Article
Employers’ perception about research work in graduate
programs
Saira Ahmed 1, Abrar Hashmi 1, Muhammad Atiq Ur Rehman Tariq 2, and Aleena Nadeem 1
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2
Abstract:
Industry and academia have to work together for the prosperity;
However, there is gap between the connectivity and linkage between the two entities. The problem
is grave in developing countries like Pakistan.
The proposed research actually tries to investigate the gap between these two industries by
evaluating the employers’ perception.
Methodology?
Results?
Conclusions
recommendations
Keywords: keyword 1; keyword 2; keyword 3 (List three to ten pertinent keywords specific to the
article yet reasonably common within the subject discipline.)
Water 2022, 14, x. https://doi.org/10.3390/xxxxx
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1) Introduction
1.1) Significance
Higher education institutes in developing countries need to focus on graduate
employability from the employers’ perception to effectively respond to the advanced
skills and knowledge requirements of the corporate sector. The purpose of this study is to
examine the significance of the research work in graduate programs from employers’
perspectives.
The research has practical implications for research work in higher education
programs to the enhancement of employers’ perception and graduate employability. This
study is a focal point for higher education institutes of Pakistan to strengthen their
academic research work quality as per the industry need. Currently, research work in
engineering graduate programs is not entirely consistent with the expectations of
employers.
Graduate programs should highly focus on soft employability skills and rather less
emphasis on the substantive content of the MS/doctoral programs. Further, the study
holds immense significance to encourage the employability development process within
Pakistani universities. The transition from academic research in graduate programs to the
labor market needs the active involvement of graduates. The proactive and aggressive job
market approaches are important to surpass the accomplishments within formal industry
settings.
1.2) History
Despite the innovative practices and extensive development in the higher education
system of Pakistan, the quality of research work conducted in graduate programs still
remains a problematic area to compete in the corporate sector. In the contemporary
globalized economy, a little chance exists for university graduates to meet the expectations
of employees (Kakar et al., 2021). The perception of employer and graduate employability
has been subjected to previous research during the few decades.
However, most of them had been grounded on the case study method (Qureshi &
Mian, 2021). So the results are not comprehensive to generalize to various contexts. The
existing studies concerning the employers’ perception about research work in the higher
education graduate programs merely encounter prescriptive advice and lag behind
quantitative evidence ways (Van Mol et al., 2021). Further, some empirical studies on
employers’ perception and graduate employability have not provided conclusive
evidence.
1.3) The need
In the recent globalized era, the higher education sector and the labor market have
experienced considerable transformation all over the world (Damoah et al., 2021).
However, someway developing countries like Pakistan are lagging behind in the quality
research and education. The perception of employers reveals a negative depiction of the
research conducted by Pakistani students (Tomlinson & Anderson, 2021).
The existing literature demonstrates that research performed in the field of
engineering education at the postgraduate level merely satisfies the degree requirements
or for the promotion (Okolie et al., 2021). The research in higher education STEM
programs is rarely implemented and generally deepened by an inexplicit substantial
direction for future research.
Further, the literature depicts that intermittent scholarships are offered at such a level
to sponsor research work (Dicker et al., 2019). Within developing states such as Pakistan,
the frequency of qualified researchers and graduates in the higher education institutes is
intensifying inch by inch. It is primarily due to graduates’ perception about a research
degree as a thriving tide of employability propensities (Dicker et al., 2019).
A postgraduate degree is a driving force to entail in research ventures which have an
unpretentious impact upon employment. The study showed broad-spectrum anticipation
from scholastics due to the influence they might perceive their understudies creating on
scientific practice (Succi & Canovi, 2020).
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The achievement rate based on the investigation that was approved by the
government on such research remuneration ranges from 10 to 12 percent (Abdullah, 2022).
The inadmissible proportion of graduate work was the critical rationalization for the
undertaking. Quality of research work in higher education from employer’s perspective
is considered the proportion of perfection, adherence to obvious gauges, and interpretable
attributes among graduates. It is just limited to a matter of degree to which the former
confirms the latter rather than preparing graduates for effective customer dealing
(Cavallone et al., 2021).
Lastly, the research quality in engineering education and aptitude of graduates could
be substantially anticipated through the feedback and impression of clients. In immature
nations, graduate unemployment has become an acute issue so exploration was steered
for contemplating on this subject (Tomlinson, 2021). To cater to the requirements of
employers, employability skills have been divulged in the academic research through the
instructive program and crucial direction for which graduates require to perform wide
close to research heightening works out (Byrne, 2022).
2) Literature Review
Employer Perception and Higher Education
As far as the employer perspective is considered, the former literature portrays a
controversial relationship between employers and higher education traditionally
(Tomlinson & Jackson, 2021). It is because of the outward institutional faction between
the employer organizations and activities of higher education. Throughout history, higher
education particularly in the developing states including Pakistan has not been up to a
remarkable level. Higher education system is not even an adequate training provider to
meet the employers’ expectations and contemporary market demands. The skillset
acquired by graduates before inflowing the labor market is invaluable and obsolete that
is absorbed into organizations in differentiated and complex ways (Van Mol et al., 2021).
