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LJUBLJANA, September 23-25, 2009Draft
Matching of Generic Competencies with Labour Market Needs:
Important Factor of Study Programmes Quality
KĘSTUTIS PUKELISKĘSTUTIS PUKELIS AND NORA PILEICIKIENE AND NORA PILEICIKIENE
VYTAUTAS MAGNUS UNIVERSITYVYTAUTAS MAGNUS UNIVERSITY
CENTER FOR QUALITY OF STUDIESCENTER FOR QUALITY OF STUDIES
© Kęstutis Pukelis, CQS, VMU, 2009
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Ability, Competency, Learning/Study outcome
Ability – developed through teaching/learning person’s aptitude, applying knowledge to achieve theoretical or practical goals.
Competency – a person’s ability, confirmed by some document, to perform a certain valid (relevant, proper, qualified, at some quality level) and reliable (precise and fast) part (operation or assignment, task) of an occupational activity in an unpredictable (working) situation, described in occupational standard. Competency is a measurable phenomenon. A set of essential for occupational activity competencies combined in a system compose an occupational standard.
Learning/Study outcome – derived from competencies (described in the occupational standard or similar document), an objective result of certain teaching/study programme, the achievement of which by each learner or student is an inevitable precondition to award an appropriate qualification. A specific feature of learning/study outcome is measurability.
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Qualification, Competence
Qualification – a formal document that indicates the validity (suitability, relevance, but not reliability) of person’s abilities for a certain occupational activity. Qualification is awarded for a person if he/she achieves defined learning or study outcomes of the accredited teaching or study programme.
Competence – a valid and reliable as well as qualitative (effective and efficient) occupational activity of a person in an unpredictable (working) situation guaranteed by the qualification acquired and occupational experience gained in the field (proved ability in an unpredictable situation or occupational practice).
Pukelis K. (2009). Ability, Competency, Learning/study outcome, Qualification and Competence: Theoretical Dimension // The Quality of Higher Education, No. 6, p. 12-35
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Employability and Career development
Employability – one of the main criterion of study programme quality.
Research on employability and career development of graduates of higher education institutions – important precondition for improvement the quality of higher education.
Generic abilities, generic competencies, generic skills, transferable skills, core skills, soft skills, underpinning skills and etc. – important precondition for person’s life long learning as well as his/ her successful employability and career development.
Reference to: Adams, 2004; Allen and van der Velden, 2005; Arthur, Brennan and Weert, 2007; Barth et al., 1999; Bennet, Dunne and Carre, 1999; Bridgstock, 2009; Bridges, 1994; Canto-Sperber and Dupuy, 2001; Holland, 2006; Holmes and Hooper, 2000; Kennedy, 2007; Pukelis, 2009; Su and Feng, 2008, Wats and Wats 2009;
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Classification of generic competencies
According to J. Allen and R. van der Velden (2005, p.2) each graduate of the higher education institution must be competent in five areas:
1. General professional erudition/expertise. It is person’s abilities to use knowledge to identify and solve professional problems as well to advise colleagues, to act decisively in an unpredictable situations.
2. Functional flexibility. Ability for fast acquisition of new knowledge and skills to respond to the permanent change of labour market needs.
3. Management of innovation and knowledge. This encompasses creativity, critical thinking, communication skills from creating new ideas till their implementation.
4. Human resources management. Ability to act autonomously and responsible, to cooperate with and lead others in pursuance most effective results, to control and improve the quality of product or service.
5. International orientation. Abilities related with globalization of labour market – use of foreign languages, multicultural skills, identifying shortages and advantages of cultural context.
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Characteristics of respondents
1021 Lithuanian higher education institutions’ graduate of the year 2003
participated in research. 1. Higher education institutions: There were 48 higher education institutions in Lithuania in 2003: 21 implemented
university level (6, 7, 8 EQF level) studies and 27 – non-university level (5 EQF level) studies.
The numbers of the graduates declared only 26 higher education institutions: 17 universities and 9 colleges. Research sample was composed of graduates of these higher education institutions.
3. Research sample composition: 84,11 % university graduates (66,48 % bachelors, 33,52 % masters) and 15,89 % – professional bachelors (colleges’ graduates).
4. Method used for composing research sample: random sample.
3. Data were received from: Type of qualification: bachelors (undergraduates) – 59,86 %, masters (post
graduates) – 31,39 %, professional bachelors (college graduates) – 8,75 %. Type of studies: full-time students (87,31 %) and part-time students (12,69 %). Gender: females (65,78 %) and males (34,22 %).
