changed employer’s expectations” (p. 848). In addition, Suarta et al. [69] reported that employers are not satisfied enough with graduates possessing occupation-specific skills in the 21st-century labor market. Some required skills by employers include emotional intelligence, leadership and integrity, critical thinking, adaptability, and creativity and innovation. These skills are also well-documented in recent studies, e.g. Refs. [59,63,67,66], with an ongoing surge in demand. Notably, employability skills exhibit variations across countries, industries, and roles/positions and even within stakeholder groups [8]. The study also found a prevalent mismatch between employers’ expectations and graduates’ possessed skills, a phenomenon not unique but widespread across many nations. This highlights the need for employers, educators, and policymakers to work together to ensure that graduates have the necessary skills to meet the demands of the modern workplace. Overall, this study provides valuable insights into the employability skills most in need in the 21st-century workplace across the globe and can help employers, educators, and policymakers better prepare young people for success in the modern workforce. 5. Theoretical and practical implications Employability is a field that remains a greater interest in higher education and academic literature in this century [70]. Several studies have taken place in the last few decades to scrutinize the importance of higher education in developing societies and the economy. The value and effectiveness of higher education are primarily demonstrated through two main sources: governments and H. Tushar and N. Sooraksa
Heliyon 9 (2023) e21023 11 employers [12]. As a result, employers hold high expectations from universities and graduates. The implications of this study are significant for educators, employers, and policymakers across the globe. The study’s findings can help educators better align their curriculum and teaching methods with the employability skills employers are looking for in fresh graduates. By identifying the specific skills that are most in demand, educators can ensure that their students are well-prepared for the modern workplace and have the best chance of finding employment after graduation. Additionally, employers can use the study’s findings to reshape their recruitment and hiring processes and design training programs that target the skills most important for success in the 21st-century workplace. The study’s findings can also inform policymakers as they design policies and programs to support workforce development. The government can use the study’s findings to guide the development of programs that promote employability and career readiness among young people and to support the development of industries that require the skills identified in the study. Moreover, the study’s results can be used by students, potential job seekers, and career counselors to identify the skills they need to acquire to increase their employability and career readiness. It can help them focus on the skills employers are looking for and make informed decisions about further education and training. Educators and decision-makers can use the specified collection of skills to design curriculum, global employability initiatives, and related legislation to prepare graduates for the global workforce. 6. Conclusion and future research directions The semi-systematic literature review provides a set of global employability skills categorized into three distinct decades: the 1990s, the 2000s, and the 2010s. It outlines similarity, variance, and a unique set of skills in this technological advancement era. The literature review also discussed a historical overview and several perspectives to define employability skills. This information would be useful to current students, academic institutions, potential employers, and policymakers. The study also suggests that creating an employability scale based on employers’ expectations can serve as a valuable tool for identifying and addressing the mismatch between employers’ expectations and graduates’ possessed skills. The impact of the global predicament will be experienced more by the rising economies as the working population of the globe is anticipated to rise at the same time that employment prospects are likely to decline [29]. Therefore, students and fresh graduates must prepare themselves with the necessary skills and competencies in addition to their degrees to succeed in a competitive workforce. Academia and organizations must work together to ensure fresh graduates possess the essential skills. Educational policymakers should concentrate on developing curricula and modernizing instructional strategies based on organizational expectations. Delving into industry-specific employability skill needs could provide targeted insights for educators and policymakers, enabling them to align curricula and teaching initiatives more effectively. On the other hand, business organizations ought to assist academic institutions in equipping graduates for the workforce, who will one day become the backbone of their respective industries. Further research should conduct longitudinal studies to track the evolution of employability skills over extended periods that could offer a deeper understanding of how these skills continue to adapt to changing workplace dynamics. In addition, the study primarily relies on the examination of employability skills over a 30-year period published in English, while illuminating evolving trends, might exclude valuable perspectives from non-English sources and recent developments. Therefore, exploring regional variations in employability skills demands and offerings could shed light on the unique requirements faced by diverse geographical regions, helping tailor educational and training programs accordingly. Comparative analysis across cultures and nations may uncover cross-cultural variations in employability skills preferences and their implications, aiding in the development of globally applicable strategies. Certainly, addressing the evolving landscape of employability skills in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic and the future of work is a critical aspect of future research in this field. Recent global events have significantly accelerated the adoption of remote work, digital technologies, and automation [71]. These shifts are likely to have profound implications for the skills that employers seek in fresh graduates. Research should, therefore, endeavor to connect the findings of this study with the emerging trends in the post-pandemic workforce. Exploring the impact of emerging technologies, as supported by recent studies [72–74], on the demand for employability skills and how they are reshaping skill priorities is an area of significant relevance. By addressing these areas, future research endeavors can contribute to a more nuanced comprehension of employability skills’ dynamic nature, the evolving demands of the job market, and the strategies needed to bridge the gap between education and employment. Data availability statement Data included in article/supp. Material/referenced in article. CRediT authorship contribution statement Hasanuzzaman Tushar: Conceptualization, Data curation, Formal analysis, Investigation, Visualization, Writing – original draft, Writing – review & editing. Nanta Sooraksa: Conceptualization, Methodology, Validation, Writing – review & editing. Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper. H. Tushar and N. Sooraksa
Heliyon 9 (2023) e21023 12 Appendix 1. Unique Skills Set (1990s, 2000s, and 2010s) Commonly reported skills 1990s 2000s 2010s One time reported skills 1990s 2000s 2010s 1. Problem solving 5 5 12 1. Psychological Competency 0 0 1 2. Communication 4 6 11 2. Intellectual ability 0 1 0 3. Team Work 5 6 10 3. Work readiness 0 1 0 4. Adaptability 3 4 10 4. Career identity 0 1 0 5. Willingness to learn 4 3 10 5. Vitality 1 0 0 6. Creativity and initiative 4 5 8 6. Cooperation 1 0 0 7. ICT Skill 3 5 8 7. Self-promotion 1 0 0 8. Analytical/critical thinking 3 3 9 8. political awareness 1 0 0 9. Integrity 3 3 9 9. Commonsense 0 1 0 10. Interpersonal Skill 3 3 8 10. Sense of humor 0 1 0 11. Self-esteem 5 5 3 11. Ability to deal with pressure 0 1 0 12. Leadership 3 1 8 12. Sharing information 0 1 0 13. Planning and Organizing 3 4 5 13. Coaching 0 1 0 14. Self-Management 2 4 4 14. Mentoring and giving feedback 0 1 0 15. Responsibility 3 3 5 15. Generating opportunities 0 1 0 16. Positive Attitude and Behavior 1 3 6 16. Resourceful 0 1 0 17. Motivation 2 3 4 17. Personal developmental skill 0 1 0 18. Time management 0 4 4 18. Self-efficacy 0 1 0 19. Information management 2 3 3 19. Resilience 0 1 0 20. Basic literacy and numerical skill 2 3 2 20. Physical Fitness 0 0 1 21. Decision making 2 1 4 21. Safety 0 0 1 22. Professionalism 1 1 4 22. Accounting Skill 0 0 1 23. Career planning 1 1 4 23. Secretarial Skill 0 0 1 24. Sociability 1 2 3 24. Patience 0 0 1 25. Negotiation 2 2 1 25. Career advancement 0 0 1 26. Appearance and personal presentation 0 2 3 26. Technology design and programming 0 0 1 27. Academic Skill 1 1 3 27. Systems analysis and evaluation 0 0 1 28. Networking 1 2 2 28. Visionary thinking 1 0 0 29. Goal Setting 3 1 1 29. Quick responsiveness 0 0 1 30. Hard working 0 0 5 30. System Design 0 0 1 31. Reliability 0 2 3 31. Experiments/data analysis 0 0 1 32. Self-awareness 1 0 4 32. Kaizen Method 0 0 1 33. English Language Communication 0 2 4 33. Continuous improvement process 0 1 0 34. customer service 0 2 3 35. Entrepreneurial skills 0 0 4 36. Work knowledge 0 1 3 37. Emotional intelligence 0 0 3 38. Personality 1 1 1 39. Work Independently 1 1 2 40. Commitment 0 1 2 41. Influencing Skill 0 0 2 42. Self-discipline 0 0 3 43. Technical skill 0 0 3 44. Practical Experience 0 1 1 45. Application of Skill 1 1 0 46. Loyalty 0 1 1 47. Enthusiasm/Passion 0 2 1 48. Respecting others 0 1 1 49. Commercial awareness 0 3 1 50. Judgment Ability 0 0 2 51. Selling Skill 0 0 2 52. Use of modern tools 0 0 2 53. Application of academic knowledge 0 0 2 54. Dedication 1 0 1 References [1] W.M. Lim, The workforce revolution: reimagining work, workers, and workplaces for the future, Glob. Bus. Organ. Excell. (2023), https://doi.org/10.1002/ joe.22218. [2] S. Elder, Labour Market Transitions of Young Women and Men in Asia and the Pacific, 2014. www.ilo.org/ilc/ILCSessions/101stSession/texts-. [3] L.I. Llinares-Insa, P. Gonz´ alez-Navarro, J.J. Zacar´es-Gonzalez, ´ A.I. Cordoba-I ´ nesta, ˜ Employability appraisal scale (EAS): development and validation in a Spanish sample, Front. Psychol. 9 (2018), https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2018.01437. [4] J. Cumming, Contextualised performance: reframing the skills debate in research education, Stud. High Educ. 35 (2010) 405–419, https://doi.org/10.1080/ 03075070903082342. [5] P. Evans-greenwood, P. Williams, K. O’Leary, Redefining Education: the Paradigm Shift, 2015, p. 44. https://www2.deloitte.com/au/en/pages/public-sector/ articles/redefining-education.html. H. Tushar and N. Sooraksa
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World Development Sustainability 2 (2023) 100045 Contents lists available at ScienceDirect World Development Sustainability journal homepage: www.elsevier.com/locate/wds Developing employability skills in vulnerable youth: Designing logic model framework and outcome evaluation using quasi-experiment☆ Pallavi Gupta, PhDa,∗ , Ambarish Dattaa , Satyanarayan Kothe, PhDb a BSE Institute Ltd., 18th & 19th Floor, Phiroze Jeejeebhoy Towers, Dalal Street, Mumbai 400001, India b Mumbai School of Economics and Public Policy, University of Mumbai, Kalina Campus, Santacruz (East), Mumbai 400098, India a r t i c l e i n f o JEL Classification: I210 I230 1240 Keywords: Outcome evaluation Work-based skills Interpersonal skills Behavioural skills Vulnerable youth Employability Wilcoxon signed-rank test a b s t r a c t This paper introduces a simple framework for developing work-based technical skills and enhancing employability skills in vulnerable youth from disadvantaged backgrounds. The purpose is to ascertain that sustainable skills development is not just provision of technical skills but also developing resilience in the form of future identity, motivation and a sense of self-worth. Framework is outlined as a ‘logic model’ that serves as a blueprint of pilot intervention conducted over a period of five months. It illustrates relationships between activities and outcomes with emphasis on outcome evaluation. Quasi-experiment research is designed to assess the differences in outcomes for experimental and comparison groups. Data is collected in three phases using qualitative and quantitative methods. On comparing before and after intervention study finds significant differences. Result of experiment group means show that the percentage change was greatest for work-based technical skills notwithstanding improvement in behavioural skills and interpersonal skills. Aligned with SDG Target 4, this framework can serve as a useful tool for organisations involved in career or skills development activities or to anybody with an interest in employability amongst the vulnerable youth. 1. Introduction Changing labour markets, economic transformations and new technologies are affecting economic sustainability and disrupting the organisational landscape, while also creating more opportunities and job creation in certain sectors [30]. This demands a higher level of competencies from individuals and they are expected to continuously change to remain competitive [5]. In this context skills development of the youth gains significance. The present skills landscape in India, despite the sufficient manpower isn’t encouraging. India’s Skill Development initiative to skill one crore youth under Pradhan Mantri Kaushal Vikas Yojana (PMKVY) by 2020 achieved approximately 36 lakh people enroled by the end of 2018 [7]. Despite an increase in the number of Industrial Training Institutes (ITIs), only 15.3% were enroled in vocational training with the enrolment rate amongst rural students at 24% and 8.3% amongst urban students (NSS 75th Round). Skills development gains greater significance in the face of rising unemployment. Over the last few years there has been an improvement in the number of skilled labour from 34% in 2014 to 47% in 2019 but a simultaneous decrease in those who are able to find a job upon completion from 50% to 30% (India Skills Report, 2019). Participatory Labour ☆ Please note that the title is revised as per comments of Reviewer #2. This research did not receive any specific grant from funding agencies in the public, commercial, or not-for-profit sectors. ∗ Corresponding author at: BSE Institute Ltd., 18th & 19th Floor, Phiroze Jeejeebhoy Towers, Dalal Street, Mumbai 400001, India. E-mail address: [email protected] (P. Gupta). Force Survey report (PLFS 2018) states that unemployment rates for urban youth (15 to 29 years) was 23.7% and this figure is not far from CMIE (first quarter 2019) unemployment rate of 37.9% in urban youth (20 - 24 years old). Of those surveyed under PLFS 2018, only 2% mentioned having received any formal training and 8% mentioned having some informal training, these figures also align with the Twelfth Five Year Plan that less than 5% of those between 15 and 29 years were formally trained. However, PLFS data reveals that 33% of those formally trained remain unemployed and this highlights the problem of sustainably developing a skilled labour force. The model of vocational training within the educational institutes in India has so far proved ineffective mainly due to a mismatch between demand and supply of skilled workforce. Vocational Education and Training (VET) and general education have been functioning as two disjoint vertices and thus have been largely inadequate in either providing “work ready” individuals or even upgraded skilled trainers (Jain, 1992; Agarwal et al., 2014; [10,11]). Within the formal structure of skills development itself, acquired skills of ITI/ ITC graduates do not meet the demands of the industry due to redundant curricula, poor quality in terms of infrastructure and inadequate teacher capabilities [37]. The institutes lack close links with industry and understanding of employers’ needs. A https://doi.org/10.1016/j.wds.2023.100045 Received 31 March 2022; Received in revised form 26 October 2022; Accepted 8 January 2023 2772-655X/© 2023 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier Ltd. This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/)
