Graduate employ ability skills of the 21st century : development and validation of a scale in Bangladesh
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2023
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2566
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eng
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226 leaves
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b217159
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This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.
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National Institute of Development Administration. Library and Information Center
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Hasanuzzaman (2023). Graduate employ ability skills of the 21st century : development and validation of a scale in Bangladesh. Retrieved from: https://repository.nida.ac.th/handle/662723737/6922.
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Graduate employ ability skills of the 21st century : development and validation of a scale in Bangladesh
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Abstract
In the ever-evolving landscape of the 21st-century workforce, employability
skills have become a critical factor for fresh graduates seeking success in their
careers. The present study aimed to address the specific context of Bangladesh by
developing and validating an Employability Skills Scale tailored to the needs and
expectations of employers in the country. The research followed a systematic and
comprehensive methodology, with two primary phases: scale development, and scale
validation.
The study commenced with a thorough literature review, spanning three
decades and encompassing 25 research studies and government reports. This
extensive review led to the identification of 166 unique employability skills, which
were refined to 87 after removing duplicates and industry-specific skills.
Subsequently, through careful analysis and exclusion, 33 skills were deemed
contextually irrelevant, leaving a final set of 54 employability skills for consideration.
Semi-structured interviews with Bangladeshi employers, representing various
sectors and positions, were conducted to validate the identified skills. These
interviews yielded 37 skills that were specific to the Bangladeshi workplace context,
categorized into six dimensions: Personal Management Skills, Interpersonal Skills,
Organizational Skills, Knowledge and Information Management Skills, Career
Planning and Development Skills, and Critical Thinking and Problem Solving Skills.
The development of the Employability Skills Scale involved creating an item
pool of 89 items across these six dimensions, following input from subject matter
experts and recent graduates to ensure clarity and relevance.
Data collection from 368 participants, including recent graduates and final
year university students, led to exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses, refining the scale to 47 items with strong factor structure, reliability, and validity. Cronbach's
α coefficient and composite reliability indicated high internal consistency, while
convergent and discriminant validity assessments demonstrated the scale's construct
validity.
The final stage involved validating the scale by assessing its impact on
graduates' job placement success with a new data set from 132 graduates. Findings
revealed a significant negative correlation between employability skills scores and the
time taken to secure a job after graduation, confirming the practical utility of the
developed Employability Skills Scale.
In conclusion, this study has contributed a meticulously crafted and
contextually tailored Employability Skills Scale, comprising 47 items organized into
six dimensions, ready for application in future research and practical use. It not only
addresses the unique needs of employers in Bangladesh but also serves as a valuable
resource for enhancing the employability of fresh graduates in the competitive 21st
century job market.
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Thesis (Ph.D. (Human Resource and Organization Development))--National Institute of Development Administration, 2023