Disciplinary differences in the perceptions of university graduates and faculty members with respect to the development of general employability skills in undergraduate programs

As the labour market and economy become more knowledge-based and global, the importance of developing employability skills is becoming more critical. This study was designed to address the perceptions of both university graduates and faculty members across academic disciplines with respect to the development of general employability skills in undergraduate programs.; General findings from this study revealed that there are variations in the perceptions of university graduates across Biglan categories on the development and use of employability skills. Perceptions of faculty members across Biglan categories varied along the importance of teaching employability skills. According to faculty members, they integrate a variety of employability skills into their courses. Further, faculty members across Biglan categories believed that different patterns of opportunities exist for students to develop general employability skills across course levels. Overall, faculty members are quite satisfied with the range of employability skills possessed by students and recent university graduates. As well, statistically significant differences in perceptions with respect to the development of employability skills were more often found in soft fields compared to hard fields, and in applied fields compared to pure fields.; Specifically, university graduates of soft fields perceived greater development of writing and oral communication skills than graduates of hard fields. Meanwhile, graduates of applied fields perceived greater development of teamwork skills than graduates of pure fields. Faculty members from soft fields integrated writing skills and oral communication skills in their courses more so than those in hard fields. Faculty members from soft fields and applied fields believed there were greater opportunities for students to develop employability skills than faculty members from hard fields and pure fields.; This study was intended to increase our knowledge and understanding of the pattern of disciplinary differences in the development of general employability skills as perceived by both recent university graduates and faculty members. The findings from this study showed that academic disciplines vary in their emphasis on the types of employability skills developed. A better understanding of how employability skills are developed within undergraduate programs is a critical issue for future research and practice in university teaching and learning. (Abstract shortened by UMI.)...