Group 7
Comparative Group 7: Employability Policies in the Context of Sustainability & Knowledge Economy
Employability ∙ transnational policies ∙ demand-supply gap ∙ sustainability ∙ knowledge economy
The demand supply mismatch in the job-markets is a major concern across the globe. Despite numerous educational reforms, and minor and major initiatives, it is difficult to ensure that education for adults is relevant for their employability. This topic for research is an attempt to identify the gaps in existing policies in different contexts, which lead to problems in employability. The learning outcomes include better understanding of employability policies in the contexts compared, knowledge about global (transnational) trends in employability policies, deeper understanding about the nature of employability policies in general, methodological insights about how to study and interpret policy documents in relation to social science research.
Comparative research question
How do existing policies support employability and where are their limitations?
Context of comparison
The comparison will include:
1. Horizontal comparison: Comparison of policies of countries.
2. Vertical comparison: Comparison of transnational policies with national policies.
The cases for comparison are policies (from policy documents).
Categories of comparison
(Selection for the transnational essay is based on participant’s research interests)
1. Characteristics and data about the demand supply gap in the existing job-market (not labour market) in the given context.
2. Relevant policies (educational and non-educational) leading (or supposed to lead) to employability.
3. Influence of transnational policies on national policies and vice-versa in relation to employability (Vertical influences)
Good practices
The practitioners in this case are professionals engaged with policy formulation and implementation.
1. Practitioners can influence the process by promoting research that would develop a more clear picture about the implementation process, problems, and relevant concerns;
2. Practitioners can promote the implementation by
a) Following norms laid down in policy guidelines and formulate learning outcomes accordingly
b) Including inputs from outside the fixed curriculum, especially from the job-market.
References
OECD, ILO, The World Bank (2016). Enhancing Employability. Report prepared for the G20 Employment Working Group with inputs from The International Monetary Fund, available at: https://www.oecd.org/g20/topics/employment-and-social-policy/Enhancing-Employability-G20-Report-2016.pdf.
Stone, I. (2011). International approaches to high performance working. UK Commission for Employment and Skills , Evidence Report 37, available at: http://dera.ioe.ac.uk/10459/1/evidence-report-37-international-approaches-to-hpw.pdf
van der Klink JJL, Bültmann U, Burdorf A, Schaufeli WB, Zijlstra FRH, Abma FI, Brouwer S, van der Wilt GJ (2016). Sustainable employability – definition, conceptualization, and implications: A perspective based on the capability approach. Scand J Work Environ Health, Discussion paper, 2016;42(1):71-79 doi:10.5271/sjweh.3531
Prof. Søren Ehlers, Julius-Maximilian University Würzburg, Germany
Dr. Paed. Soeren Ehlers is a visiting faculty at the Julius Maximillian University of Würzburg, Germany. He is Emeritus at Aarhus University, Denmark and Distinguished Professor at the International Institute of Adult and Lifelong Education, India.
His current research areas include: transnational policy formulation, employability policies, working with documents as sources in research, sustainability, and knowledge economy.
Co-Moderation: Shalini Singh, Julius-Maximilian University Würzburg, Germany
Shalini Singh is a visiting faculty at the Julius Maximillian University of Würzburg, Germany. She is a Senior Research Fellow at the International Institute of Adult and Lifelong Education, India.
Her current research areas include: transnational policy formulation, employability policies, working with documents as sources in research, sustainability, and knowledge economy.
