Investigating the Benefits and Challenges of Workplace Volunteering Experiences for International Students’ Employability Literacies

For many international students the prospect of employment in overseas locations post-study is a strong desire. The concept of employability has infiltrated the literature but little is known about how volunteering experiences might impact international students’ preparedness for work placement during their programs of study. Using theoretical framing related to types of employability literacies, this paper shares data from interviews with international students who volunteered. Findings revealed several themes aligning with linguistic proficiency, cultural awareness, attitudes and mindset, and vocational literacies. Additional themes such as hospitable relationships and building trust were also revealed which could relate to sustainable citizenship. Many benefits result from volunteering experiences for both international students and their hosts, but more work is needed to support hosts through cultural awareness programs and international students due to their study commitments and limited time.

Exploring the link between student placement learning in business organizations and self-employment preparatory behaviours

This study draws on social cognitive career theory to test a moderated mediation model of self-employment preparatory behaviours in university students undertaking placement learning in a business organization (PLBO). Using time-lag data from 337 university students undertaking work placement in 123 business organizations, the study hypotheses were tested using PROCESS Macro 3.5. The results revealed that PLBO significantly influenced student self-employment self-efficacy, self-employment outcome expectations and self-employment preparatory behaviours. Also, self-employment self-efficacy and self-employment outcome expectations mediated the relationship between work placement learning and self-employment preparatory behaviours. However, placement supervisor support interacted with PLBO such that greater support from placement supervisors contributed to stronger self-employment preparatory behaviours. The placement learning supervisor support moderated the indirect effect of PLBO on self-employment preparatory behaviours via self-employment self-efficacy and self-employment outcome expectations at all levels (−1SD, Mean and +1SD).

Analisis Kompetensi dan Penempatan Kerja serta Pengaruhnya terhadap Motivasi Kerja

The purpose of this study was to analyze the simultaneous, partial and dominant influence of competence and job placement variables on work motivation. The research method explains that the location of Lesehan Dapur M'Riah Mojokerto, the type of research is explanatory research, namely research that aims to determine the relationship between two variables of competence and work placement on work motivation. The population of this research is the employees of Lesehan Dapur M'Riah Mojokerto. The number of samples is 30 people, while the data analysis uses multiple linear regression. The results showed that: 1) competence and work placement had a simultaneous effect on work motivation. 2) competence has a partial effect on work motivation and work placement does not partially affect work motivation. 3) competence has a dominant effect on work motivation.

A Study into the Effectiveness of the Youth Employment Programme (YEP) in Mauritius

Youth employment programmes are used as a means of developing employability skills through a wage subsidy strategy. This study examines the effectiveness of the Youth Employment Programme (YEP) in Mauritius in terms of the trainee’s satisfaction of YEP, his/her belief that YEP would help him/her to get a job and the odds of actually being employed once the programme is over. The Human Capital Theory is used to describe the transformation process through which YEP increases youth employability. Data was randomly collected among 214 individuals who were either currently or had previously been on the programme. All logistic models fitted the data well with correct classifications ranging from 70% to 92.5%. None of the demographic factors predicted the effectiveness of YEP. Trainees’ satisfaction was predicted by the sector of work placement, quality of programme, field of study and recommendations. Trainees’ beliefs were predicted by the number of interviews, duration of unemployment prior to the programme, whether internship matched their fields of study, nature of employment and quality of the programme. However, the nature of employment and salary were the only factors that predicted the odds of actually being employed. The YEP in Mauritius may require major restructuration to cater for trainees outside the field of social sciences. Although the YEP has failed to provide the adequate support and a satisfying experience, its contribution cannot be underestimated. An evaluation of the programme should be carried out at shorter intervals to detect major loopholes so that these may be resolved in time.

TRANSFORMATION OF EMPLOYABILITY SKILLS THROUGH CO-OP EXPERIENCES

The structure of co-operative programs gives students the opportunity to transform employability skills. Using a proposed conceptual framework and inspirationfrom Mezirow’s Transformative Learning Theory, this paper analyzes four engineering students in varying disciplines across the three contexts that a co-op experience provides: pre co-op school setting, co-op work placement and the post co-op school setting. Using reflection and by adapting to their settings, these students transformed their communication, organization/ time management and initiative/ responsibility skills. Analyzing these skills and experiences against the framework, we can see how the details and specifics of the transformation varies for each student; however, each student needs to experience each stage for successful transformation. Each of the stages then feeds into and helps further the skills as it changes.