Purpose: This study explores the perceptions of Australian employers regarding the benefits and challenges of micro-credentials within higher education and enablers of their effectiveness. Design/methodology/approach: A qualitative approach that included 11 semi-structured interviews with employers affiliated with an Australian university was…

This study investigated if students and employers may misunderstand each other when discussing competencies and job requirements. Nearly thirty sense-making interviews were conducted with students, employers, academic advisors, and representatives from higher ed industry groups, and the interview transcripts were analyzed to identify patterns and…

The aim of this study was to test the mechanisms that foster innovative behavior in small firms. We propose a model in which small business entrepreneurs, motivated by personal value preferences, shape the work environment for their employees by providing them with job autonomy, which in turn fosters their innovative behavior at work. The…

Research and literature validate a disconnect between STEM graduates' classroom-acquired knowledge and skills versus those needed to perform tasks in the workplace. Some contend that pedagogical and curricular developments focus on discipline-specific content rather than soft skills, willingness to learn, flexibility, critical thinking,…

There has been increasing interest worldwide on the matter of graduate employability, namely the skills and attributes that render new graduates valuable contributors to the workforce. The extant literature points to a need for a better understanding of desired graduate attributes from different stakeholder perspectives. Using multivariate…

Adopting Sector Skills Councils or similar bodies as part of TVET systems has been a popular policy around the globe. Usually supported by international organisations, their implementation seeks to involve different stakeholders in skill formation. However, there is little empirical evidence about how key stakeholders have responded to these…

This qualitative research study sought to uncover the benefits of an employer-tailored training intervention in addressing employer knowledge, perspectives, and attitudes regarding employing an individual with a visual impairment, with the ultimate goal of identifying a way to positively impact the high unemployment rate amongst this population.…

Established and well-known employers in Bangladesh often complain that suitable candidates are not available for employment in their organizations, despite the millions of unemployed graduates in the country. This bears clear witness that graduates in Bangladesh are mostly unable to fulfill the needs and expectations of established and well-known…

This study applies social cognitive theory (SCT) to better understand workplace equity for neurodivergent employees. The purpose of this study was to learn more about the best practices and barriers to implementing increased workplace neurodiverse equity recruiting and retaining neurodivergent individuals. This included interviews with nine…

Supporting more autistic people into employment is a major priority of the United Kingdom's National Autism Strategy (2021-2026). However, little is known about the barriers employers perceive to hiring autistic people. A pre-registered cross-sectional survey study was conducted on a nationally representative sample of 1212 individuals with recent…

Background: Strengths-based employment services focused on the abilities of people with intellectual disabilities challenge traditional, deficits-based orientations. Within the presence of hope, which sustains collective effort toward a preferred future, such employment services may stimulate social change. Therefore, the presence of hope was…

Employees' insufficient soft skills have the potential to lead to collaboration and organizational inefficiency. Business leaders are concerned with the critical issue of insufficient soft skills among information technology (IT) professionals because these skills are essential for the effective functioning of teams and overall organizational…

Autistic adults are inadequately supported in the workplace. This study sought a definition of 'reasonable' and explored facilitators and barriers to employers making reasonable adjustments. 98 employers and employees across a UK city completed a survey; 15% identified as being autistic. Qualitative data were analysed using framework analysis.…

This paper presents a qualitative study of Estonian video game companies. In total, 11 companies were interviewed regarding their company values and expectations for employees. The interviews consisted of two parts. First, a regular semi-structured interview was conducted. In the second part, we used three persona sheets based on Bachelor…

Purpose: Motivated by the growing significance of human capital in organisations operating in dynamic environments, as well as the evolving roles and skill requirements of accounting professionals, this exploratory study aims to examine and compare the skill gaps perceived by accounting practitioners and employers. Based on these identified gaps,…