P. Gupta, A. Datta and S. Kothe World Development Sustainability 2 (2023) 100045 major challenge throughout programs lies in effectively testing the outcomes of such programs in terms of skill development. To add to this, inequalities in opportunities and human development restrict development of potential and aspirations in the vulnerable youth and “manifest as inequalities in outcomes in adulthood” ([15], p. 1). Vulnerable youth face structural barriers due to poor human capital endowments, lack of relevant skills, lack of mentorship or protective factors [36], thus are likely to be absorbed into the labour market at an early age (ILO, 2015). Most of them cannot afford to remain unemployed due to their unstable economic backgrounds and thus seek work as casual wage labourers in low or middle skilled occupations characterised by low labour productivity (Government of India: 2006; [38]). In this context, the ability to attain sustainable employment implies more significance than gaining employment, where individuals could simply take up lower-level jobs due to financial constraints ([24], pg. 2), and thus can provide an incomplete picture of what the individual has gained [16]. The channel of skills acquisition in vulnerable and at-risk youth is highly informal making them susceptible to poor employment conditions, low productivity and lower wages [32]. There is thus a greater need to create a framework for training and skills development that “suits their economic compulsions’’ (Government of India, 2016, pg. 13). Coronavirus (COVID-19) is causing massive disruptions in economic activities, incomes, and work; with rapidly changing labour markets and new technologies, markets demand higher competencies, practical and transferable skills from individuals in order to remain competitive (Bennet, 2006; [27]). Insufficient technical infrastructure to support effective distance learning leads to challenges in acquisition of practical skills and causes disruptions in smooth continuity of TVETs [27]. Disruptions in education, training and skills development are widening pre-existing gaps in access and outcomes; putting the vulnerable youth at risk of falling further behind. With increasing economic hardships, there is a need to expand availability of accessible training programs that can develop better resiliency and maintain engagement in the face of future crises [27]. 2. Theoretical framework 2.1. Some existing frameworks of employability and skills development and quasi-experimental designs in education Studies done on employability and its determinants, have attempted to present frameworks as a guide towards successful movement of students to the labour market. Thus, “learning and employability frameworks” have been provided to help various stakeholders to understand and develop policies according to industry requirements [16,48]). These focused on providing a learning environment or an ecology consisting of “learners, learning environment and study repository” that influences learning and therefore enhances employability [39]. Model based on five key elements of higher education to achieve “optimum level of employability” as discussed by [4] includes i) disciplinary skills, ii) disciplinary content knowledge, iii) workplace awareness, iv) workplace experience, and v) generic skills. The USEM model is based on four interrelated employability components of i) understanding: subject knowledge, ii) skills: specific and generic, iii) efficacy beliefs: self-awareness and iv) metacognition: self-reflection and regulation [48]. In order to leverage the efforts of different stakeholders, the U.S. Department of Education, guided by CTE, has developed an ‘Employability Skills Framework’ listing a set of general cross cutting abilities that are required to be ‘career ready’ including workplace skills such as technical use and resource management; applied academic skills and critical thinking; and interpersonal skills [41]. The theoretical model of the Career EDGE framework of employability that is widely used focuses on developing subject knowledge and skills, both as a motivator to attain higher education and also to get wider access to employment opportunities [9]. Other than subject knowledge, generic skills such as creativity, adaptability, resiliency, willingness, communication, time management, attention to detail and use of new technologies are amongst those that employers place a higher value on (Harvey et al., 1997). Goleman in his book ‘Working with Emotional Intelligence’ (1998) strongly supports including emotional intelligence in employability models and sets out a framework of emotional intelligence (EI) that reflects how an individual’s potential for mastering the skills of “Self-Awareness, Self-Management, Social Awareness, and Relationship Management translates into on-the-job success” ([20], p. 1); the model gains significance in the current knowledge based economy (Moynagh & Worsley, 2005; [16]). An important conceptual framework is the Skills Towards Employment and Productivity (STEP) focusing on building right technical, cognitive and digital skills and OJT [44]. Similarly, the Demand-Driven Training Toolkit (DDT) provides research-based and practically applied frameworks that aims to narrow the gaps between what the individual learns through formal education systems and what employer needs (DDT for youth employment- Toolkit, 2018). 2.2. Challenges in building framework for skills development Disruptions caused by COVID-19 exposes students from low-income households to a greater risk of premature termination of their education and learning opportunities significantly affecting their feeling of self-worth and sense of belonging [40]. Identifying target groups, identifying and matching gaps in skills, co-creating or modifying curriculum, mentorship requires aligning the intervention with employers’ requirements [17]. First, gathering labour market information (LMI) or data on ‘demand for’ and ‘supply of’ labour requires careful selection from national and local surveys, real time market data and/ or through surveys, interviews with identified students, schools, employers and industry experts. Data-based information provides a more accurate and comprehensive foundation for demand and supply analysis while also keeping track of emerging skills. Second, aligning different stakeholders on the problem, resource allocation, purpose and strategy can be challenging. Often, there is a narrow focus on factors that lead to lack of skills by stakeholders [14]. Developing ‘job-roles’ or skills in a specific sector requires a comprehensive and coordinated approach such as ‘industry-education partnerships’ which are more likely to reach outcomes. Lack of clarity on roles and responsibility, lack of communication and information between various stakeholders leads to imbalances and creates difficulties in reaching the outcomes [18]. Third, the process of selection is challenging. Selecting at-risk, vulnerable youth requires an extensive analysis on multiple personal and environmental elements such as: i) education and skills, ii) access to services, iii) support from family and iv) peer relations [12,33]. Fourth, imparting practical skills is a key element of vocational training. Recent disruptions have caused challenges in delivery and measurement of practical skills thus it becomes challenging to ensure that students have access to technical infrastructure, devices, connectivity or even uninterrupted electricity to maintain continuity (ILO, 2020). Fifth, monitoring on-going intervention and outcome evaluation is a challenging process. Changes in industry requirements require adaptable, ongoing and accurate measures. ‘Evidence-based’ results require adequate resources and clarity in methods [19,45]. Evaluations must be benchmarked against statistically proven direct and indirect outcomes since continuous monitoring and outcome evaluation can be challenging for individuals from vulnerable social backgrounds given the complexities of barriers, they may face in order to skill themselves. 2.3. Why logic model? There is a greater value in strengthening skills development programs designed for vulnerable youth who live in poverty. This demands 2
P. Gupta, A. Datta and S. Kothe World Development Sustainability 2 (2023) 100045 different methods of evaluating performance and testing credibility. The complexity of challenges that the vulnerable youth face as well as gaps in the existing education and training frameworks require a tailored approach that sustainably connects such youth to employment opportunities and evaluates such outcomes. To establish program effectiveness, it is observed that the focus is primarily on outcome data and less on what ‘happens during the program to understand the changes in outcomes’ (Martinek, 2017); for example, testing if the participants are motivated, are provided opportunities in decision making. In this context, developing an evaluation process based on logical reasoning ensures continued modifications, looking into ‘what goes on’ during the program and thus avoids a ‘black box approach’ (Patton, 1997). Thus, interventions based on a logic model framework will allow monitoring what intervention ‘is doing’ and ‘is not doing’. Logic models have traditionally been used as important tools in ‘building community capacities’ and ‘strengthening community voice’ ([47], p. III). The emphasis on providing ‘evidence based’ conceptual framework to ‘maximise the impact of educational investments’ and clearly show a path from investments to impact is discussed in order to build leadership capacity in students (Daughert et al., 2017, p. 4). Generally, logic models have been used as effective action-orientated tools for program planning, identifying outcomes and providing stakeholders with a clear road map ([28]; Martinek, 2017). The rationale for creating a skills development program for vulnerable youth within the framework of logic model was that first, it will create a conscious process with clear understanding of challenges, inputs, activities and outcomes; second, it will align ‘planned work’ with ‘intended end results’ such as outputs and impact; and third, it will serve as an effective evaluation tool. For this study ‘vulnerable youth’ is defined as individuals who faced constraints in receiving quality education or were possibly first-generation learners, were belonging to low-income households with negligible assets, were either highly likely to drop-out of their existing education (“at-risk”) or had existing gaps in education which may create obstacles in securing employment that would provide adequate wage and social cover such as health insurance. In this context, this study proposes a ‘Employability and Skills Development Logic Model Framework’ as the blueprint of a pilot intervention conducted over a period of 5 months from December 2020 to May 2021 in New Delhi and Mumbai; with the main objective of developing rolebased technical skills in vulnerable youth and subsequently smoothen the transition from school to work. Here, two role-based technical skills are identified from the banking, financial services and insurance (BFSI) sector as: 1) microfinance associate and 2) junior data analysis associate (see notes for details). The main purpose of creating the framework was to introduce a practical model of developing employability skills in high potential youth and investigate the outcomes through quasi experimental research whether or not the logic model increases employability skills amongst such youth. For this study, ‘employability’ is defined as a set of skills and attributes that make an individual more likely to secure and maintain an occupation, be satisfied and successful in it [9,24]. Nine measurement scales for three domains testing employability were developed: work-based domain, interpersonal domain and behavioural domain. Framework emphasis that training interventions should not only be means of getting a job, but should be able to take the edge off social disadvantages of exclusion, discrimination or even addiction and personal disadvantages such as low sense of self-efficacy and lack of future identity ([3]; Mangoche, 2014). Framework is adapted from ‘Kellogs Foundation Guidelines for Developing Logic Model’ and is directly aligned with Target 4 under the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), and specifically aligned towards Target 4.3 which is to ‘Ensure equal access to affordable and quality technical, vocational and higher education’; Target 4.4.1 which is to ‘Substantially increase the number of youth and adults with ICT skills’. 3. Research questions and framing the hypothesis It was hypothesised that there would be significant differences in employability of vulnerable youth with or without implementation of logic model framework designed to develop role-based demand driven skills. The focus first is to test in practice the validity of framework as a logic model for designing and testing an intervention for vulnerable youth. Furthermore, in order to develop employability, three skill domains are identified and development of these skills are embedded within the key activities of the logic model framework. The three broad parameters for developing employability were established as: i) work-based, ii) interpersonal and iii) behavioural. To test the hypothesis, the following research questions were proposed and analysed. 1) Does integrating work-based learning in curriculum enhance graduate employability amongst the students of the experimental group more than those in the comparison group? 2) Do experimental group students perceive an effective advancement in their interpersonal skills as compared to those from comparison groups? 3) Did the intervention impact positive behavioural attributes amongst experimental group students as compared to comparison group students? 4. Methodology 4.1. Subjects For this study, of the 387 students mobilised, two groups were formed: a comparison group and an experimental group. Mean age of both groups is 21 years. More than half (57.4%) have annual household incomes of less than Rs. 70,000. Around 40% are first generation learners. In order to control for selection bias and student variability, the same set of selection criteria, interview questions and interviewers were used to select participants for the two groups. Participants were tested on the basis of four broad parameters i) academic performance and orientation (secondary/ higher secondary/ percentages or scores), ii) household income and iii) demographic backgrounds (age, education of parents, earning and dependant members) and iv) commitment towards participating in the program. For the last parameter, a fully refunded deposit fee of Rs. 5000 was taken which was returned on completion of the program. A total of 76 students were selected as the experimental group of which 65 joined the program. Of the remaining participants, 65 were reached out to who showed willingness to take all survey questions administered post intervention. This group was the comparison group. These students were not subject to any vocational & technical intervention or training. Comparison group at baseline consists of 65 students and post intervention only 57 participants remained, eight students did not respond to questionnaires nor were available for calls. It is important to emphasise here that quasi-experimental research can be successfully run only on the basis of carefully matched groups, in the absence of which the evaluations can be incorrect at worst and misleading at best [11,22]. 4.2. Development of domains and measurement scales A baseline survey consisting of three pre-tests were administered to the comparison group (65 students) and experimental group (65 students). These pre-tests were designed around factors that influence employability and development of skills. Of-course learning sector specific or work-based skills has to be the central concept in the framework. There remains less argument that the main motivator to attain a degree or higher qualification is to secure a better employment opportunity; better qualified have far greater job opportunities (Johnes, 2006). However, in vulnerable groups, over and above the need to develop sector specific skills, the significance of improving “generic skills” also called 3
