Taiwanese College Graduates' Employability in the Global Context

Abstract

College graduates’ employability has been one of the focal objectives in higher education globally since the 1970s (Brown & Lauder, 2011; Hillage & Pollard, 1998; Brown et al., 2003). Under the massive impacts of globalization, technology revolution, and knowledge-based economy, the essence of graduate employability is shaping the curriculum design, as well as the career paths of Taiwanese college graduates. While current Taiwanese college graduates’ employability research focuses on the demographic description of graduates', educators' and employers' perception regarding employability, in-depth qualitative research that examines Taiwanese college graduates' experiences and perceptions regarding their employability readiness is scarce in the literature. Moreover, employability research in Taiwan needs to be addressed using a more holistic and cultural relevant approach where graduates' social, emotional, and professional development needs are taken into consideration. This study aims to investigate Taiwanese college graduates’ employability building, in terms of whether and how Taiwanese college graduates are well prepared for the knowledge, skills, and competency for the fast-changing world of work in Taiwan's particular social and economic context. To address the gap in the literature, this study focuses on the graduates’ narratives and digs into their perception of how college experiences, including college curriculum, work-related experiences, engagement with extracurricular activities, and career coaching resources contribute to graduates’ formation of competitive employability. In addition, this study also attempts to re-envision higher education to extensively accommodate graduates' professional and developmental needs in a more holistic manner. The study uses criterion-based sampling to reflect certain demographic characteristics of the graduate population. Eleven recent graduates from various geographic locations, disciplines, professions, and types of universities were invited to participate in the study. All participants received undergraduate degrees from departments of a Taiwanese higher education institution within two years; and had worked for more than one year. For male participants who needed to fulfill compulsory military service, the time served in the military is excluded from the two years limit. For recruitment of the participants, the research also put in effort to achieve balance in terms of gender, profession, discipline, and geography. The researcher conducted eleven individual interviews and two focus groups, and collected participants’ written reflections for analysis. In the study, graduates reflected upon how effectively the college curriculum, involvement in extracurricular activities, work-related engagement, career services, and other relevant college experiences contributed to employability building. Findings indicate that Taiwanese graduates perceive the existence of a gap between the preparation in university and the real world of work. The study also points to the context-bounded career transition struggle facing Taiwanese graduates. The researcher carefully examines graduates' experiences and proposes constructive solutions to enhance college students’ and graduates’ learning outcomes in all aspects of their college experiences. Based on the finding, the researcher proposes to redefine employability in a culturally relevant way, acknowledging unique Asian work ethics, and identify the critically needed employable skillset demanded in the participants’' professional fields. Besides mending the current campus-workplace gap, the study further discusses how higher education should prepare students and graduates for challenges brought upon by the fast-advancing technologies, and contemplate on the core values of the 21st century higher education.