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3830 Words
Introduction Of Personal Development In Business Management
Exploring Issues And Recommendations For Personal Development In The Context Of Business Management
Higher education is an important aspect for students who want to achieve their professional goals. As opined by Cheng et al. (2022), employability also plays a vital role in the field of business study. I am Filip Stoyanov, a student at Canterbury Christ Church University. I have observed that the issue of employability is increasing day by day with advancements in higher education. As mentioned by Abelha et al. (2020), many employability questions are raised when it comes to quantitative education dimensions. I have seen some issues such as required skills related to employability, questions related to employment, higher education of the employees who are entering into the workforce, and success or failure at work.
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I have tried to explore this subject from various perspectives. This current report includes issues that are associated with commencing higher education with personal development and employability. This also includes employability meaning, skills required, and gaps in skills along with suggestions to fill those gaps. I have done research and found that there are so many skills required in order to stay competitive. I have made a list of skills that are required for employability. I have made a ranking as well in order to focus on the priority of the skills. The major aim of this research is to find out the required skills and find out my strengths and weaknesses. Moreover, it also helps to identify as well as develop transferable skills. As commented by Bennett (2019), the past, present, and future of employability depend on higher education.
Research Question (s)/Hypothesis
- What are the issues associated with commencing higher education in personal development and employability?
- What is the importance of employability in Higher Education?
- How can the issues related to employability in HE be mitigated?
Research Aim and Objectives
The aim of this research is to:
Understand the issues associated with commencing higher education with a primary focus on personal development and employability.
The objectives are as follows:
- To analyse the issues associated with commencing higher education in personal development and employability
- To discover the importance of employability in Higher Education
- To evaluate the issues related to employability in HE to be mitigated
Limitations of the study
Lack of time: This research requires completion within 3 months; hence, I must focus on secondary resources only. Due to lack of time, I will not be able to focus on primary resources as it will take time. It is hard to collect data from interviews or surveys due to less time. Hence, I will need to rely on collecting data that is available online.
Lack of resources: As I have mentioned previously I will only collect secondary data, hence, I will use limited resources only. It is also not possible to access all the resources as some resources cannot be accessed.
Lack of funds: There are some paid resources also available that are expensive. Hence, we can afford only resources that are affordable as per my research budget.
Literature Review
Introduction
A review of the literature is important in a research study to justify the success of the research. Hence, I have included some reviews of literature in order to understand issues associated with commencing HE in personal development and employability. Moreover, I will be able to understand the relationship between staff and students. This review of literature includes employability, skills required, issues associated with personal development and employability, and the importance of employability in HE.
Employability
Employability refers to the set of skills, knowledge, and attributes that make an individual desirable and capable of being employed. It encompasses a range of qualities and abilities that enable individuals to secure and retain employment, adapt to changing work environments, and contribute effectively to the workplace. Employability skills include both technical or job-specific skills and transferable skills, such as communication, teamwork, problem-solving, critical thinking, and leadership. These skills are essential for success in the labour market and are sought after by employers in various industries. As mentioned by Ayala Calvo and Manzano García (2021), acquiring skills that are required for knowledge, skills along competencies. Employability simply means getting employment; however, the approach can be distinct. Employability refers to the ability, opportunity, competency, and adaptability in order to gain an occupation. It also helps to get a job as per the preference of a graduate. There are three phases that need to pass to get an employment offer. These are skills of employability, the process of change, and applying skills accurately. Employability includes core skills, key skills, and transferable skills such as communication and problem-solving (Rogen et al. 2020). In simple terms, I have understood that employability means to get an employment offer where a person wishes to work. Employability is the ability of a person to secure employment and it is the outcome of higher education.
Skills Required for Employability
It is important to have basic skills in order to get, keep and do your best in a job. I have found that transferable skills are quite important for this current generation in order to gain knowledge. Moreover, it is important to have skills that are required for employment as well as education. Social skills are used in personal life, learning, and leisure purposes. These skills are acquired and these are developed throughout the career of an individual and life. As mentioned by Monteiro et al. (2022), it is necessary to determine if high school students can achieve the requirements or not. I have observed in this literature that higher education is important for high-performance workplaces. Basic literacy from a solid foundation helps to make decisions quickly and makes them dedicated workers.