P. Gupta, A. Datta and S. Kothe World Development Sustainability 2 (2023) 100045 ‘‘transferable skills’ is in fact higher. Generic skills are “prime qualities” that can enhance learning across disciplines ([4]; Knight & Yorke, 2002) and are highly desirable by employers (Harvey et al., 1997). Some of the key generic skills include: responsibility, willingness to learn, team work, management and independent work, time management, communication, coordination and organisation, written and numeracy skills (The Pedagogy for Employability Group, 2004). Lastly, the study perceived that creating ‘self-efficacy’ or a sense of self-worth will be the real crucial trait that allows vulnerable students to execute their own course of action when required and keep them motivated. Based on these factors influencing employability, three domains were created to test groups on work-based, interpersonal, and behavioural skills. Three broad parameters of testing skills within that domain is as follows: A Work-based: i) Applied knowledge ii) Technological skills and iii) Information use. B Interpersonal: i) Effective communication skills ii) Personal presentation, and iii) Time management. C Behavioural: i) Motivation and confidence ii) Future identity and iii) Willingness, responsibility and self-discipline. In order to measure employability skills in students of experimental and comparison groups before the intervention, a 5-point Likert scale questionnaire was drafted and administered. The questionnaire consisted of a total of 20 questions: nine in domain A, six in domain B, and five in domain C. Scores were assigned to each question to create a baseline index in the following manner: 5 = “strongly agree/ always/ excellent”; 4 = “somewhat agree/ often/ good”; 3 = “neither agree nor disagree/ neutral/ average”; 2 = disagree/ rarely/ poor”; and 1 = “strongly disagree/ never/ very poor”, such that a minimum score of 20 and maximum score of 100 is created. Skewness-kurtosis test of normality to check the reliability of the questionnaire and to ensure data followed a normal distribution was used. In this study, the procedure for quantitatively developing measurement scale for each domain is as follows. 4.2.1. ‘Work-based’ scale In order to measure students’ work-based skills, a total of nine subparameters were drafted based on the studies of Bennett et al., [4], Martin (2004) and Martin (2014). Out of the list of five elements ‘ensuring optimum level of employability’ by Bennett et al., [4] and 14 employability skills as identified by Martin et al., [35]; this study condensed to the following nine: 1) technical know-how, 2) job-role/ content knowhow, 3) workplace/ job-specific, 4) sector specific awareness, 5) academic assistance, 6) placement readiness, 7) preference on quality over ‘any job’, 8) literacy and numeracy, 9) information use. Full score totalled 45, with a minimum score of 9. A questionnaire on work-based domain was administered to both groups pre-intervention. Average score of the comparison group was 19.71 with standard deviation (SD) of 3.60. Average score of the experimental group was 19.42, with a SD of 3.42. Thus, both groups performed similarly under this domain. This is also referred to as a baseline survey. 4.2.2. ‘Interpersonal’ scale In order to measure students’ interpersonal skills, a total of six subparameters were drafted based on studies of Bennett et al., [4] and Nair et al., (2009). This study identified: 1) communication, 2) noncognitive/ analytical, 3) resource management, 4) time management, 5) personal presentation and 6) teamwork/ or ability to work independently. The scale scores ranged between 30 and 6. To establish the validity of questions of interpersonal scale, a series of interviews with students of experimental and comparison groups were conducted. In addition, an independent-samples t-test is used to compare the scores of both groups pre-intervention. A questionnaire with interpersonal domain was administered to both groups pre-intervention. Average score of comparison group was 13.62 with a SD of 3.15. Experimental group’s average score was 13.5, with a SD of 2.76. Table 1 Measurement Scale Summary: Experimental and Comparison groups pre intervention. Work Based Interpersonal Behavioural Mean SD Mean SD Mean SD Experimental Gr Baseline 19.42 3.42 13.54 2.76 13.55 2.07 Comparison Gr Baseline 19.71 3.60 13.62 3.15 13.06 2.01 4.2.3. ‘Behavioural’ scale In order to measure behavioural skills of the students of both groups a total of five sub-parameters that are incorporated from Career EDGE model, Bandura’s (1995) “Ss” and Fugate et al. [19,45] are: 1) selfefficacy/ motivation, 2) future identity, 3) willingness to learn, 4) responsibility and 5) self-discipline. Behavioural scale incorporates the impact of vulnerable students’ social background and support system that influences their emotional well-being. The scores ranged from 25 to 5. Average score of comparison group was 13.06 with a SD of 2.01. And that of the experimental group were 13.55 and 2.07 respectively, thus, it was established that the groups were similar before intervention. (See table 1). The two groups are tested on these three domains after the completion of training for the experimental group under the quasiexperimental analysis. Findings for post-intervention are given later under the results section. 4.3. Quasi-Experimental research A quasi-experimental research exercise was conducted for a period of five months. The research procedure was as follows (see Fig. 1). 5. Framework The Employability and Skills Development Logic Model Framework has 5 main blocks: i) Inputs, ii) Outputs iii) Intermediate Outcomes, iv) Outcome Evaluation and v) Impact. The process is cumulative, elements in each block are based on previous course of action or stage. Data is collected by quantitative and qualitative methods at three levels: (i) Level 1 (Baseline Survey) during planning and identifying collaborative partnerships phase. (ii) Level 2 (Assessment) during activities/ corresponding activities phase and (iii) Level 3 (Evaluation) for outcome evaluation. Methodology for three levels is designed and required indicators are identified during the initial stages of the pilot (also see methodology section). Description of each block contains a rationale (why was the block included), data and methodology (how information was collected and analysed) and results (what was achieved). Here’s what the framework looks like (see Fig. 2). 5.1. Inputs ‘Inputs’ include “resources and infrastructure” that will be required to run the program [8]. Assessment and Planning (What) includes setting objectives and purpose of work. The main objective of the program is to train vulnerable and at-risk youth in trade specific skills and subsequently transition them into sustainable employment. The purpose is to establish that skills development in vulnerable youth requires a demand driven approach that is tailored to their needs (DDT Toolkit, 2018). Constant changes and disruptions brought by technology, globalisation, education and even pandemic recently, have led to changes in how work is done and how it is organised. It is thus essential to keep track of ‘skill shortages’, what jobs will remain and what will emerge and ‘disappearing-jobs’. Labour Market Information or LMI is an essential first step in evaluating sectoral changes and requirements to identify skills the youth need to develop and align them with their needs and capacity to learn as well as the trainers forte to train. LMI was essentially 4
P. Gupta, A. Datta and S. Kothe World Development Sustainability 2 (2023) 100045 Fig. 1. Quasi-Experimental Research Procedure. administered for the BFSI sector in India, where the rate of change is exponential causing light skill redundancies and thus the need for investments in reskilling and upskilling. BFSI is a high growth sector, with projected demand of 8.5 million labour force by 2022 (National Skill Development Corporation), with Maharashtra and Uttar Pradesh generating the highest number of skilled and employable youth [25,26]. LMI also showed that the BFSI sector is facing an employable manpower challenge with very few vocational courses aligned to job roles therefore investments aligned to reskilling and upskilling will be required. Jobs in this sector will be divided mainly into: data management, risk management and alliances. 5.1.1. Level 1 (Baseline survey) is used for i) selection of experimental and comparison groups, ii) identifying skill gaps, iii) identifying job relevant skills and iv) designing course curriculum according to current or future requirements of the industry. Selection criteria for the total sample group is a set of predetermined demographic factors such as household income, education and employment of parents, education type, number of gap years to identify the extent of vulnerability faced. Identifying skill gaps required us to collect data through online questionnaires circulated amongst 65 experimental group students and 19 selected employers from the BFSI sector. All respondents were given a list of seven skills based on comprehensive study by Martin et al. [35]. The study identified 14 employability skills and analysed these in order of priority and importance, devoid of these skills could prevent a candidate from employment [42]. The seven selected of these were: Literacy and numeracy skills, general Information and technology, communication, time keeping, team-work, advanced vocational and role-based skills, and personal presentation. Respondents were asked to rank these on a scale of 1 to 7. Rank 1 to the skill they perceive as most important to attain employment, and rank 7 to that considered least important. Results in Tables 2 and 3 show a mismatch between perceptions of the students and the employers. The skills perceived by students as least important (mean scores >5.5) were ranked moderate to high importance (mean scores < 2.5) by employers. Findings suggest that while the students could be aware of employability skills in general, they were not able to rank the skills as per demand in the labour market. In particular, skills such as communication and personal presentation identified as least important by students were prioritised by most of the employers. Surprisingly, general IT skills and literacy and numeracy were identified by both groups as highly important, notwithstanding that these students regardless of their vulnerable backgrounds, had performed fairly well academically at school level suggestive of high priority given to literacy and numeracy. 5.1.2. Participants of different stakeholders (Who) strengthen outcomes such as well-designed customised curricula, mentoring, work-readiness and hiring. Partnerships benefit all stakeholders building exposure and awareness of the work environment. The pilot provided in-class learning conducted by educational institutes, teachers from universities were selected for training the students. Mentors were assigned to constantly guide, motivate or provide any emotional support. On-the-job training was provided by private companies operating in the BFSI sector. 5.1.3. Activities (How) involve tailoring and modifying existing curriculum according to the needs of the employers and thus, co-designing with employers and their expectations of the job roles. Two trade specific job roles are identified: 1. Microfinance Associate, 2. Data Analysis Associate. These two roles have a steady job growth in future that vulnerable youth otherwise find difficult to secure. It was a given assumption within the stakeholder groups that students from the vulnerable groups do not learn technical skills of higher order well and thus cannot be made employable for data analysis. Selecting this job role was to establish that students from vulnerable groups could aspire for higher order skills and have the aspiration to upskill themselves for future work opportunities. The micro5
P. Gupta, A. Datta and S. Kothe World Development Sustainability 2 (2023) 100045 Fig. 2. Employability and Skills Development Logic Model Framework. Table 2 Mean scores of skills perceived as important by students ranked from 1 to 7. Skills Literacy & numeracy General IT Comm. Time-keeping Team-work Advanced Vocc. & role-based Personal presentation Means 2.48 1.81 5.58 4.04 5.23 2.01 6.86 SD 0.87 0.7 0.63 0.71 0.95 1.32 0.39 Table 3 Mean scores of skills perceived as important by employers ranked from 1 to 7. Skills Literacy & numeracy General IT Comm. Time-keeping Team-work Advanced Vocc. & role-based Personal presentation Means 2.22 2.11 2.11 5.66 6.88 3.55 4.55 SD 0.83 1.17 1.76 0.71 0.33 0.73 0.73 6
P. Gupta, A. Datta and S. Kothe World Development Sustainability 2 (2023) 100045 finance job role was identified because jobs could be made available at entry level and students could seamlessly transit to jobs while still studying. Training methods included a combination of in-class and workplacebased learnings. Mentoring is an instrumental element of skill development in vulnerable groups, improving both cognitive and non-cognitive skills ([13], pg. 32). Two mentors were assigned for each group in New Delhi and Mumbai that were sensitised on the vulnerabilities and background of the students. Capacity building included selection of 48 teachers and providing professional training for one week (total of ten hours). Post training teacher’s assessments were conducted on four parameters: i) communication, ii) digital knowledge, iii) subject knowledge and iv) responsiveness to needs of students. See Appendix for summary and data description. 5.1.4. Level 2 (Assessment) A mixed-method assessment for the experimental group is conducted that includes: standardised summative tests, class presentations and computer-based assessments (CBA). All assessments were credit based and a composite credit was generated for each student based on their performance throughout the training program. Alongside feedback is taken from teachers and mentors to identify changes in performance of students and the challenges they face during module delivery; adding emphasis that interventions must be continuously monitored regardless of evaluation ([13], pg. 20). Assessment did not require a pre-test and post-test design since the students were previously not trained for sector specific skills. 5.2. Output The ‘logic’ in the logic model is realised when the inputs and intermediate outcomes result in desired outputs. Outputs brings out the ‘change’ section of the framework. Here, elements that can provide observable evidence of change during the course of the intervention are classified as outputs, and can be considered as pre-conditions that are required to be met in order to achieve the outcomes. As part of the intervention, outputs were categorised as those pre-conditions that can be directly linked to the activities, these include providing a smooth transition from school to workplace with sustainably employing the youth and providing professional training to 48 teachers selected as one of the participants during the ‘activities’ phase. Furthermore, indirect evidence of activities are those pre-conditions that are hypothesised to arise due to the intervention however may not necessarily be ‘caused’ due to the intervention for the experiment group. Gap between skills necessary for employment and ‘actually’ securing employment is narrowed and there is improvement in workforce readiness, these are observable milestones of the intervention but cannot be directly stated as occurred because of the activities. Of course, in interventions that do not accommodate for sustainable long-term placements, the experiment group will benefit from training and mentorship thus leading to an improvement in workforce readiness and enhanced skill set, however may not result into gainful employment immediately. 5.3. Intermediate outcomes Identification of outcomes is the first step while setting up of the framework. Vulnerable youth often not only lack crucial trade specific skills, there seems to be a lack of self-efficacy and sense of future identity, therefore allowing such factors that could change as a result of intervention aimed at improving employability amongst such youth. Intermediate outcomes included development of trade specific and interpersonal skills, developing sense of future identity and creating inclusiveness by changing exposure and consequences for the vulnerable youth. Working backwards from such outcomes (also known as reverse logic), it is essential to identify what are the pre-conditions required to achieve these outcomes. The outcomes provided in this framework directly address key factors that limit opportunities of sustainable employment amongst the vulnerable and at-risk students. The outcomes are achieved only once a set of differently identified outputs are met [31]. During the first phase of selection, during the interview a majority of students showed a high interest in learning skills and attain sustainable employment with a sole objective of contributing to family income. This information was shared by the maximum number of students being interviewed. In vulnerable youth such motivations result in urgent requirements to obtain low-skilled unsustainable jobs. In this context, responding to the urgent need to provide a ‘short term entry’ into the labour market is an incomplete solution. Given the economic and demographic vulnerability of the target group, the pilot emphasised on a learner centric approach ensuring not only a smooth transition from school to work, but also development of analytical thinking, team work, communication skills and sustainable jobs. The pilot provided sustainable employment with a formal contract for 61 of 65 experimental group students in the BFSI sector. The pilot also built technical and digital skills in BFSI aligned courses amongst 48 teachers. Vocational and technical training are not and should not be a “quick fix” to address the problem of high unemployment amongst such students, therefore limiting themselves to reducing barriers to enter the labour market [6]. Development of role-based technical training along with attention on curating interpersonal skills and mentorship is recognising that training should not only be a means of better employment opportunities or financial improvements but also take the edge off social disadvantages such as social exclusion, lower sense of self-efficacy, addiction, discrimination in students or even early marriage and pregnancy in young women. An effective intervention therefore includes attempts to change exposure and consequences of vulnerable youth as part of its intermediate outcomes. 5.4. Outcome evaluation The objective of outcome evaluation is to assess the progress and changes in the experimental group caused by the intervention and statistically measure such progress and changes. In order to effectively test the viability of the results, quasi-experimental research is designed and conducted. Details of quasi analysis are given under the methodology section 5.4.1. Level 3 (Evaluation) includes testing on specific predetermined parameters. Work-based skills and interpersonal skills were the two domains chosen for the comparative study. A third domain on behavioural skills is also added since behavioural changes indirectly correlate with changes in the first two. The broad parameters created in each of the three domains, questionnaire and measurement scales are discussed under the methodology section. 5.5. Impact Impact of skills development interventions for vulnerable youth needs to be examined in the context of its effect on economic and social outcomes over a longer period of time [29]. The impact is expected in terms of enhanced employability and contribution towards SDG Targets 4.3 and 4.4.1. However, it is crucial to measure whether intervention led to a sustainable change in the consequences for the target vulnerable youth much after training is complete. This pilot intervention therefore proposes to reach out to students of the experimental group after 18 months of completion of the program and conduct an impact evaluation based on three parameters: i) the probability of being currently employed, ii) changes in household financial condition and iii) changes in perception towards work and individual potential. 7
