Piecing together the puzzle of graduate employment : factors that shape the graduate work expectations of human resource management students

Providing graduates with a set of skills and attributes relevant to their future employment remains a key topic in both higher education policy and research. This paper reports findings from a pilot study of human resource management (HRM) students' perceptions of the graduate work experience. Specifically, it focuses on how these perceptions are shaped, driven by a concern for the uncertainty - and even fear - expressed by the study's participants in relation to their future workplace experiences. The influences of three key factors in shaping participants' expectations are discussed: the graduate recruitment experience, previous work experiences and 'graduate work folklore' from the stories of family and friends. With these influences not always providing students with a realistic picture of their future work experience, we conclude that educators need to improve the opportunities for practical experience and industry knowledge through work placements, stronger links with industry and increased exposure to the practicalities of work within the curriculum.

Part-time research students: the`reserve army` of research students for universities

Over the past twenty years, in Australia, there has been a steady growth in the numbers of part-time research students. However, they have generally been invisible in government policy on research training, and have rarely been the focus of specific treatment in universities, where the full-time scholarship-holder is taken as the norm. Yet, these are people who often undertake their research in their workplaces on problems germane to their work. They do so with relatively less ‘drain on the public purse’ and they are well-placed to ensure their research has effect. This paper suggests that this ‘reserve army’ of research labour—part-time research students—could benefit from the integration of the perspectives that have driven other aspects of adult education with those, often economic rationalist perspectives, that have driven research training policy. In this way, government policy-makers may appreciate that this ‘reserve army’ provides good value, and universities may shape their research training policies and practices to provide support, infrastructure and supervision that matches the needs and contexts of part-time students, and which facilitates ‘technology transfer’ and links between universities and industries and the professions.

Doctorates downunder : keys to successful doctoral study in Australia and New Zealand

Presents a comprehensive collection of essays designed to guide current and prospective doctoral candidates through the amazing journey of doctoral study. Includes chapters on beginning candidature, selecting a supervisor, countering isolation, engaging support structures, and more.

Surviving and thriving in postgraduate research

Surviving and Thriving in Postgraduate Research focuses on the effective planning and management of a postgraduate research project, from the inception and commencement of a relationship with supervisors through to the submission and examination of the thesis... This book has been designed specifically for Australian and New Zealand students as well as international students studying in those countries

Gatekeeping or redressing social exclusion : expectations on social work educators in relation to incarcerated students

Until recently, the author was in Scotland, where professional registration in social work extends to students and involves criminal record checks prior to acceptance into a course of study. She is now teaching at Deakin University in Australia, which places a high priority on making higher education available to persons and groups who have traditionally been excluded, both through the provision of courses through off campus (distance education) study mode and an innovative and culturally sensitive mode of provision for indigenous Australians. One result of our attempts to redress social exclusion is that, on occasion, we discover that some of our students are incarcerated. There are important logistical issues which may emerge as a consequence of accepting prisoners into a program of social work education. However, it would seem that the inclusion of prisoners is symbolic of a fundamental difference in philosophy with programmes of social work education in countries where there is a strong expectation that social work educators act as gatekeepers to the profession, especially in respect of students with criminal convictions. This in tum reflects an expectation among social work educators in Australia that it may be more appropriate for professional associations or registration bodies to determine whether or not a graduate with a criminal record is suitable for employment as a professional social worker. In some settings, a prior criminal record is not a barrier to being an effective service provider, as well as international differences in understandings of the social work role and employment
destinations of social work graduates.

University and employer expectations of new dietetic graduates

Objectives:  The first objective of this study was to identify the knowledge, skills and attributes (KSAs) that employers seek in newly graduated dietitians. The second objective was to compare the KSAs that employers seek in newly graduated dietitians to the Deakin University Graduate Attributes and to the Dieticians Association of Australia (DAA) Competencies in order to determine if there is a mismatch.

Methods:   Views were gathered from a combination of group and individual in-depth, semistructured interviews with 19 employers from a range of employment settings and sorted into an existing framework using the DAA Competencies and the Deakin University Graduate Attributes. Data from taped interviews were transcribed and sorted into a table of generic skills and a KSAs matrix.

Results: Employers sought graduates who had practical knowledge of dietetics and the workplace, Key skills sought included communication, interpersonal, work management and information technology skills. Key attributes sought were the ability to be a team player, to demonstrate some insight into one's own limitations, to demonstrate an appropriate level of initiative, and to be flexible and adaptable. There was a large overlap between the KSAs identified by employers as being important and those that have been identified by the DAA and Deakin University. However, there were some areas of mismatch. The University and employers valued information technological skills, whereas the DAA did not state these as a competency. The University and the industry employers were concerned about the global perspective, but the DAA and the clinical employers were not.