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Characteristics of respondents
Year of birth: 77,73 % of respondents were born in 1978-1981.
Study achievements: – the average mark when finished studies was 8 and higher (in scale of 10) of 82,16%
of respondents.– 91, 41 % of respondents strived for highest possible marks during their studies. Cohesion of study and work: 77,16 % of respondents developed their career in the
field of study programme they graduated.
Employment history: – 41,75 % of respondents after graduation continued working in the same job they had
before and/or during studies.– 51,13 % of respondents started to work after graduation. Unemployed respondents: 8,67 % of respondents were unemployed due to child
rearing or family care, morbidity, further education and etc. Job satisfaction: 67,26 % of respondents were satisfied or highly satisfied with their
current job.
6. 6000 questionnaires were sent out. 1021 (17 % of sample) replies were received from graduates of 14 universities and 5 colleges.
7. Research was carried out in 2008.
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Difference between acquired and required in current work level of abilities of graduates’
4 4,5 5 5,5 6
Rapidly acquire new knowledge
Work productively with others
Make your meaning clear to others
Assert your authority
Coordinate activities
Use time efficiently
Come up with new ideas and solutions
Perform well under pressure
Analytical thinking
Mobilize the capacities of others
Negotiate effectively
Current level Required level
Discussions
1. The strongest difference between required and acquired generic competencies are with:
ability to perform well under pressure; ability to use time efficiently; ability to make your meaning clear to others.
Why these abilities?
What is the way to develop better such competencies in higher education institutions?
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Mean difference between acquired and required in current work level of abilities of certain fields of study
Abilities Mean difference between acquired and required level of abilities
Fields of study LawManagement
& administration
Mechanics &
engineeringLanguages & history
Pedagogic
Perform well under pressure -0,383 -0,408 -0,315 -0,534 -0,436
Negotiate effectively 0,179 -0,199 -0,325 -0,42 -0,119
Use time efficiently -0,252 -0,163 -0,284 -0,442 -0,602
Work productively with others 0,265 -0,153 0,093 -0,229 -0,443
Analytical thinking -0,231 -0,01 0,291 -0,396 -0,207
Coordinate activities 0,205 0,115 -0,041 -0,382 -0,221
Make your meaning clear to others -0,447 0,04 -0,07 -0,251 -0,592
Assert your authority -0,313 -0,116 0,022 0,078 -0,217
Mobilize the capacities of others 0,555 -0,075 0,177 -0,26 -0,133
Come up with new ideas and solutions
0,199 0,003 -0,029 -0,099 -0,372
Discussions
2. Graduates of management & administration, mechanics & engineering have better developed generic competencies than graduates of law, pedagogic and liberal arts.
What is the way to develop better generic competencies of students of study programmes that are not popular?
Law is an exception, why?
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Mean difference between acquired and required in current work level of abilities of graduates’ of certain Lithuanian universities
Mean difference between acquired and required level of abilities Abilities
Universities A B C D
Perform well under pressure -0,762 -0,403 -0,328 -0,297
Use time efficiently -0,326 -0,466 -0,075 -0,62
Assert your authority -0,26 0,178 -0,641 -0,319
Negotiate effectively -0,694 -0,225 -0,101 -0,138
Analytical thinking -0,404 -0,101 0,059 -0,093
Make your meaning clear to others -0,231 -0,172 -0,189 -0,564
Work productively with others -0,035 -0,422 -0,052 -0,292
Rapidly acquire new knowledge -0,242 -0,242 0,236 0,03
Coordinate activities -0,164 -0,132 0,04 -0,159
Mobilize the capacities of others -0,095 -0,2 -0,021 -0,296
Come up with new ideas and solutions -0,045 0,019 -0,116 -0,146
Discussions
3. The difference between required and acquired generic competencies of graduates of four (popular) universities could be caused by the
type of universities: universities that graduates lack generic competencies more than others, deliver study programmes in social sciences and liberal arts.
Why graduates of social sciences and liberal arts have weak generic competencies? Is it because of:
study outcomes? methods used for teaching/ studying?
competence of teachers? “weak” students in not highly popular study programmes?
personalities of students? ??
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Thank you for attention!
Prof. Kestutis Pukelis
Phd Student Nora Pileicikine
www.vdu.lt/skc