P. Gupta, A. Datta and S. Kothe World Development Sustainability 2 (2023) 100045 Table 4 Measurement Scale Summary: Experimental and Comparison groups post intervention. Work Based Interpersonal Behavioural Mean SD Mean SD Mean SD Experimental Gr Post 33.45 2.91 18.58 2.90 20.77 1.49 Comparison Gr Post 21.18 3.70 12.98 3.14 14.28 2.68 6. Results Comparing the two groups post training of the experimental group on the basis of three domains showed differences between the scores across domains. Mean scores were higher for the experimental group against that of the comparison group (table 4). On comparing pre- and post-intervention means of the experimental group, the percentage change within group scores was greatest for work-based skills i.e., domain A (72,2%), followed by improvement in behavioural skills i.e., domain C (53.2%) and improvements in interpersonal skills i.e., domain B (37.2%). Independent-samples t-test is conducted to compare experimental and comparison groups before the intervention (table 5). No significant difference is found between the scores of the experimental group (M = 46.5, SD = 5.16) and comparison group (M = 46.4, SD = 6.03) before intervention; t (128) = −0.109, p = 0.913. Hence the null hypothesis of equality of two groups cannot be rejected. As shown in table 6, significant difference is found between the scores of the experimental group (M = 72.8, SD = 4.87) after training and comparison group (M = 48.4, SD = 6.60); t (120) = −23.36, p < 0.001. In order to test the effectiveness of the training on the treatment group, a paired sample t-test is used to compare the experimental group before and after intervention. Table 7 shows significant differences (showing improvements in scores) between the scores of the experimental group before intervention (M = 46.50, SD = 5.16) and after intervention (M = 72.8, SD = 4.87); t (64) = −31.22, p < 0.001. This implies that the null hypothesis of equality of two groups is rejected. Due to a small sample, a Skewness-Kurtosis test for Normality is utilised to ensure that the data followed a normal distribution and to strengthen the validity of the t-test [21]. This test accepts the hypothesis of normality when p > 0.05. A non-significant result of p > 0.05 for all sample data sets is observed as mentioned in table 8. To further evaluate the data, the Wilcoxon Signed-rank test which is suitable to test the null hypothesis of similarity of score rankings of preand post-intervention in smaller samples is conducted. First, checking for similarity in experimental and comparison groups pre-intervention, results in table 9 show a non-significant difference, z (65) = −0.376, p > 0.05 (p = 0.70). This implies the null hypothesis of similarity of two samples cannot be rejected. Table 10 shows a significant difference between the experimental group before and after the intervention, z (65) = −7.011, p < 0.05 (p = 0.00). Comparing the difference between scores of the comparison and experimental groups (after the training was completed for the experimental group), results suggest significant difference between the two groups, z (57) = −6.569, p < 0.05 (p = 0.00). These findings mirror the results of t-tests conducted. Results show that while the experimental group has largely benefited from the intervention, a greater indirect outcome has been in the form of increase in self-confidence and motivation. The study therefore lays emphasis on assessing self-efficacy, motivation and sense of future identity as an important component of skills development and employability. 7. Discussion and limitations The framework presented in this paper served as a useful tool to outline the pilot intervention for developing role-based skills and achieving certain positive behavioural changes in vulnerable youth. It brought clarity in alignment of different stakeholders, data collection and analysis, monitoring and evaluation. A key component of the pilot was to ensure behavioural changes such as increased motivation, self-efficacy and a sense of future identity that was lacking in these students during the initial phases. amongst factors affecting self-efficacy, four can be seen as having implications amongst the students from poor and vulnerable backgrounds, these are: a) past performance and the manner in which past success or failure are interpreted; b) modelling or observation of others with perceived similarities performing same tasks having an influence on self-belief. Modelling is especially useful for vulnerable youth given the observed lack of certainty or confidence amongst them; c) verbal persuasion and providing direct encouragement or discouragement having impact on self-efficacy. Interestingly, discouragement has a greater bearing on reducing a sense of self-worth than encouragement has on increasing it. amongst the vulnerable youth, the role of positive and continuous verbal persuasion as part of behavioural changes gains significance; and d) somatic and emotional state influences self-efficacy where student’s negative emotions can affect their judgement. Table 5 t-test Independent Samples Assuming Equal Variances: Experimental and Comparison groups pre intervention. Obs Mean SD [95% Conf. Interval] df t Stat P(|T| > |t|) Experimental Gr Baseline 65 46.51 5.16 45.22828 47.78711 128 −0.1093 0.9131 Comparison Gr Baseline 65 46.40 6.03 44.90504 47.89496 Note: t-Test Significance Level 5%. Table 6 t-test Two Sample Assuming Equal Variances: Experimental and Comparison groups post intervention. Obs Mean SD [95% Conf. Interval] df t Stat P(|T| > |t|) Experimental Gr Post 65 72.80 4.87 71.59307 74.00693 120 −23.36880.0000 Comparison Gr Post 57 48.44 6.60 46.68642 50.19077 Note: t-Test Significance Level 5%. 8
P. Gupta, A. Datta and S. Kothe World Development Sustainability 2 (2023) 100045 Table 7 t-test Paired Sample: Experimental group pre (baseline) and post intervention. Obs Mean SD [95% Conf. Interval] df t Stat P(|T| > |t|) Experimental Gr Baseline 65 46.51 5.16 45.22828 47.78711 64 −31.22520.0000 Experimental Gr Post 65 72.80 4.87 71.59307 74.00693 Note: t-Test Significance Level 5%. Table 8 Skewness-Kurtosis test for Normality in the groups to determine validity of t-test. Skewness Kurtosis Adj. chi2 Prob>chi2 Decision Comparison Gr Baseline 0.0541 0.9640 3.88 0.1436 Retain the null hypothesis Comparison Gr Post 0.1646 0.5725 2.36 0.3076 Retain the null hypothesis Experimental Gr Baseline 0.6123 0.8748 0.28 0.8686 Retain the null hypothesis Experimental Gr Post 0.4225 0.4133 1.36 0.5068 Retain the null hypothesis Note: Skewness-Kurtosis Test Significance Level 5%. The test accepts the hypothesis of normality when p-value >0.05. Table 9 Wilcoxon signed-rank test: Experimental group pre- intervention and Comparison group pre- intervention (n = 65). Obs Sum of ranks Adj. Variance z Stat Prob > |z| Positive ranks 28 1013.5 23,361.75 −0.376 0.7068 Negative ranks 35 1128.5 Ties 2 3 Total 65 2145 Note: Wilcoxon Signed-rank Test Significance Level 5%. Table 10 Wilcoxon signed-rank test: Experimental group pre-intervention and Experimental group post- intervention (n = 65). Obs Sum of ranks Adj. Variance z Stat Prob > |z| Positive ranks 0 0 23,400.13 −7.011 0.0000 Negative ranks 65 2145 Ties 0 0 Total 65 2145 Note: Wilcoxon Signed‐rank Test Significance Level 5%. Of course, by reducing stress reactions caused by their vulnerabilities, poor youth’s state of self-efficacy can be modified [2,43]. Even within the Social Cognitive Theory (SCT that started as the Social Learning Theory or SLT by Albert Bandura), self-belief has crucial role of influencing behaviour and motivation and peoples believes in themselves are key variables of personal cultural and social achievement [43]. Selfefficacy is seen as the key factor in influencing academic performance at school and college levels, and poor academic score may not necessarily be due to lack of aptitude but due to lack of belief in themselves. A vulnerable student’s sense of self-worth or personal value is the fountainhead affecting their overall sense of self, how valuable they perceive themselves. And low self-esteem immobilises them from taking newer challenges, responsibility and even handling criticism. First it was essential to identify the skill gaps and align those with the capacity of the training organisation. During the assessment and planning phase, labour market information (LMI) was specifically conducted for the BFSI sector, which itself is a high growth sector with states like Maharashtra and Uttar Pradesh projected to generate the highest number of employable youths. It was observed within the stakeholder groups that students from vulnerable backgrounds do not learn technical skills of higher order well and therefore job roles such as data analysis associate remain out of reach for them. Surprisingly, out of all the students mobilised, a majority were ones with a good level of previous academic performance, especially with good numeracy skills despite their vulnerable social backgrounds. The pilot therefore wanted to test (and hopefully prove) that such students could aspire for higher order skills in a high growth tech driven sector such as the BFSI. Microfinance associate was the second job role chosen since few students were still studying at undergraduate levels and therefore an entry level transition into the banking sector could be facilitated without disruption to on-going education. Second, on identifying the experiment and comparison groups three broad measurement scales were developed to measure overall employability of these groups. The parameters on which scales were built were: work-based, interpersonal and behavioural, which was further grouped into 3 sub-parameters each. Findings of scores of experimental and comparison groups pre intervention showed similarity between the two, thus establishing a reliable foundation to conduct quasi experiment research [1]. It was observed that the mean scores were low across all domains, interestingly both work-based and behavioural remained less than interpersonal; suggesting strong emphasis on developing work and behavioural skills. Third, identifying skill gaps in terms of skills perceived important by students and by the potential employers, threw light on a few important observations that may be otherwise ignored due to existing assumptions regarding employability of vulnerable youth. While students were aware of employability skills in general, for them, employability would have greater influence on their livelihoods and financial security suggesting that they had clarity while emphasising on skills such as numeracy, role based vocational and general IT. For employers who look for competent employees, the value was placed on well-developed generic skills such as time-keeping, personal presentation and communication. This makes it important for employers to consider that such youth, once trained, continue to have access to reskilling and proactive responses in upskilling attributes that are important to them. Fourth, using quasi analysis for outcome evaluation indicated significant differences between experimental group pre- and post-intervention strengthening support towards demand aligned framework. Testing for differences between experimental and comparison groups post intervention suggested that the former had overall benefited from the intervention, the latter did not show any significant changes as compared to that observed pre intervention. It can be suggested that while developing employability can be viewed as collective responsibility of multiple stakeholders, the role of educational institutions remains paramount. Even though the outcomes of the pilot provide strong evidence in support of demand-aligned training, care must be taken to apply the framework into interventions. A number of initiatives take up a simplistic view of training and thus provide a ‘quick-fix’ with inadequate focus on interpersonal skills, behavioural changes or securing sustainable employment. These may seem justified as the need for providing vulnerable youth the opportunities to enter the labour market is greater and more urgent in the context of evolving labour markets. At the same time significance of formal education and job security cannot be over9
