engleski

Employers’ views on partnerships in higher education

In an age when the creation, dissemination and application of knowledge are at the heart of a value-added economy and society, the relationship between higher education (HE) and businesses as a prerequisite for sustainable wealth creation has become a popular research topic. This paper is a part of a more comprehensive online Graduate employability survey, which employed open and closed questions, as well as 7-point Linkert scales for answers. In total 132 Croatian employers from large, medium and small companies of different types participated in the survey. Only 7% of employers reckon that during HE enough attention is placed on the application of acquired knowledge, and a vast majority believe that students upon graduation, in general, lack soft skills. The results show that employers regard HE partnerships with businesses as the 1033INTERDISCIPLINARY MANAGEMENT RESEARCH XVmost important factor for increasing employability of students. Apart from the cooperation of departments at the University for the exchange of experience, employers consider teacher training in the use of innovative teaching methods as very important. These results provide useful information for taking action to improve graduate employability in Croatia. To maximize the benefits of partnerships, cooperative education, a cross representation on the boards of business and universities, as well as liaison panels are suggested. The role of university career centres, which work systematically with employers and serve as a catalyst for employer engagement, must not be underestimated. The re-search is not exempt from limitations as it includes a rather small number of companies in Croatia. It is suggested that further studies should be conducted to include a wider range of businesses. It would also be beneficial to research the perceptions of the university teaching staff regarding these partnerships.

Graduate employability ; higher education ; business ; curriculum changes

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