Developing career management competencies among undergraduates and the role of work-integrated learning

Jackson, Denise; Wilton, Nicholas

Abstract

© 2016 Taylor & Francis. This paper explores undergraduate capabilities in career self-management and the influence of work-integrated learning (WIL). Career management competencies are an important aspect of individual employability and impact on wellbeing, graduate job attainment and long-term career success. Enhanced competencies among graduates can assist Faculty in achieving strong employment outcomes and support industry partners who wish to employ graduates able to self-manage their career pathways effectively amid flatter organisational structures and greater employee mobility. Our findings indicate that business undergraduates at one UK and one Australian university consider themselves reasonably proficient in career self-management yet variations exist across the different dimensions of self-awareness, opportunity awareness, decision-making learning and transition learning. Participation in work placements and study and employment characteristics influenced certain elements of career self-management. Our study highlights the importance of nurturing career management competencies in undergraduates and we discuss strategies, particularly in relation to WIL, which may promote effective career self-management.

• Journal Article Type: Article
• Acceptance Date: Dec 21, 2015
• Publication Date: Apr 2, 2016
• Deposit Date: Jan 28, 2016
• Publicly Available Date: Jul 21, 2017
• Journal: Teaching in Higher Education
• Print ISSN: 1356-2517
• Electronic ISSN: 1470-1294
• Publisher: Taylor & Francis (Routledge)
• Peer Reviewed: Peer Reviewed
• Volume: 21
• Issue: 3
• Pages: 266-286
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/13562517.2015.1136281
• Keywords: career management competencies, work-integrated learning, employability, employment
• Public URL: https://uwe-repository.worktribe.com/output/915062
• Publisher URL: http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/13562517.2015.1136281
• Additional Information: Additional Information : This is an Accepted Manuscript of an article published by Taylor & Francis in Teaching in Higher Education on 21 January 2016, available online: http://wwww.tandfonline.com/10.1080/13562517.2015.1136281
• Contract Date: Feb 26, 2016