Stewart (2021) provides a critical assessment of employers’ perspectives about
research work in engineering education in Namibia. A survey method is employed in the
study, with questionnaires filled by graduates, employers, and lecturers. The results
revealed an incongruity in responses collected from the survey. The employers’ response
mapped the need of embedding employability attributes within the graduates (Stewart,
2021). Universities not merely focus on research work rather equip the graduates with the
latest employability skills to align the higher education industry with the demand of the
corporate sector.
For employers, skills such as the ability to inspire, leadership, adaptability, problemsolving, and teamwork are more valuable than the academic credentials and research
conducted by graduate students. The literature depicts that the significance associated
with leadership and effective communication skills is extremely highly rated by
employers as compared to the proficiency possessed by graduate students in Pakistan
(Majeed et al., 2021). It is a clear implication of employers’ perception that Pakistani
graduates are not well competent to meet the expectation of enterprise and in-demand
skill sets.
Contrarily, within developed states such as the United States, United Kingdom and
Australia, the quality of research in the higher education and engineering graduates is
immensely equated and aligned with their prospective economic returns (Qureshi &
Mian, 2021). The engineering education in these countries is augmented with central
demand-responsive and market-driven principles. Consequently, the value of
postgraduates in the labor market is quite high.
However, one of the major obstacles to the labor market is that mass higher education
has complicated the market dynamics for qualifications and skills. It potentially results in
an oversupply of suitably and identically qualified graduates (Abell & Becker, 2021). The
paradigm of recruitment and selection standards is expected to shift. It is because
employers attempt discrimination practices among a wider and highly qualified graduate
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pool for recruiting those they consider to be the most talented and best for their
organizations (Anjum et al., 2021). Instead of a shortage, there exists a possibility of an
excess of skilled and well-qualified graduates in a mass higher education structure. It
could potentially lead to substantial-worth ascribed to multiple types of job market signals
away from formal credentials (Kakar et al., 2021).
Employers and Graduates
According to research studies, the supply-side terms have strongly framed the
prevailing understanding of imminent employment outcomes of graduates (Rizwan et al.,
2021). If the higher education institutes are more responsive to employers' demands
through evolving provision aligned with the employers' perception, then the probability
of individual graduates and employer's stance to gain would be high. Further, supplyside orientations to outcomes of graduate employment are comprehensively pillared by
the rationality. The high alignment of graduates' formal training and education to
organizational demands leads to more attractiveness of graduates to employers (Anees et
al., 2021). The expectations of employer organizations from employable graduates have
received far less attention in demand-side approach discourse and have a partial impact
on employability (Malik et al., 2021).
Abbas (2021) primarily focuses on the insight of human capital theory as it has
significantly influenced the supply-side approach in the labor market. Human capital
theory perceives employability as an aggregate of aptitudes and knowledge explicitly
gained through higher education and subsequently exchanged and transformed into
organizational productivity (Abbas et al., 2021). The conceptual framework of human
capital theory reveals that intensified human capital is the foremost component of
outcomes of the graduate job market.
Employers are inclined towards recruiting university graduates with higher
qualifications only if they possess in-demand skillset. Hiring is based on the assumption
that qualified graduates are well-equipped with employability attributes that would meet
workplace expectations and result in more productive outcomes (Tan et al., 2021).
Employers make rational investment decisions based on reasonably concrete info about
the graduate credentials value along with efficient utilization of such human capital
within the workplaces. Nonetheless, this is grounded on there being strong
correspondence between the innovative skills and advanced knowledge in higher
education degrees as well as performance specification of various organizations (Alam &
Forhad, 2022).
Graduate Employability and Higher Education
Employers perceive graduates' employability as a complex combination of essential
resources (Far et al., 2021). Graduate employability is referred to as capitals that allow
them to tell an engaging story about their employability, as revealed by a qualitative study
done with a varied variety of UK businesses (Nasir et al., 2021). Employers are provided
with an opportunity to assess potential on the basis of organizational, cultural, human
and identity capital bolster graduates' resumes, in contemporary extraordinarily
competitive and congested job markets. It is observed that the degree holders belonging
to different countries are trying to make notable resource investments for the sake of their
higher education. Further, universities are under increasing pressure to produce favorable
labor market returns for their students (Asad et al., 2021). Here in the United States, this
is profoundly relevant.