Conclusions: The results of this study show a large overlap between the KSAs valued by the profession, the University and the employers.

Key stakeholders' expectations of educational outcomes from Australian critical care nursing courses: a Delphi study

Background
Educational preparation for critical care nursing in Australia varies considerably in terms of the level of qualification resulting in a lack of clarity for key stakeholders about student outcomes.

Objectives
The study aim was to identify and reach consensus regarding the desired learning outcomes from Australian post-registration critical care education programs as demonstrated through the graduate's knowledge, skills and attitudes.

Design
A Delphi technique was used to establish consensus between educators, managers, clinicians and students regarding learning outcomes expected of graduates with a Graduate Certificate, Graduate Diploma and Master level qualification in critical care nursing.

Participants
A total of 164 critical care nurses (66 clinicians, 48 educators, 32 managers and 18 students) participated and 99 questionnaires were returned in the first round (response rate 60%). Fifty-seven questionnaires were returned for Round 2 (response rate 58%).

Methods
Learning outcomes were obtained from the Australian College of Critical Care Nurses Competency Standards for Specialist Critical Care Nurses. Some statements included more than one characteristic, and these were split to create learning outcomes with one characteristic per item. A survey of Australian higher education providers of critical care education provided additional learning outcomes, for a total of 73 learning outcomes for the first Delphi round.

Results
Findings suggest that patient comfort, safety, professional responsibility and ethical conduct are deemed most important for all three levels of educational preparation. There was a lack of emphasis on clinical practice issues for all levels. Participants placed higher emphasis on learning outcomes related to complex decision-making, leadership, supervision, policy development and research for Graduate Diploma and Master level programs.

Conclusion
The findings have implications for curriculum development and the profession with regards to the level of educational preparation required of critical care nurses and suggest that further work is required before clear recommendations can be made for desired educational outcomes from critical care nursing programs in Australia.

Building a symbiotic relationship between academia and industry: expectations and observations of construction management graduates

Construction management graduates are employed in job functions such as building and civil engineering contracting, construction and project management consulting, client organisations (public and private) and developer organisations. Considering the diversity of employment opportunities for construction management graduates, they increasingly need to have a portfolio of skills to work effectively and efficiently with other professions in the industry. In exploring this, the objective of the research presented in this paper is to determine if construction management graduates are meeting the expectations of their employers. In considering the competitive forces impacting the construction industry, the authors of this paper sought to establish whether construction managers are able to identify those key skills needed for the future success of the industry. In turn, this information is considered critical for the successful formulation of curricula. Therefore, to establish whether construction management graduates are meeting the expectations of contractors, a survey was distributed to managers to establish their expectations and observations of recent graduates. The survey results indicate that managers are generally satisfied with the skill level of graduate students. The survey also highlighted several important skills that were considered to be lacking in graduates. cknowledging that there is always a need to improve the skill level of graduates, the authors propose a number of recommendations that are considered to improve the content construction management curricula.

Work readiness in graduate recruitment and selection : a review of current assessment methods

Graduate recruitment and selection differs from other contexts in that graduate applicants generally lack job-related experience. Recent research has highlighted that employers are placing increasing value on graduates being work ready. Work readiness is believed to be indicative of graduate potential in terms of long term job performance and career advancement. A review of the literature has found that current graduate recruitment and selection practices lack the rigour and construct validity to effectively assess work readiness. In addition, the variety of interchangeable terms and definitions articulated by employers and academics on what constitutes work readiness suggests the need to further refine this construct. This paper argues that work readiness is an important selection criterion, and should be examined systematically in the graduate assessment process, as a construct in itself. The ineffectiveness of current assessment methods in being able to measure work readiness supports the need to develop a specific measure of work readiness that will allow more effective decision practices and potentially predict long term job capacity and performance.

Expectations and perceptions of overseas students in a Post-graduate corporate accounting subject : a research note

This study examines the expectations and perceptions of overseas students undertaking the post-graduate corporate accounting subject taught at an Australian university. An understanding
of students’ perceptions and expectations in learning of the subject is important in assisting
accounting academics to enhance their teaching programmes, and to manage the diverse student
cohorts which are now a feature of university classrooms in Australia. The findings show that
overseas students expected the post-graduate corporate accounting subject to be challenging and
interesting. Moreover, they expressed a strong desire that the subject should emphasise the
practicalities of accounting.