P. Gupta, A. Datta and S. Kothe World Development Sustainability 2 (2023) 100045 ruled by short term informal training or unsustainable jobs. Vocational interventions bring added benefits only on foundations of strong general education, improving productivity and stability of jobs. This intervention faced reluctance from parents of girls’ students during enrolment, which limited the scope of this work. As a socio-cultural problem this required persuasion, counselling and assurance from teachers and trainers to the parents. The participation of girls remained low therefore further research is needed to understand the implications of such a framework on gender or other exclusive groups. Recruiting experienced teachers and trainers was a major challenge. Some experienced teachers lacked digital teaching skills and had to be trained accordingly. Teachers and trainers had to be sensitised and provided guidelines on delivery methods tailored to the requirements of vulnerable and at-risk youth. Their commitment to train such youth was monitored and constructive feedback was required to keep the trainers motivated and involved in the program. Limitations remain in order to test the long-term impact on the experimental group and needs to be conducted after 18 months post intervention. Research is also required to evaluate scalability of the framework and ability to train and sustainably place vulnerable groups in other sectors in the context of COVID-19 market disruptions. The results of this study are not representative of all sections of vulnerable youth that are at risk of dropping out, therefore further research is needed at the larger scale. 8. Conclusion This study summarises strategic points for improving employability during skills development interventions and its implications for policymakers and managers. 8.1. Maintain engagement and make it accessible Vulnerable youth face difficulties and real struggles on a daily basis. Struggles alter their aspirations. Most students mobilised did not have an adequate environment to study at home, many faced challenges in practising technical modules due to lack of laptops or computer systems. Interventions primarily require tailoring around these challenges and struggles. Longer duration programs could struggle with retention. Thus, flexibility in method of delivery, part-time or weekends, involving mentoring, providing financial support and social security, stipend, travel expenses have positive implications [46]. 8.2. Ensure quality and make it relevant Strong multi-stakeholder partnerships are key in delivering demand driven interventions with sustainable outcomes. Partnerships can ensure quality by giving required exposure to the workplace and opportunities for on-the-job training. For employers it gives access to workready candidates and improved retention. Framework must incorporate ‘education-industry partnership’ and leverage knowledge of markets and pedagogy to design relevant curriculum aligned with the requirements of the employer. 8.3. Emphasise monitoring and evaluation and make it accountable Intervention must have a strong monitoring system to be able to continuously track progress regardless of whether the program will be evaluated or not. Effective monitoring generates data on the profile, progress, changes in overall well-being and identifies unintended consequences, positive or negative. Evaluations are less implemented and thus the necessity of rigorous evaluations have been emphasised by academic researchers and policy makers [7]. 8.4. Make social outcomes count Vulnerabilities are difficult to measure. But once it is understood that challenges that vulnerable youth face are long-established, then focusing solely on training is an incomplete solution [23,34]. Social inclusion is becoming an important element for interventions seeking to improve the overall well-being, break down barriers and develop self-efficacy. Of-course employment itself is visible evidence of social inclusion, but to enable vulnerable youth to be able to make a choice about their role in the labour market, we still have a long way to go. Notes 1. Counterfactual: Counterfactuals can be determined from the comparison group and not the experimental group. It means what would have happened to the participants in a program had they not received the intervention. 2. Comparison group: A non-randomly designed quasi-experiment required to select students (from the same population) with matched backgrounds as the experimental group. This group did not receive any intervention and is subject to evaluation. They are used as a standard for comparison against the experimental group. 5. Baseline: Data describing the characteristics of students across both experimental and comparison groups before the intervention. 6. Selection bias: Statistical bias between experimental and comparison groups were minimised and thus both samples were chosen from the same population on carefully matched demographic, educational and household-income parameters. 7. Sustainable employment: providing jobs that are secure in terms of social benefit and insurance and medical cover given to the employees. Students are thus placed as formal employees and not contract workers. Declaration of Competing Interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper. Acknowledgements The authors would like to thank Dr Abhinava Tripathi and Dr. Lalitagauri Kulkarni for review and feedback. Thanks to Rahul Ranadive and Vinod Nair at The Skills Development Program, BSE Institute. Mayank Paraswani for software support. Authors take responsibility for all mistakes and errors in this paper. This research did not receive any specific grant from funding agencies in the public, commercial, or not-for-profit sectors. 10
P. Gupta, A. Datta and S. Kothe World Development Sustainability 2 (2023) 100045 Appendix 1. Summary of Key Features. Experimental Group 65 participants Comparison Group 65 participants (pre-intervention) and 57 participants (post-intervention) Implementing Agency BSE Institute, Mumbai Mobilisation Multiple channels such as self-help groups (SHGs), direct community outreach at night-schools, National Institute of Open School (NIOS), distance education institutes and local colleges Group Characteristics 12th Pass; Graduates from low-income; under-privileged backgrounds; likely dropouts due to social and economic vulnerabilities; Age range is 18–25 years Courses 1) Microfinance Associate and 2) Junior Data Analysis Associate Course Duration 1) 130+10 hrs and 2) 100+10 hr Mode of delivery In-class learning, on-the-job training, on-line modules and class presentations Mode of assessment In-class Number of teachers 48 Hours of teacher training 20 + 7 hrs Number of mentors assigned 4 Industries partnership 19 Note: Mobilisation mentions the channels through which students were identified. Number of hours are given as hours spent on job-specific technical training and additional hours are for interpersonal training. Appendix 2: Data Description (N = 387) Female: 59%; Male: 41%. No. of dependant members in a household is more than three (> 3) in 60.7% Rural: 27.9%; Urban: 72.1% Type of accommodation: Rented home: 55.7%, Own home: 44.3% Social class division: General: 72.1%; Scheduled Castes: 14.8%; Other Backward Castes: 11.5%; Schedules Tribes: 1.6% Household vehicle ownership: 37.7% 62.3% had no vehicle Percent of Students with gap years: 9.3% Students who perceive vocational training as crucial: 78%, Not sure: 22%. Annual Household income: Rs. 70,000 or less is 57.4% Rs. 70,000 to 2,73,098 is 29.5% Rs. 2,73,098 and above is 0 Attained some form of vocational training previously 34.4% out of which, students with no employment after training: 90.9%. Short run, one time employment: 9.1% students No. of earning members in the family: 60.7% had one member; 23% had two members; 9.8% had three members Students who want to utilise future salary as financial support for family and own education: 100% Appendix 3: Data Description of Experimental Group (n = 65) Female: 14; Male: 51 No. of dependant members in a household is more than three (> 3): 0 Rural: 0; Urban: 65 Type of accommodation: Rented home: 30 Own home: 35 Social class division: General: 47; Scheduled Castes: 7; Other Backward Castes: 11; Schedules Tribes: 0 Household vehicle ownership: 33 had no vehicle Students with gap years: 2 Students who perceive vocational training as crucial: 65 Annual Household income: Rs. 70,000 or less is 41 Rs. 70,000 to 2,73,098 is 24 Rs. 2,73,098 and above is 0 Attained some form of vocational training previously out of which, students with no employment after training: 6 Short run, one time employment: 5 students No. of earning members in the family: 44 had one member; 21 had two members; none (0) had three or more than three. 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See discussions, stats, and author profiles for this publication at: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/361902363 IT Graduate employability skills: Before and after COVID-19 from the perspective of IT experts (Through the eyes of IT experts) Conference Paper · May 2022 CITATIONS 0 READS 385 4 authors: Udanee Sachithra Samarasinghe Sri Lanka Institute of Information Technology 24 PUBLICATIONS 25 CITATIONS SEE PROFILE Chathurini Kumarapperuma Sri Lanka Institute of Information Technology 12 PUBLICATIONS 5 CITATIONS SEE PROFILE Nilmini Rathnayake Sri Lanka Institute of Information Technology(SLIIT) 26 PUBLICATIONS 14 CITATIONS SEE PROFILE Navodika Karunarathna Sri Lanka Institute of Information Technology 18 PUBLICATIONS 70 CITATIONS SEE PROFILE All content following this page was uploaded by Udanee Sachithra Samarasinghe on 11 July 2022. The user has requested enhancement of the downloaded file.
1 IT Graduate employability skills: Before and after COVID-19 from the perspective of IT experts (Through the eyes of IT experts) H.M.U.S.R. Samarasinghe SLIIT Business School C.U.Kumarapperuma , R.M.N.M. Rathnayake ,K.N.P.Karunarathna Abstract The outbreak of the pandemic has imposed many changes in the workplace, and it has affected every aspect of the lives of people around the world. Thus, it is vital that both employers and employees embrace these changes to thrive in these challenging times. The changes in the workplace demand a new set of skills to be instilled in existing, as well as potential employees. Some of the trends that were slowly booming in the workplace such as remote working gained momentum with COVID –19, needing the employees to adapt to a new work culture. The graduates who develop these demanding skills will be ahead of the game and will be career ready when they join the industry. Though there are many studies with IT employability skills, there is a lacuna of comparative studies on the employability skills of IT graduates demanded by the IT employers before and after the COVID-19 pandemic. Therefore, this qualitative study explored the changes in employability skills with the impact of COVID – 19 from the perspective of Sri Lankan IT experts who work in global IT firms. This study used the purposive sampling method to select the IT professionals and 13 semi structured interviews were conducted with them on a virtual platform. Thematic analysis technique was applied to closely examine the qualitative data through interviews and common themes were identified based on the ideas and patterns repeated in the transcripts. As per the results, it revealed that there are no significant changes in the hard skill requirements; however, there are changes observed in the soft skill requirements in the new normal with the implementation of the working from home (remote) concept. The Covid 19 pandemic emphasizes the importance of reforming assessments and assigning tasks that better reflect the types of skills needed for postpandemic work which are more authentic ways of equipping students with the required employability skills. 1. Introduction The quality of the graduates who enter the labour market plays a major role, especially in making a positive contribution to a developing country's economy. The higher education institutes continuously emphasize developing students’ hard and soft skills, enhancing competencies, knowledge, attitudes, and beliefs due to its implication on employability. Consequently, these enable the graduates to participate in a global knowledge-based economy. Employability skills and graduate attributes are widely studied and criticized from different perspectives, mostly employer and employee perspectives. Over the past decade, the research
2 on employability has mainly focused on the quality of higher education and graduate skills that impact their employability. However, the graduate skills that positively impact their employability vary based on different labour markets (York 2006). The hard skills or the knowledge and qualifications related to the area of study are less critical in some industries where more emphasis is placed on soft skills, whereas for others, hard skills are the most sought-after. According to York (2006), IT industries demand high calibre employees with hard skills. Another two factors which impact the change in employability skills demanded from graduates are the shift in the work environment due to technological advancements and the recent outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic. Technological developments have led businesses to revise/change their business models and digital economies that have evolved in many parts of the world. With the digitization of the economy, information and communication technology (ICT) enabled social and economic activities leading to increased demand for the employment of ICT workers. With this emerging trend, the Sri Lankan IT industry has been blooming over the last two decades creating many opportunities for IT graduates. The higher education institutes have focused on these growing opportunities created in the IT industry. Accordingly, design study programmes to boost the number of IT graduates entering the job market. With the increasing number of IT graduates who have passed out from many educational institutions, graduates are against stiffer competition for job opportunities available in the IT industry. IT graduates should be eager to learn how to prepare for the challenges they will encounter throughout their job seeking, and they should be accustomed to acquiring skills in which they should focus, to increase their chances of getting employed. They are urged to work hard to enhance soft and hard skills, as both substantially impact graduates' ability to obtain suitable jobs. With the dramatic changes caused by the COVID-19 pandemic and disruption in the industrial environments in which employees operate, it is critical to determine whether there is a change in the employability skills demanded by the employers in the new normal. Hence, higher education institutions should also seek strategies to equip graduates with the necessary employability skills to face the unpredictable social and economic changes brought about by the global COVID-19 crisis. Although several studies have been conducted on IT employability skills, comparative studies conducted are lacking in this subject on the situation before and after the COVID-19 pandemic. Therefore, the current study identifies the gap between skills expected and skills possessed by IT graduates before and after COVID-19 from the perspective of IT experts in Sri Lanka. 2. Literature Review 2.1 Employability skills of IT graduates Demands of labour markets differ among industries. Accordingly, the high calibre employees with hard skills related to employability skills are in demand in the IT industry (York, 2006). Still, researchers and policymakers remain uncertain about graduate skills that match
3 workplace requirements and foster employability (Suleman, 2016). Examining the literature on skills required in the labour market, Suleman (2016) revealed a wide agreement on the need for relational skills, namely interpersonal, communication, and teamwork abilities. In the literature review on employability skills of IT graduates, Misra & Khurana (2017) have introduced a checklist comprising six skills required for employability of IT professionals, namely, technical skills, higher-order thinking skills, personal skills, social skills, generic skills, and self-perceived employability skills. However, this checklist comprises skills identified solely through the literature review. The skills demanded by the new work environment that evolved after the pandemic in 2019 are unique from those before COVID-19. This necessitates a study to identify the gap between the skills possessed and skills demanded from IT graduates in the new normal. Individuals' self-efficacy, or their capacity to choose the best alternative when making career decisions, is addressed by emotional intelligence (Kumar Chand et al., 2019). Individuals with high emotional intelligence are more successful than those with low emotional intelligence because they have higher emotional self-awareness, are better at managing others, perform better under pressure, and can adapt to organizational change (Kumar Chand et al., 2019). With this increased focus on improving the level of emotional intelligence in graduates and employees, there is a gradual but steady trend toward perceiving it as a determining factor in productivity and employability (Jameson et al., 2016). Kumar Chand et al., (2019) found that the relationship between employability skills and employer satisfaction in recruiting fresh engineering IT graduates are partially mediated by emotional intelligence. Employers place a high value on emotional intelligence competencies, yet graduate employees have low levels of emotional intelligence (Jameson et al., 2016). Developing these skills favored by employers will provide more opportunities for students to improve their employability and job success. Graduates are up against stiffer competition for jobs in the IT industry. Rommel (2018) predicted the employability skills among IT graduates of a Philippine State University in their on-the-job training. According to the findings of this study, exposure to business operations is the most essential attribute in on-the-job training and the graduates are taught to be productive, responsible, and cooperative, in addition, take the initiative for enhancing their employability. As a result of another cross-sectional retrospective survey conducted in a Philippine state university, Albina & Sumagaysay (2020) found that periodic review of curriculum by academic leaders, alumni, and industry representatives is mandatory to ensure that graduates are equipped with the necessary knowledge and skills required for the IT industry. Similarly, based on an online survey conducted among more than 500 IT graduates from various higher education institutions in Vietnam, Thang & Wongsurawat (2016) discovered the key determinants of employability of IT graduates, their impact on self-perceived employability and the job search duration. The study's findings found that graduates' self-perceived employability in Vietnam were influenced by their English language skills, soft skills, adaptation skills, the quality of the institution's IT program, and job search attempts. Furthermore, while work experience, professional competencies, and employability reduced job search length, job-seeking activities increased its duration.
