How study and first work experiences impact the development of competencies of higher education graduates?

Dr. Samo Pavlin

Summary:   The problems higher education graduates face when searching for jobs are changing public expectations about the development of competencies required in the labour market. Particularly important is the question of the relative role of higher education programmes in developing such competencies in comparison to other factors. Discussions in the paper are placed in the context of the dynamic relationship between the information process and situation learning. We study these two forms of learning with a model that on the one side comprises those competencies of higher education graduates that according to the leading international surveys are in greatest demand in the labour market and, on the other, the determinants of their development: forms of learning and teaching, characteristics of the study programme, job characteristics, and characteristics of both the organisation and organisational environment. Analysis is conducted on the basis of an international database that encompasses graduates from 17 European countries five years after graduation. The results indicate that the determinants do not impact specific competencies under observation in the same way. The findings form the basis for strategic recommendations for developing higher education systems.