Competences acquisition of university students: Do they match job market's needs?

This paper aims at analyzing the skills and competences acquired by students during their university studies, in order to identify the extent to which they fit into society's labor market demands. Design/methodology/approach, we use data from a survey for firm supervisors corresponding to pract...

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Detalles Bibliográficos
Autores: Pujol-Jover, Maria, Riera Prunera, Carme, Abio Roig, Gemma
Tipo de recurso: artículo
Estado:Versión publicada
Fecha de publicación:2015
País:España
Institución:Universitat Oberta de Catalunya (UOC)
Repositorio:O2, repositorio institucional de la UOC
OAI Identifier:oai:openaccess.uoc.edu:10609/92829
Acceso en línea:http://hdl.handle.net/10609/92829
Access Level:acceso abierto
Palabra clave:firm-university collaboration
competences
abilities
internship practices
competencias
habilidades
prácticas de trabajo
colaboración universidad empresa
competències
habilitats
pràctiques de treball
col·laboració universitat empres
Academic-industrial collaboration
Col·laboració empresa-universitat
Colaboración empresa-universidad
Descripción
Sumario:This paper aims at analyzing the skills and competences acquired by students during their university studies, in order to identify the extent to which they fit into society's labor market demands. Design/methodology/approach, we use data from a survey for firm supervisors corresponding to practices in the Faculty of Economics and Business for the course 2013-14. We analyze the achievement of basic and specific competences and other training project skills, distinguishing by degrees. Findings. Companies find some lacks in the ability to manage time properly, in being versatile, in the communication skills, the ability to work as a team and specially in having an entrepreneurial view. At the university level, this requires training processes more oriented towards experimentation and problem solving. Research limitations/implications, the database used refers only to one Faculty of the University of Barcelona. It would be interesting to collect more data and extend the results to a more general context. Practical implications, it might be interesting both for firms and universities to move closer to one another in a cooperative way. More programs are needed to further enhance the employability of graduates and encourage the mobility of teachers in order for them to spend some time performing their research directly at a firm. Originality/value, this paper explores the immediate and direct relationship established between the university and the labor market through the training period students make during the final stages of their studies.