Three parts of the foundation program help to create a successful worker such as basic skills, personal qualities, and thinking skills. There are four key elements of skills related to employability. These are stated below:
- Traditional intellectual
- IT, communication skill
- Self-motivation
- Corporate knowledge and how they work.
Employers emphasise the skills of employability in order to get great resources for their organisations. Skills of employability include problem-solving skills, learning skills, communication skills as well as innovative skills (McGunagle Nand Zizka, 2020). I have found that graduates from the UK rated these skills as must-have skills such as teamwork, verbal communication, and working under pressure. As mentioned by Succi and Canovi, (2020), employers consider communication skills, soft skills, and positive attitudes while employing a candidate. As mentioned by Blokker et al. (2021), employers can train technical skills to the employees which is not a mandate skill a candidate should have. Employers face difficulties to hire a candidate, if the candidate does not have the required skills as per the job description.
Transferable skills require critical thinking and analysis. These include effective problem-solving as well as decision-making skills, effective verbal and non-verbal communication skills, quantitative skills including analysis of data, interpretation, using communication as well as information technology effectively, managing self effectively, self-motivation, performing effectively within a team, and active listening.
Issues Associated with Commencing Higher Education
The skill of an employee may vary from region to region and as per the need of that sector. In order to get an employment offer, a candidate must have basic skills related to employability. Graduation from higher education is important to get a job in a preferred field Redman, 2006). This helps to evaluate if the qualities of the candidate satisfy the requirements of the workplace. Poor skills related to employability are a major issue in hiring a candidate. Another issue that is identified is a lack of communication in the English language and students do not feel confident about their communication skills (Zainuddin et al. 2019). Many students do not have the critical thinking and problem-solving skills to get an employment offer.
Lack of skills related to employability and responsibilities are key issues associated with commencing higher education in personal development and employability (Mahajan et al. 2020). The cost of higher education is also increasing in the UK educational sector. Many academics have argued that inadequacy drops the rate of employment.
Relationship Between Staff and Students
There is a vital relationship between staff and students in higher education. The staff tries to support students in all aspects so that they can develop personally as well as professionally. Students also feel comfortable discussing their own strengths and weaknesses with staff in order to be successful to get a successful job as per their desire. Staff and students maintain a positive relationship to achieve the common goal. A culture strives hard to improve the learning environment in order to benefit the students. Staff is crucial in order to implement those changes.
Importance of Employability In HE
The key major role of higher education is to help students improve their skills, knowledge abilities, and attitudes. The students will become critical as well as reflective learners. Higher education helps students to develop their personality and build confidence. HE focuses on improving verbal as well as non-verbal communication skills. Employability refers to gaining the required skill set in order to apply it during an interview to get an offer. Skills related to employability and career guidance should be provided in higher education so that students can achieve their career goals. Employability in HE is considered as value for money and postgraduates demand it. Career education as well as employability can be misunderstood, misplaced, and misrepresented. Finding a model of finance has been changed in the educational sector in the UK (Fleuren et al. 2020). Metrics are measured in the UK universities after successful completion of the study and that resulted in a good outcome. Higher education plays a crucial role in achieving personal development. Higher education helps an individual understand things better and people can get practical knowledge of how things work in the real world. As opined by Tsvetkova et al. (2021), higher education helps an individual put forward their point of view when discussing something with a group of people.
Generally, when an individual does not take higher education such a person is not able to give an opinion on critical matters as higher education not only helps in enhancing knowledge, it also helps in developing the intellectual ability of a person. Hence, it can be said that higher education helps in keeping oneself motivated and helps in keeping the mind dedicated to the right path. Individuals generally go through ups and downs in their life. Constant failure sometimes makes people use unethical means to achieve success. According to Anthonysamy et al. (2020), higher education helps an individual to differentiate between the right and wrong things even at difficult times. Hence, it helps to develop the personality of individuals. Higher education helps an individual clear their doubts and get to learn new things by communicating with fellow mates. This is an individual's confidence to communicate effectively with others. Hence, it can be said that higher education inevitably boosts personal development.
