Rethinking Graduate Employability in Context : : Discourse, Policy and Practice.

• Author: Siivonen, Päivi.
• TeilnehmendeR: Isopahkala-Bouret, Ulpukka.; Tomlinson, Michael.; Korhonen, Maija.; Haltia, Nina.
• Place / Publishing House: Cham : : Springer International Publishing AG,, 2023.; {copy}2023.
• Year of Publication: 2023
• Edition: 1st ed.
• Language: English
• Physical Description: 1 online resource (384 pages)

Table of Contents

Intro -- Preface -- Contents -- Notes on Contributors -- List of Figures -- List of Tables -- Chapter 1: Introduction: Rethinking Graduate Employability in Context -- Part I: Critical Perspectives on the Theory of Employability -- Part II: Graduate Employability and Social Inequalities in Different National Contexts -- Part III: Graduate Employability as a Career and Identity Process -- References -- Part I: Critical Perspectives on the Theory of Employability -- Chapter 2: Graduate Employability and Its Basis in Possessive Individualism -- Introduction -- Frames of Reference for Graduate Employability Research -- Problems with the Skills and Attributes Perspective -- Policy Origins of the Skills and Attributes Perspective -- The Political Theory of Possessive Individualism -- Self-contained Individualism -- Language and the Need for Conceptual Clarification -- Conclusion -- References -- Chapter 3: Relative Employability: Applying the Insights of Positional Competition and Conflict Theories Within the Current Higher Education Landscape -- Introduction -- Part I: Early Theories on Positionality of Education and Employability -- Positional Conflict in the Graduate Labour Market -- Higher Education Systems: Ranking and Stratification -- Part II: The Growing Relevance of Relative Employability -- Labour Market Positioning: Continuous Growth in the Supply of Qualified Graduates and Recent Labour Market Shocks -- Educational Positioning: Growing Segmentation of Higher Education at the Top -- Social Positioning: Greater Effort Is Afforded by Those Wanting to Distinguish Themselves -- Discussion: Outlining a New Policy and Research Agenda -- References -- Chapter 4: Boosting Employability Through Fostering an Entrepreneurial Mindset: Critical Analysis of Employability and Entrepreneurship in EU Policy Documents -- Introduction.

Governmentality Perspective on Employability and Entrepreneurial Mindset -- Critical Analysis of the EU's Education Policy Documents -- Entrepreneurship Education as a Solution to Employability Problems -- Problem 1: Lack of Entrepreneurial Skills -- Problem 2: Obsolete Higher Education -- Problem 3: Risk Society and Risky Labour Markets -- Discussion: Empowered or Neurotic Citizens? -- Appendix A: Analysed Documents -- References -- Chapter 5: The Affective Life of Neoliberal Employability Discourse -- Introduction -- Ideas of Affect -- Affect, Governance and Graduate Employability in Higher Education -- Affect and Discursive Repertoires in a Qualitative Study of University Students -- Conclusion -- References -- Chapter 6: Grounding Employability in Both Agency and Collective Identity: An Emancipatory Agenda for Higher Education -- Introduction -- Conceptualising Employability as a Capacity for Collective Agency -- Collective Identity Underpins Agency Within Workplaces -- Practical Implications for Universities and Employers -- Conclusions -- References -- Part II: Employability and Inequalities in Graduate Labour Markets -- Chapter 7: Are Graduates Working in Graduate Occupations? Insights from the Portuguese Labour Market -- Introduction -- The Benefits of Education -- The Assignment of Graduates and Overeducation -- Education and the Labour Market: Studies from Portugal -- Data and Method -- Empirical Evidence and Discussion -- The Supply of Graduates -- The Distribution of Graduates Across Types of Occupation -- Industry Affiliation: Education and Occupations -- Wages: Education and Occupations -- Discussion of the Findings -- Concluding Remarks -- References -- Chapter 8: Institutionalisation of Employability Capital in Employment Markets -- Introduction -- Revisiting the Empirical Study.