4 Several empirical studies have been conducted on the graduate's employability from the perspectives of both IT graduates and employers. Anicic & Buselic (2021) explored the importance of generic skills of ICT graduates from the perspective of the three main stakeholder groups: employers, university teaching staff, and students in Croatia. As a result of a comprehensive review of these three stakeholders’ perspectives, this study has recognized three necessary generic skills of ICT graduates, their ability to swiftly/speedily capture the knowledge and apply them in practical situations and resolve problems in a timely manner. The study further suggests incorporating the most necessary generic skills as learning outcomes in course curriculum, introducing more internships at their institutions (both at undergraduate and graduate level), and promoting and introducing various forms of work-based learning by collaborating with employers to develop students’ generic skills. Similarly, Sehgal & Nasim (2018) presented a qualitative analysis of the significant factors that influence IT graduate employability from the perspective of management professionals from reputed IT companies in India. In this study, total interpretive structural modelling has been used to derive a structural model and the contextual relationship among the antecedents identified from the literature has been analysed. As a result of this study, the industry experts endorsed technical specialties knowledge, technology management skills, and communication skills as the key drivers of employability. Moreover, this study highlighted the importance of work-based learning for graduates in the IT sector since the skills expected by the industry can be enhanced through practical exposure like internships, real-life projects, and work placements.Abbasi et al. (2018) have identified the gap between skills expected by managers and skills possessed by business graduates employed by the banking industry. Similar to studies done in the IT industry, this study found that business graduates' overall employability skills are lower than expected by managers. Moreover, business graduates have a significant skill gap in listening, problem-solving, communication, leadership, interpersonal, analytical, selfmanagement, numeracy, and critical thinking. 2.2. The employability paradigm shift after COVID-19 Any country endeavouring to become stronger and more competitive in the new normal will need to prioritize employability skills. If the globe is to see a reduction in the drastically increasing unemployment caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, additional work in this field is thirsting. Researchers are conceptualizing novel frameworks on employability skills considering the novel setting caused by the pandemic. Buheji & Buheji (2020) proposed a New Normal 2-D Employability Competency Framework including the 5Rs namely, react, realize, resolve, reshape, and resilient and 5Ps namely, proactiveness, preparedness, pulling -together, problem–solving, and publishing. The COVID-19 disruption has significantly impacted employment and education policies (Sato et al., 2021). While some business-related hard skills, such as consumer psychology, business tactics, and marketing, were deemed particularly significant before and after COVID-19, sports business professionals emphasized the importance of soft skills, such as the ability to include people, curiosity, and ethics (Sato et al., 2021). Additionally, Sato et al. (2021) consider industry-academia collaboration, executive education programs, and education programs as
5 essential in developing human resources in the sports business. As the demand for soft skills has increased in this industry, it is important to explore the shift in employability skills in other sectors. Early studies on IT graduate employability suggest employers demand hard skills. Thus, the current study focuses on exploring the requirement of hard skills as well as soft skills in IT graduates to enhance their employability in new normal work conditions. With the COVID-19 crisis, the mode of university examinations has shifted from the traditional classroom environment to the online environment. In this setting,it is necessary / much needed to check whether these virtual exams can be served as a valid form of assessment for preparing students for graduate employment. Academic researchers have already taken a few initiatives to address this problem. Kelly et al. (2021) examined the relationship between virtual exams and enhancing graduate employability through three key skills such as problem-solving, creativity, and critical thinking. The COVID-19 pandemic stressed the need of reforming the assessments and setting tasks that more closely reflect the types of skills needed for work in the post-pandemic world. There are alternative assessments such as open book tasks, simulations, collaborative problem-based tasks, and dynamic case studies that have been suggested as more authentic ways of equipping students with the required employability skills so that they can grab the opportunities in the post-pandemic world (Kelly et al., 2021). Another groundbreaking study on post-COVID-19 graduate employability done by Kamaruddin et al. (2021), revealed the students' readiness to do their internship during the lockdown period through the work from home (WFH) strategy and reflecting on future employment possibilities. 3. Methodology This research aimed at exploring the employability skills of IT graduates focusing on hard and soft skills from the perspective of IT professionals and how those skills requirements have been changed in the new normal. Due to the lack of a suitable database of IT professionals in Sri Lanka to directly interact with a quantitative study, a qualitative research approach was used in this study. IT professionals in the Sri Lankan IT industry is considered as the population of this study and the study sample consists of participants who hold senior positions in the Sri Lankan IT industry. In this study, the purposive sampling method was used to identify and collect data from information-rich sources related to the phenomenon being investigated (Kadar Parahoo, 1997), with the goal of better understanding IT professionals' opinions on the employability skills of IT graduates demanded by IT employers before and after the COVID19 pandemic. With the participation of resource persons from prominent Sri Lankan IT companies (see below Table 01), thirteen (13) semi-structured interviews were conducted using the Zoom virtual platform. Table 01: Sample Profile Participant Job Role Experiences in the IT Industry (Number of Years) 01 Senior Manager (Cloud Engineering) 13 02 Manager (Cloud Services) 13 03 Tech Lead 10
6 04 Senior Data Engineer 10 05 Tech Lead 13 06 Head of Quality Engineering 15 07 Senior Manager (Site reliability engineering) 14 08 Head of Managed Services 16 09 Senior Manager (Cloud Engineering) 21 10 Chief Engineering Officer 23 11 Manager (Software Development) 11 12 Manager (Site Reliability Engineering) 18 13 Director (Software Engineering) 16 Thematic analysis technique has been used to analyse the gathered data, understand a set of experiences, thoughts, or behaviours across a data set (Virginia Braun & Victoria Clarke, 2012). This research followed the most widely accepted thematic analysis paradigm, which consists of six steps: familiarizing with the data, generating initial codes, looking for themes, reviewing themes, defining and labelling themes, and preparing the report (Kiger & Varpio, 2020). 4. Analysis Thematic analysis method was applied to transcribed data which were gathered through interviews. After assigning the codes for interviewed data, researchers further identified their associated extracts and generated the 27 initial codes (see below Table 02). Further, reviewing 10 Sub-themes were identified for objective 01 (To identify IT graduate employability skills from the perspectives of IT industry experts in Sri Lanka) and 07 Sub-themes were identified for objective 02 (To identify differences regarding IT graduate employability skills in the after the -Covid-19 pandemic in Sri Lanka). Table 02: Summary of Themes and Codes Theme Code Frequency Code identified in specific questions Code identified in different questions 1. Hard Skills Academic qualifications 6 Professional qualifications 10 Work experience (Industrial Training) 3 Practical knowledge 6 2.Soft Skills Communication 12 5 Teamwork 5 Learning 7 7 Leadership 1 Presentation 5 2 Time management 2 3
7 Problem solving 2 2 Empathy 2 Creativity 2 3.HR Expectations Self-driven 3 5 Attitude 3 2 Team spirit 1 Take Challenges 4 Responsibility 2 Smart worker 2 Knowledgeable 2 Updated 3 1 4.COVID-19 Impact Ability to working from home (Remote) 3 Work Individually /Self Driven 3 1 Trustworthiness 4 Minimum supervision 2 Confidence 1 Accountability 1 1 Stress management 1 4. 1 Hard Skills Hard Skills can be identified as a main part of the skills required for a job and it includes the expertise required for one person to successfully perform the assigned duties and responsibilities. They are job-specific and usually listed in the job postings and job descriptions. Hard skills include specific knowledge and skills required for job success and they are widely used in the hiring and interviewing process to compare and identify the most suitable job applicants. In this section, responses given by the industry experts on the Hard Skills requirements of the IT graduates were considered. 4.1.1. Academic Qualifications As per the gathered data, academic qualifications can be considered the most important determinant of employability. Most of the experts believed that a degree from a government university or a private university should be considered as the basic qualifications to apply for a job. Participant 4 mentioned that "It is needed to have a degree relevant to the field that they are applying for and so it will be the basic qualification for them to, as in our very first screening process". Higher education qualifications and training programs include college, apprenticeship training, short-term training classes, online courses, certification programs, and online training. In addition, tertiary education qualifications are recognized as more conducive to obtain employment in a competitive professional environment. The candidates who have
8 completed the certificates and internationally recognized vocational courses for each category within the scope of Information Technology will be assets to the organizations. 4.1.2. Professional Qualifications & Certifications Most of the interviewees considered obtaining certifications as a value addition to the IT degree holders. For example, a Software Engineer can choose his field; however, if someone wants to work in network administration or the cloud, they must first decide what sort of new skills they will need to learn for survival. Sometimes, having a degree is not a key requirement, instead of a candidate who holds specifics IT certifications like cloud, AWS, Azure, ECP Cisco, Red Hat, Linux, AIX, IBN, with more experience also finds good opportunities in the industry. Out of those certifications, cloud and Red Hat certifications have been recognized as the most appropriate certifications for IT graduates. Cloud certification has taken priority among them as per the employers' perspective because the industries are moving out from the Date center technology to the Cloud environment. Participantt 8 mentioned that "If we compare most of the Red Hat Linux certified, I'm taking an example, Red Hat Linux certified people, they are performing well and in a disciplinary manner in the day-to-day work. So, that is, we are looking for a professional certification when we are selecting people. Even from the first graduate, because nowadays most people, a lot of even fresh graduates we have seen during our interviews are doing a set of certifications right". If a graduate wants to work, then he should select an area or a couple of areas in which he is interested, and he should develop the other skills or certifications which he needs to survive in the industry. 4.1.3. Work Experience (Industrial Training) Industrial training for IT undergraduates has been highlighted as the most important aspect in enhancing their required skills and students are trained to be responsible, efficient, and productive in their profession during those internship programs. Frequently, graduates are released to the work environment at the end of their studies with only academic knowledge. It is a question of whether any technical experience given to them during the study period is enough knowledge to be satisfied with the job. On-the-job training is necessary since it focuses on the skills required and exposes the student to real-world company processes as an employee in the companies. Here the students will be allowed to put their abilities, knowledge, and attitude to the test in the industrial environment. 4.1.4. Practical Knowledge Academic qualifications alone will not boost employability; rather, the practical aspect will substantially assist graduates in obtaining industry opportunities. Graduates should develop their technical knowledge and skills by engaging with more practical, hands-on work, such as writing more programs on their own, in preparation for job interviews. Industry experts usually look for candidates who have more potential, and the desired skills and they consider paper qualifications as a secondary requirement. When a graduate is fresh out of a degree program, having basic IT skills is insufficient. Students must put up significant effort into their undergraduate projects in terms of applying theories. Students should be motivated to do
9 individual projects during the study period. It was widely believed that a group of students would lose the opportunity to acquire/apply complete knowledge in group projects. Individual projects will help them to gather end-to-end knowledge about the subject or field. While software engineering principles have remained the same for decades, how they are being used in software has evolved. All the universities voluntarily offer some courses and workshops so that students can get a wealth of knowledge and these kinds of things are seen by employers as not just having a broader range of knowledge but also gives another perspective about the individuals, that they are taking some self-initiatives to kind of broaden their horizons. 4.2. Soft Skills Soft skills are identified as the skills needed to successfully deal with the challenges and pressures of day-to-day life in the community. Although a person can get a job based on knowledge and ability, for its future survival it is essential to develop soft skills. This study helps to identify the major soft skills which are expected by the job markets from the IT graduates. Communication, teamwork, self-learning, leadership traits, creativity, problemsolving/management, time management, presentation, empathy, decision making, and accountability are the essential skills that a graduate should develop, according to the study. 4.2.1. Communication Skills The ability to form relationships and connections with others, as well as the ability to communicate verbally and in writing in every scenario, is referred to as communication. Following an examination of soft skill requirements, all interviewees mentioned that good communications skills, or the ability to communicate confidently, as a major component of soft skills. The field experts who participated in the study believed one should have full communication skills to do a job. The ability to use English as a language of communication was most prominent here. Even if candidates have a lot of technical expertise, IT employers will dismiss some of them during job interviews because they lack communication skills. Under communication skills. Participant 1 mentioned that "one of the main things we are looking at is communication" and Participant 2 mentioned that "I think communication is key whether we are working remotely or whether we are at the office". As per the expert reviews, it can be identified that although some problems are not resolved from the technical skills, they are purely resolved from soft skills by communicating with people and making them understand what the problem is, and how they can be solved. 4.2.2 Teamwork & Leadership Teamwork/spirit was identified as another essential skill that requires for doing a job. Since IT graduates are always forced to work in a group setting, team collaboration can be considered as the second most important soft skill they must possess. Graduates should be able to operate in a variety of teams and with a variety of people, as well as overcome obstacles such as language, nationality, and geographical differences, and they must treat each other fairly. Participants 1, 4, 6, 11, 13 expressed similar views on the expected level of team collaboration
