Employability skills in engineering from the perspective of three interest groups

Abstract

In recent years, various international organizations in the field of higher education have taken on the task of defining the skills that professionals in different disciplines should develop to succeed in the labor market. As a result, universities have started to transform their curricular structures. Consequently, the aim of this study was to assess the relevance of employability skills from the perspective of students, graduates, and employers, aiming to bridge the university–industry gap. An Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) was carried out to evaluate the perceived importance attached to these dimensions by the three groups. There is a significant difference in the importance of employability skills perceived by employers or immediate supervisors in relation to the perception of students/graduates. The findings provide a useful insight into the importance of employability skills from three points of view, considering that not many previous studies compare an employability model from multiple perspectives. The research was carried out in times of a pandemic, which made it difficult to have contact with people. This allows Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) to rethink their educational projects according to the current needs of the economic, social, and productive sectors in the post–COVID-19 era.