Increasingly, higher education institutes are exposed to high pressure to produce
graduates equipped to operate in the real world. The research demonstrated almost 130
job postings in the environmental science industry in developing countries to find out
what kind of workers those companies were seeking (Tunio et al., 2022). The most
frequently requested degree-related criteria were content knowledge, a tertiary degree,
and job experience. Knowledge of environmental rules, fieldwork, ecological surveys, and
identifying species using geographic information systems (GIS) were also highly
important after skills.
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Ismail & Khan (2021) conducted longitudinal qualitative research and collected the
empirical data from recurrent interviews with 30 new graduates from MS-level civil
engineering programs. The findings demonstrate that more than half of the job listings
sought applicants with effective communication, project management, strong
interpersonal, and negotiation skills (Ismail & Khan, 2021). It was also discovered that
universities in Pakistan need to prioritize the advanced skills often listed in job postings.
Graduates should have access to work-related learning opportunities. There must be an
emphasis on the provision of effective education regarding the latest industry and
employment trends in the graduate programs so that the students can get an in-depth
insight about these topics.
Haider & Bhatti (2021) measured the perceptions of graduates and employers
towards employability skills needed in the labor market. The study employed a triangular
design method and depicted the variations in industry trends towards 40 kinds of
employability skills. The results identified the need for strong collaboration among
universities and employers to effectively promote employability skills among graduates
(Haider & Bhatti, 2021).
Students at Nigeria's higher education institutions should be encouraged by their
schools to collaborate with businesses. It will assist them in developing the skills they need
to start their enterprises, thus creating new jobs (Li et al., 2021). Using focus groups and
interviews, the researchers were able to glean valuable info from 100 participants. The
participants were higher education faculty, doctoral students who had taken part in the
Student Industrial Work Experience Scheme as well as industry officials who had an
adequate understanding of how the industry could contribute meaningfully to higher
education system (Murtaza & Hui, 2021).
The authors focus on four primary themes taken from the thematic data analysis to
analyze the aspects that significantly contribute to skill development and knowledge
enhancement of graduates. The newly designed course is based on the provision of highquality education to the employees’ aligned with the latest demands of the industry
(Awan et al., 2022). Moreover, the career training and mentoring education can also prove
to be beneficial for the graduates to get fully prepared before entering the relevant
industries.
Policymakers worldwide are paying close attention higher education while
preparing degree holders for the difficulties of a modest international labor market
(Akram et al., 2021). Throughout a lengthy period, one of the most important public policy
concerns has been the development of a flexible and appropriately skilled graduate
workforce by higher education institutions. As a recent graduate, a person confronts
several hurdles, including managing, advertising, and showing an individual's
employment ability to prospective employers. When it comes to the flow of graduates,
corporations are ultimately in charge of determining which students they want to hire,
even if doing cannot make it cost-effective every time (Akram et al., 2021). It is highly
critical for the organizations of higher education; the great profiles of graduates make this
a relevant argument.
However, employers and their views on how educational provision should be legally
organized can reflect ideological and cultural preconceptions (Bukhari et al., 2021). It is
essential to understand the fact that how degree holder's employability is discussed and
replaced during crucial phases of the evolution to the labor market, such as the job
application and recruitment processes (Baloch et al., 2021). Employers' perspectives on
graduate employability are presented in this article, and we can learn more about how
they define attractive graduates and how this influences their hiring practices.
The study investigates the influence of "social distance" on the COVID-19 outbreak
and the consequences of small classes and labs (Linton & Xu, 2021). Different kinds of
technologies have been introduced in this regard to ensure that the engineering education
process gets carried out effectively. Due to this sudden pandemic outbreak, the focus will
be on finding a solution to the challenges of continuing education during long academic
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breaks (Khan & Abid, 2021). The absence of internet access across the country, the
availability of limited resources to earn and learn, lack of awareness, and educational
facilities are some of the difficulties that developing economies face.
Numerous techniques to deliver the instructions for engineer courses online have
been developed according to diminish the impacts caused by the pandemic. The crucial
principles have been designed to ensure that online engineering courses are taught and
evaluated to the highest standards (Safdar & Idrees, 2021). Educating students in
engineering is challenging since it requires a precise blend of classroom instruction and
laboratory practice. Because of the growth and innovation in information technology
infrastructure, the world is increasingly referred to as a global village (IT) (Azim et al.,
2021). As a result, online courses can be developed that allow students from all over the
world to have access to the world's best academics, no matter where they are on the earth
(Fayolle et al., 2021).
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Appendix A
The appendix is an optional section that can contain details and data supplemental
to the main text—for example, explanations of experimental details that would disrupt
the flow of the main text but nonetheless remain crucial to understanding and
reproducing the research shown; figures of replicates for experiments of which
representative data is shown in the main text can be added here if brief, or as
Supplementary data. Mathematical proofs of results not central to the paper can be added
as an appendix.
Appendix B
All appendix sections must be cited in the main text. In the appendices, Figures,
Tables, etc. should be labeled starting with “A”—e.g., Figure A1, Figure A2, etc.
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