10 from IT graduates. Participant 4 mentioned that "you should be able to work with the team and you should know how to help each other, not to back each other and not to let the team down". The results of the study confirmed that leadership and taking responsibilities are two other important skills that must be developed in working as a team. 4.2.3 Learning The potential for self-study is another important skill revealed in this study. It was essential for a person when working in the IT field to constantly update his knowledge to stay in the field and it was identified as one of the most important skills. Participant 1 mentioned that "Graduates should be capable to learn new things and they should have a willingness to learn new things through self-studies". Similarly, Participant 4 also stated that "Sometimes we might not know everything. I do not even know all the technologies or the tools which are available for the IT industry. it's like even though when we are taking a fresh graduate or another person you can't expect that person to know everything in the industry so he or she should have the willingness to learn". 4.2.4 Presentation Skills As a subcomponent of communication skills, few participants have highlighted the importance of developing presentation skills as an effective way of sharing information in front of the audience. Participant 2 mentioned that "Presentation skills are a huge deal in these days when talking to people and making the people understand". The usage of presentation aids provides for a much more engaging presentation and creating such aids can help students gain confidence. As mentioned by Participant 8, "there is a lot of people who tend to read the presentation or rather try to stick to the information in the presentation, but in the industry when we are presenting something that presentation shouldn't be read by the presenter". It implies that the presentation is just a kind of supporting documentation that presenters are using to explain what they are supposed to tell the audience and Graduates should be well prepared to present their outcomes in a variety of ways within industrial environments. 4.2.5 Problem-Solving/Critical and Analytical thinking Problem-solving capability, Critical and Analytical thinking have been recognized as the important skills required for IT graduates from the perspectives of IT engineers. Critical and Analytical thinking are considered as the two things that improve the troubleshooting capability of individuals. Participant 6 mentioned that "critical thinking and analytical thinking, then problem solving as well as creatively solving the problems is very important, especially in quality engineering and it applies in the same way for engineering". People tend to overcomplicate things and solve problems, but they should be able to simplify things and solve the problems effectively. Participant 2 mentioned that "You can bring your knowledge and decide that this might be a solution which will be suitable for this problem, and he can implement the solution and make sure that solution does the work right". 4.2.6 Empathy
11 Empathy is listed as another important soft skill since it is necessary to comprehend people's feelings within a team, which is in line with the team-based culture. Participants 6 and 13 highlighted this empathy as an important soft skill and during the interviews, employers attempt to capture these skills through a series of questions. Participant 6 mentioned that "Empathy covers a lot of the people aspects as well, then for Leads and Managers we always look whether they can inspire people, whether they can coach and mentor people". 4.3 COVID-19 Induced Changes in Employability Skills of IT Graduates In the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, many firms worldwide are focusing more on the concept of a "safe workplace environment." As a result, they encourage their employees to work from home (WFH), and job searchers and undergraduates should be well equipped to face the obstacles of this new position. Employees too should be able to develop the necessary skills to stay employed. Whether the new entry is a fresh graduate or an experienced professional, the new normal requires employees to work independently and with minimal supervision. Participant 02 stated that "They should be able to work themselves rather than be under a leader who provides them instructions or necessary instructions". Many Participants agreed that in the current virtual working environment, the ability to closely monitor and supervise recruits' work is limited for various reasons, including the fact that all employees may not work in a completely synchronized timeline when WFH. Moreover, their responsibilities and work types will differ from those in the office. According to the research, employees’ preparedness to adopt the WFH or remote working concept is vital in this setting. Working remotely from home or in a convenient/comfortable location away from the familiar office environment is remote media work. The 2nd participant mentioned that "Most people have come to the comfort zone of working at home, so I don't think even companies are willing to take out this option right now. It's easier for the company". Similarly, participant 5 also mentioned that "Most of the time, we are working from home, and we can't monitor everything as we did before the pandemic. So, we expect the employees to properly manage their work because we can't physically see them, unlike in an office. Also, we expect them to keep a proper track of information and become a little more self-driven, and especially time management". Employees are expected to be self-driven with self-discipline, one of the essential differences before and after the pandemic. "Irrespective of whether it's working remotely or in the office, communication is crucial and having better communication skills is essential during the COVID-19 period" (Participant 06). In this new job context, communication becomes a priority as a skill. The usage of e-mail messages, group communication platforms, and awareness of job needs and activities were identified as the basic communication needs in this study. Participant 12 stated, "When you are WFH, no one is there to monitor closely, and it depends on how you communicate and interact with others. Everything is based on how well employees communicate; every day, we work on MS Teams as that is the only place where we get all these face-to-face contacts. That's how we
12 do all the communications, project work, plans, deliveries etc". As a result, maintaining a high degree of communication skills & familiarity with the novel virtual platforms is more crucial for survival in this new job environment. Trustworthiness is a crucial criterion that all firms anticipate in the current work climate. According to experts, employees are more likely to work all by themselves without colleagues, etc., in an environment with less supervision. Employees must have faith in themselves and be responsible for their tasks. Participant 04 mentioned that "In terms of working with the new pandemic situation in the IT industry, you should be honest; they do not say that you should work all eight hours. If you are given a task and if you can complete it within four hours or ten hours, it doesn't matter for them". Moreover, this study confirmed that stress management is an essential part of this work environment when it comes to health. Participant 11 responded that "With this COVID-19 situation, people mostly tend to WFH environment. Hence, there is a kind of stress accumulation and exhaustion/burnout as people work alone and only connect through calls and meetings". Changes in the work environment and interruptions to WFH can lead to work-life imbalance/conflict and more stress than usual. Failure to manage these imbalances can have a detrimental effect on employment and health. In addition, interviewees highlighted that this pandemic outbreak is an optimal period for students to engage with selfstudies to improve their knowledge effectively. Participant 01 mentioned that "I expect they should be more knowledgeable than their previous years' students because they do not need to spend time on travelling and therefore, have enough time to do the self-studies". 4.4 Human Resource Requirements of IT Industry One of the primary expectations of an organization is to get the employer's 100% contribution to the success of the organization's goals, which is also the primary consideration when hiring a new person. In human resource management, "recruitment" is finding and recruiting the best and most qualified candidates to open job positions quickly and cost-effectively. It can also be defined as a "process of finding future employees and encouraging and motivating them to apply for jobs in an organization". In modern-day jobs, requirements have been forced to change when compared to those10-15 years before, as most of the IT functions in globalization occur through remote technology and beyond country borders in a virtual environment. Most offshore operations/development centres and decentralized offices are operated/ located in various countries, including Sri Lanka. In this backdrop, this study identified several factors that organizations expect when recruiting a new employee. These factors play a giant role in whether the recruitment process is successful or not. As mentioned earlier, qualities expected from the job seeker is generally identified through hard skills. Additionally, organizations have prioritized several qualifications expected from candidates/job seekers, as highlighted in the study. As per the identified themes, a self-driven attitude and taking on challenges are among the key requirements any IT organization expects from candidates. Moreover, according to the study, undergraduates need to be capable of taking responsibility and have team spirit. These skills are especially vital when working collectively within an organization. Participant 1 mentioned that "What we need is people who think out of the box and are self-driven. They are
13 the sort of people we are looking at and as I mentioned, the collaborativeness and the teamwork also, as you know, is part of the culture". It implies that every organization expects its employees to contribute to its development by managing their responsibilities collectively as a team. Attitudes are also considered as a foremost aspect of recruitment. Participant 3 stated that "When you hire fresh graduates, we mostly look at the attitude, and human resources perspective". Similarly, Participant 05 emphasized that "Attitude is also something I expect from people(employees) because if a person has a bad attitude, then it is tough to improve and help groom such employees". Participant 11 also mentioned that "The main thing I look for/expected from a candidate is the attitude. I am sorry to say that now most of the graduates lack this part, attitude. We can train them (graduates who join as employees) to be technical. But I will prioritize the way they work, how they treat others, their dedication, and those kinds of qualities and then their technical skills". In general, the study identified that a job-seeking graduate in information technology should have substantial knowledge. Information technology is a field that is constantly evolving and getting updated, and being a person armed with new knowledge is an essential part of this field. "The knowledge is always changing, so the person willing to join IT should be able to learn every day" (participant 02). This study further confirmed that fresh graduates would have more potential if they were knowledgeable, updated, and smart workers. Participant 4 said that "You(employees) should be really updated, and we want fresh graduates to be very energetic. They should be willing to learn all the aspects if given an opportunity. Because they are very young and can take up any challenge, can learn from their mistakes etc. As such, they should be willing to take any challenges, be up to date, and have both technical and soft skills". Results and Discussion 5.1 To identify IT graduate employability skills from the perspectives of IT industry experts in Sri Lanka Graduate employability mainly depends on their hard and soft skills (Misra & Khurana, (2017); Thang & Wongsurawat, (2016); Sehgal & Nasim, (2018); Abbasi et al., (2018)). This current study also confirmed that hard skills and soft skills are key determinants of graduate employability. The most critical aspect is the ability to produce an effective and practical graduate who is fit for the field of technology through proper development of the identified hard skills and soft skills. Participant 4 stated that "We can't have people who have just perfect soft skills but no technical knowledge to do an IT job and vice versa. Also, I would say there can be many candidates/graduates but there is a lesser chance that they will survive or rather they will be liked / preferred by employers. As such, job seekers need to have the right balance of soft skills and hard skills". The following sections discuss hard skills and soft skills identified by the interviewees that align with the literature findings. 5.1.1 Hard Skills
14 Hard skills are the first qualification of a job seeker, and it is often considered a basic qualification to apply for a job. As confirmed during this study, hard skills required from employees can be considered under several rigorous categories. These are academic qualifications, professional qualifications, work experience (Internship Industrial Experience), and practical knowledge. This means that the value of a job seeker can be enhanced with his /her qualifications. As the study confirms, the degree qualification is a primary requirement that organizations consider when applying for a job in the IT field. The thematic analysis of data gathered from the interviews with industry experts reveals two contradictory themes on their stance about the hard skills demanded in the industry. Even though the study focused on investigating the hard skills demanded when employing graduates, some of the interviewees pointed out that possessing a degree qualification is not mandatory to be employed by an IT organization, whereas possessing the right set of skills, knowledge, and attitude are prioritized over the degree qualifications can do so. The interviewees have given contradictory views regarding holding an IT degree as a key requirement in IT employability. Some interviewees have highlighted the degree as a primary requirement in the first screening process. Participant 4 stated that "Candidate needs to have a degree relevant to the field they are applying for" and "Degree will be the basic qualification for them to, as in our very first screening process". In contrast to this opinion, Participants 1, 3, 6, 10, 13 did not consider the degree as the main qualification in selecting the candidates for IT positions. Especially, Participant 1 explicitly mentioned that "The degree or the certification may be the last thing" and "What we need, are not the educational and paper qualifications". However, literature (Jameson et al., (2016); Anicic & Buselic, (2021); Sehgal & Nasim, (2018)) also highlighted the importance of periodic review of curriculum by higher education institutions. The purpose of this is to share the up-to-date knowledge on the discipline with the undergraduates so that they can cope with the dynamic requirements of the industrial environments. Jameson et al. (2016) suggested strategies to be followed by higher education, such as optimizing the knowledge triangle, reinforcing links between universities and companies through the transmission of knowledge, and directing the students' skills towards employability and enterprise. Similarly, Sehgal & Nasim (2018) stated that the industry experts have endorsed technical specialties, knowledge, and technology management skills as the key drivers of employability. According to the study, all higher education institutes have a responsibility to provide industry experience, technical, and practical knowledge for their graduates before they leave for the job field. Setting a solid foundation to the students, in the beginning, can lead to a more knowledgeable graduate who will get more opportunities when applying for a job. Table 03: Contradictory Themes on Degree Requirement Degree – A Mandatory Requirement Degree - Not a Mandatory Requirement Participant 2 - “We only check the degree, in the sense like the primary requirement right.” Participant 1 - “The degree or the certification maybe as the last thing.” “What we actually need, not the educational qualification, the paper qualification”