Conceptualising the Institutionalisation of Employers' Beliefs About Graduate Employability from a Capital Perspective -- Reinterpretation of Cai's (2012) Findings from the Employability Capital Perspective -- Implications of Cai's (2012) Study on Interactions Between Graduates and Employers -- Discussion -- Conclusion -- References -- Chapter 9: The Vocational Drift of French Higher Education and the Employability of Graduates -- Introduction -- French Higher Education System -- Graduate Employment and the Vocational Drift in the French Higher Education -- Access to Labour Market and Representation of Employability, a Review of Recent French Studies -- Conclusion -- References -- Chapter 10: Re-Framing Employability as a Problem of Perceived Opportunities: The Case of Internships in a U.S. College Using the Student Perceptions of Employment Opportunities (SPEO) Framework -- Introduction -- Limitations in Employability Research: Issues with Ambiguity, Dimensionality, and Causality -- Additional Insights from Cognitive Psychology and Intersectionality Research -- A New Approach: The Student Perceptions of Employment Opportunities (SPEO) Framework -- An Empirical Example: Internship Experiences of Latinx Students at a Texas University -- Findings -- Factors Leading to Student Perceptions of Not Being Competitive/Limited Opportunities -- Influence of Pay and Housing on Students' Ability to Take Internships -- Role of Texas College as Vehicle for Social Capital/Information Resource -- How Do these Multi-Level Factors Intersect in the Lives of Actual Students? -- Conclusions and Next Steps -- Notes -- References -- Chapter 11: Working-Class Adult Students: Negotiating Inequalities in the Graduate Labour Market -- Introduction -- Taking a Critical Look at Employability -- A Discussion on Class -- A Note on Methodology: Using Biographical Methods.

Working-Class Student Perspectives on Employability -- Class, Gender and Age -- Economic Social and Cultural Capital -- Summary -- References -- Part III: Graduate Employability as a Career and Identity Process -- Chapter 12: Health as Employability Potential in Business Graduates' Career Imagination -- Introduction -- Health as a Social Practice in the Neoliberal Governance of Workers -- Thematic Analysis of Business Graduates' Interviews -- Health in Terms of Timescapes of Working Life: Normalising Intensive and Stressful Working Life -- Health as a Driving Force and Enabler of Vitality -- Health as Risk Awareness and Skilful Risk Management -- Health in Terms of Time Maps: Constructing Employability Potential in Career -- Work-Life Balance as Postponed to Future Career -- Health as Achieved Equilibrium -- The Counter Stories of Intensive Working Life and Flexible Career-The Discourse of Balance -- Discussion -- References -- Chapter 13: Finnish University Students Constructing Their Ideal Employable Identities: A Case Study of Top Performing Experts -- Introduction -- The Ideal Employable Identity -- Data and Methods -- Findings -- 1. Employability as a Long-Term Goal -- 1a. Early Vision About Future Employment -- 1b. Applying to Study in University -- 1c. Accumulating Work Experience During Time Spent in Education -- 1d. Gaining Extensive Work Experience from the Field After Graduation -- 2. Constructing Employability in a Specific Field -- 2a. University Degree as a Minimum Demand -- 2b. Available Vacancies in the Field -- 2c. Developing One's Competence Continuously -- 2d. Free Time and Hobbies -- 3. Harnessing Personality to Strengthen Employability -- 3a. Maximising Efficiency at Work -- 3b. Being Passionate About Work -- 3c. Personality as an Asset -- Discussion -- Notes -- References.

Chapter 14: Strategies Undertaken by International Graduates to Negotiate Employability -- Introduction -- International Graduates' Employability from Different Perspectives -- Conceptual Frameworks -- Methodology -- Participants -- Data Collection and Analysis -- Results -- Possessional Approach: Building Human Capital as Guided by Study Programmes -- Positional Approach: Being Positioned as a Disadvantaged Group in the Host Labour Market -- Processual Approach: Enacting Various Forms of Agency to Negotiate Employability -- Discussion and Conclusion -- References -- Chapter 15: Employability as Self-branding in Job Search Games: A Case of Finnish Business Graduates -- Introduction -- Self-branding as Performances of Employable Graduate Identities -- Methodological Issues -- Participants -- Method and Analysis -- Results -- Performing Difference to Other Job Seekers -- The Tactical and Unique Job Seeker Versus the Average Highly Educated Job Seeker -- Performing Sameness Enough -- Good Novice Employee "on paper" Versus Credible by Experience -- The Self-branding Dilemma of Authenticity Versus Fabrication -- Boundaries of Authenticity Versus Fabrication -- Boundaries of the "curated self" -- Discussion -- References -- Chapter 16: Negotiating (Employable) Graduate Identity: Small Story Approach in Qualitative Follow-up Research -- Introduction -- Data and Methods -- Small Story Approach in the Reading of Joel's Follow-up Interviews -- The Creation of Accounts for Ruptures -- Negotiation of Continuity Versus Change as a Good and Valuable Employee -- Continuity in the Construction of a Jobseeker Who Is Not Well-Networked -- Change in the Construction of Experience as a Jobseeker and Employee -- Changing Positions Towards the Future and a Dream Job -- Negotiation of Graduate Identity in Relation to Employability in Small Stories -- Conclusion.

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