What Is Employability Essay

Employability is a multifaceted concept and one of the major subjects of debate in terms of what it is, how it is measured, how it is developed, and who is responsible for it. It is also one of the widely debated issues of accrediting and determining world class higher education institutions which could go a long way in systematically improving the performance of an institution as well as an individual. Most of the studies regarding employability have found lesser understanding of this concept especially in graduates who need to be well versed with the concept of employability as they are the force that ignite this notion and take it forward to the workplaces and to the employers they encounter during their careers. There is a need of awareness

The term employability is used to refer to the ability of an individual to gain employment appropriate to his/her educational standards (Dearing 1997). Employability relates to both unemployed people seeking employment and those in employment seeking better jobs with their current or a different employer (Ronald, Anne & Mike 2005) The past literature reveals three key elements of employability, i.e., i) the ability to gain initial employment, ii) the ability to maintain employment and make transitions between jobs and roles within the same organisation to meet new job requirements and iii) the ability to obtain new employment, if required, by being independent in the labour market and able to manage employment transitions between organisations (Hillage and Pollard,1999). In simple terms, employability is about being capable of getting and keeping fulfilling work. Employability is about much more than just getting one’s first job- it’s about having a positive self image and presenting oneself successfully, both as a new

But still there is a vast skill gap that causes a mismatch between industry needs and institutional output. India being a nation with a high percentage of youth nearly 35% are between the age group of 15 to 21 who after completing their graduation are in a position to enter into a job market. But due to the lack of skills that are required for an industry many people out of that lot fail to enter the job market (Murugaia S. 2014) Employers recognize that “soft” skill development is essential for their employees. These skills are difficult to teach to employees once they are on the job. Therefore, they should be learned through development opportunities such as higher education (Arensdorf,Jill