15 Participant 4 - “Needs to have a degree relevant to the field that they are applying for” “So, it will be the basic qualification for them to, as in our very first screening process” “They need to definitely have a degree qualification right” Participant 3 - “Usually they don’t require a degree, see what kind of certifications let’s say cloud, AWS, Azure, ECP” Participant 5 - “Have to have a degree in most cases fresh graduates having sort of a professional qualification also that would be nice” Participant 10 “Academic qualifications alone will not help employability” Participant 6 - “ISTQB certifications or OCA, the Java certifications, then they are also considered as value additions but mainly what we look at is the Degree or equivalent of a degree.” Participant 13 - “We primarily look at mostly professional skills.” Participant 13 - “We basically look at whether they have the base degree but other than that how many masters do you have, whether you have a PhD, I think it’s very rarely that you get a value in the industry.” Participant 11 - “There is a requirement for certain vendor certifications” “Certification will definitely give them advantages over others because rather than degrees, which covers most of the things, but vendor specialist certifications cover more ground that means the field what they are into, that’s the thing” Most of the interviewees considered obtaining certifications such as AWS, Azure, ECP Cisco, Red Hat, Linux, AIX, IBN as a value addition to the IT degree holders to grab good industrial opportunities. Industry training opportunities and technical knowledge and abilities acquired via more practical, hands-on work etc., will provide IT graduates the necessary hard skills, enhancing their employability. These findings aligned with suggestions of Anicic & Buselic (2021) & Sehgal & Nasim (2018) to enhance IT graduate employability, such as the introduction of more internships, real-life projects, and work placements at the institutions (both undergraduate and graduate level) and promoting and introducing different forms of work-based learning, which include collaboration with employers. Currently, industries mostly look for people who can take up Artificial Intelligence (AI) related jobs/tasks. Industries will have more opportunities, especially with the IoT and related new features, capabilities, etc., focusing on future roadmaps. 5.1.2 Soft Skills
16 "Soft skills have become a priority than previously thought" (2nd Participant). A graduate who qualifies for a job should have the capacity to work on their own with minimum supervision and the development of soft skills can provide great support in this regard. The study confirmed the ability to handle language or communicate as the most essential soft skill. The ability to communicate with the English language for job related tasks was defined as a basic requirement. Similarly, Thang & Wongsurawat (2016) found that graduates' self-perceived employability was influenced by their English language skills, soft skills, and adaptation skills. In the face of globalization, companies/business sectors will no longer be able to operate/ provide and receive services as a single country as the whole world functions as a single entity. In this situation, IT companies usually maintain communication with many countries and English is used as a common language. Communication is essential when working as a team also. Several research studies (Misra & Khurana, (2017); Sehgal & Nasim, (2018); Abbasi et al., (2018)) also highlighted communication as one of the main soft skills the graduates are supposed to develop eagerly. The importance of being a responsible team person was also observed in this study since problems may be overcome when working as a group. The field of IT is constantly evolving. A person who is keen enough to get a job in the field of IT should be a person who is constantly updated and can learn something new individually. Moreover, most fresh graduates don't have industry experience and it is critical that they learn about working ethics and behaviours. "You can't expect that a person to know everything in the industry but he or she should have a willingness to learn" (4th Participant). This study identified that the willingness to learn/constantly update knowledge as a soft skill to be developed. As identified through interviews, soft skills such as empathy, adaptability & attitudes are closely related to the emotional status of the employees. As mentioned in Jameson et al. (2016), emotional components relating to the skills demanded by the current labour market play an important role in achieving students' better and more productive personal and professional careers. There is a considerable skill gap among graduates in terms of listening, problem-solving, communication, leadership, interpersonal, analytical, self-management, numeracy, and critical thinking, as revealed by the literature analysis ((Thang & Wongsurawat, 2016); (Abbasi et al., 2018)) and interviews. Table 04: Quotes on Soft Skills Skills Participant “Quotes” Proper Communications Skills Communicate Confidently 1,2,3,7,9,10,11,13 Participant 1- "one of the main things we are looking at is communication. Participant 5 - I think communication is key whether we are working remotely or whether we are at office. Participant 9 - Communication is a big part of soft skills right and being able to kind of communicate confidently is what I would say, it’s being able to have a conversation, now in this day and age, we work mostly on remote basis,
17 right, even within Sri Lanka now everybody is working from home, so that confidently communicating is a huge soft skill. Participant 12 - We are dropping some of the people because who are lacking on the communication side so even though they have a lot of expertise in the technical side. Team collaboration 1,4,6,11,13 Participant 1- We all work as a team in the IT industry Participant 4 - You should be able to work with the team and you should know how to help each other, not to back each other and not to let the team down. Participant 5 - Attitude and behavior-wise those things are really needed when it comes to teamwork Participant 11 - Graduate should have the ability to work with different teams, different people, cope up with the barriers like language, nationality and regional and they must treat equally each other Self-Learning 1,4 Participant 4 - he or she should have the willingness to learn, Creativity Thinking Capability Critical and Analytical Thinking Problem solving Innovation Think out of the box 2,5,6,10 Participant 2 -You can bring your knowledge and decide ok this might be a solution which will be suitable for this problem, and he can implement the solution and make sure that solution does the work right Participant 2- some problems are not resolved from the technical skills. They are purely resolved from soft skills by communicating with people and making them understand what the problem is, and how they can be solved. Presentation skills 2,8,11 Participant 8 - A lot of people tend to read the presentation or rather I mean try to stick to the information in the presentation
18 Empathy 6,13 Participant 6 - Empathy is again required because you need to understand the people’s emotions within a team. Participant 6 - Empathy covers a lot of the people aspects as well, people management aspects, then for Leads and Managers we always look whether they can inspire people, whether they can coach and mentor people. Participant 13 - Empathy is also one of the key areas that we are looking at but mostly you can ask how you evaluate it, that’s also subjective right so during the interview we just, you know, throw a series of question to identify how well they touch base on these areas Meeting etiquette 7 Participant 7 - Meeting etiquettes have changed a lot because now we have the meetings via a tool right, so we just need to have some best practices Articulation 8 Participant 8 - Articulating something in a marketable way, or rather an attractive way is lacking. Building the Conversation 8 Participant 8 – A lot of people talk, and a lot of people listen, but a lot of new graduates don’t build conversation with the other party. So, then a lot of people tend to listen like when we were asking a question or when we were doing in the interviews or when we were looking for people, so we asked certain things. So, they asked, and they answer, it’s always it’s kind of one-way communication. So, they don’t tend to build the conversation so that is lacking. Negotiation 8 Participant 8 - When they are doing their dayto-day work, they are supposed to negotiate certain things with the other parties, and they are trying to convince the people on certain matters Trouble Shooting 10 Participant 10 - Analytical skills and knowledge so those are the two things that improve your troubleshooting capability Participant 10 - So, troubleshooting, I don’t know whether you can put it as a soft skill but it’s a very, very important skill
19 Attitudes 3 Participant 03 "When you are hireing fresh graduates, as I said we mostly look at the attitude, and in terms of human resources perspective" Participant 05 "Attitude is also something I expect from people(employees) because if a person has a bad attitude, then it is tough to improve and help groom such employees". Participant 11 "The main thing I look for/expected from a candidate is the attitude. I am sorry to say that now most of the graduates lack this part, attitude. Adaptability 13 Participant 13 - Switching is something that they struggle a lot, because in our world, priorities change frequently so that they should be able to adapt. 5.2 To identify differences regarding IT graduate employability skills in the after the - Covid-19 pandemic in Sri Lanka The global Covid-19 pandemic has directly impacted several aspects of jobs, including the work atmosphere, job position, duties, benefits, etc. Employees must adapt to the new trends in performing the duties and responsibilities as per employers' expectations in the new job context. When selecting new graduates for employment, this study indicated that institutions are encouraged to give extra attention to their capacity to adapt to this new job situation. The landscape of the IT job market too has shifted dramatically over the last decade because of globalization, technological improvements, and, most recently, the advent of a pandemic. According to the findings of this study, there will be no significant changes in hard skill requirements, however, modifications in soft skill requirements are most likely and significant. Industries have yet to identify/quantify the difference between IT graduate employability before and post-pandemic in Sri Lanka. Buheji & Buheji (2020) mainly considered the soft skills such as proactiveness, preparedness, pulling together, and problem–solving in developing the employability competency framework for post-pandemic. Similarly, Kelly et al. (2021) examined the relationship between the virtual examinations resultant from COVID19 and enhancing graduate employability through three key soft skills such as problem-solving, creativity, and critical thinking. In this pandemic situation, everyone is limited to working from one location/place, as such, interpersonal communication has become an integral part of the new working culture. The study results suggest that effective communication would be a top asset that most IT companies require. This finding is even more valid in a setting where a pandemic requires remote working,
20 where the employee works alone, and the nature of the IT industry provides global services beyond a single country and geographical boundaries. With this novel working environment, which is resultant from the COVID-19 pandemic, most experts believe that a person who qualifies for a job must be self-driven. The reason pointed out for this is that employees should be capable of performing their duties successfully in the company (employer) without the intervention of another employee. New graduates must work alone/independently within this new normal situation, often have to work alone from the beginning, unlike in a typical work setting/office environment with team support. This situation was clearly defined in the study which provided a clear understanding of preparing new graduates accordingly. In the new job context, the term 'Remote media' became more prevalent. The study identified some of the key issues that arise when a student adapts to this situation as a new employee. In previous cases, when a fresh graduate joins as a new employee, he/she was assisted by other employees until the employee adapts to the office environment and the job. But such support cannot be expected in the current situation. If a graduate student has received job training while studying, it may not be challenging for him/her to adapt to the new work environment. Most experts in the study believed it is essential for higher education institutions to provide industrial training/internships to students while studying. This type of training can help minimize the unnecessary burden and stress (such as working alone etc., apart from the job duties/responsibilities) for beginners who join the job market. Upon reviewing the literature, Kamaruddin et al., (2021) determined the students' readiness to do their internship during the lockdown period through the WFH strategy as groundbreaking for post-COVID-19 graduate employability. Loyalty/Trustworthiness is one of the basic requirements that an organization expects from their employees in the new job context. Heads of companies expect employees to perform their duties in the same manner as before when working independently in an environment convenient to them, apart from working under strict supervision in an office under previous circumstances. Employees can make mistakes with shortcuts or miss their work due to the minimum supervision, which would negatively impact the organization. This can even destroy a business in the IT sector, where service/information reliability and safety are mandatory. Those are why employers strongly require employee loyalty/trustworthiness to work in a new environment. The study also found that job-seeking graduates need to be confident about their job prospects in this new job context. The findings further confirmed that graduates should be held accountable for proficiency in their duties. Studies have shown that the negative impact of this new work environment is directly related to employees' mental health, resulting in employees being more likely to quit their jobs. Experts believe that increasing stress would be a major problem. Previous employees working within the organization were able to build direct relationships with themselves and co-workers, which helped control stress. However, the study found that employees have to work alone when WFH and that managing organizational issues and household issues, create unnecessary stress at work. By focusing on these matters and being prepared with the right skills, attitude and exposure, graduates from higher education institutes will be successful in this new work environment with appropriate solutions.