Recommendations on Employability Skills
Skills of employability are trainable and a candidate can gain the skills. There is no rocket science to gain these employability skills. The skills that are taught are not mandatorily used in every organisation. The gap of perception should be mitigated between faculty and industry in order to improve employability. It also helps to enhance higher education quality (Ornellas et al. 2019). Industry and higher education should be interlinked in order to update courses. Partnerships between industry and education can benefit from each other. Candidates should improve their communication skills and confidence levels in order to get a chance to get employed. I have found that there should be a positive relationship between staff and students in order to achieve the overall goal.
Summary
The above discussion is important in order to understand issues associated with commencing higher education in personal development and employability. I have explained the meaning of employability i.e., getting a job opportunity in the desired field. I have also highlighted the key skills required for employment. These skills include communication skills, integrity, problem-solving skills, and critical thinking. Working under pressure is also important to stay in the workplace.
There are many issues associated with commencing higher education in personal development and employability. Higher education is considered an important aspect of hiring a candidate. Lack of communication skills also is an issue in considering a candidate for the role. Candidates need to prove themselves in order to get a job for the desired role. Lack of confidence is also a disadvantage in getting a good job. Higher education refers to a specific aspect of employability. Some recommendations are provided in order to improve employability skills so that candidates get a satisfying job.
Research Methodology
The methodology of research helps to identify the entire process of research in order to achieve the desired outcome of the research. As mentioned by Anderson (2013), different methods are taken into consideration in order to conduct a research study. It includes the process of research, types of methods, approach of research, strategy, collection of data, and ethics that are considered (Blumberg et al. 2011). The analytical method will be selected for this research in order to find out the issues associated with commencing higher education in personal development and employability. An inductive approach will be chosen for this research study in order to understand the existing theories and create new theories related to employability (Saunders et al. 2012). It will help to conclude the overall research and help to achieve the aim and objectives of the research study. There are four types of philosophy in research Pragmatism, Interpretivism, Positivism, and (Sekaran & Bougie, 2014). The interpretivism philosophy of research will be chosen for this research study as I will collect secondary data only to validate this research. I will collect data from secondary resources such as online websites, books, journals, newspapers, and magazines.
Data Analysis
Analysis of data is an important aspect of research study as it reveals the outcome of the research. I will collect secondary data from different resources such as online websites, journals, and books. Themes will be created in order to analyse the collected data. Thematic analysis is the major part of the secondary data analysis (Collis and Hussey, 2014). I will access various websites in order to get ample data to find out the issues associated with commencing higher education with personal development and employability. This will help me to achieve the aim of this research study.
Analysing the collected data is quite important to validate the reliability of the research. Moreover, it helps to outline the findings of the research. Analysis of data will help to interpret the findings of research and then it will help to understand if the aim and objectives of the research are achieved or not.
Research Findings
The findings of the research are crucial for a research study as it helps to conclude the overall research study. As opined by Reardon (2013), it helps to understand if the aim and objectives of the research are achieved or not.
Employability means a candidate gets an employment offer from a desired organisation.
Basic skills from higher education are required in order to get a job.
Several issues such as lack of skill set, poor communication skills, and lack of competency are associated with commencing higher education in personal development and employability.
In order to mitigate those issues, I can recommend finding out one's own strengths and weaknesses. Self-evaluation can help a candidate to achieve their desired job. It is important to emphasise strength and highlight this in front of the employer. Moreover, it is also important to find out the weaknesses, so that a candidate can work on this to improve.
Conclusion
The above report shows how higher education influences employability and personal development. Employers consider higher education while considering a candidate for their organisations due to employability skills. A candidate can enhance knowledge regarding skills required for employment from their institution days. I have also improved my employability skills from my foundation days and working successfully in DHL as a quality analyst. However, there are several issues associated with commencing higher education with personal development and employability.
These issues include a lack of communication in the English language, a lack of confidence, lack of critical thinking and problem-solving skills. The importance of higher education is also discussed above and recommendations are provided to mitigate issues. Positivism philosophy, exploratory design, and an inductive approach will be chosen for this study as I am relying upon secondary data collection. Thus, I can conclude that I am able to identify the issues associated with commencing higher education in personal development and employability.
Effectiveness of Research Methods Applied
I have adopted multiple methods that are relevant to this research study. These methods are effective in order to achieve the aim of this research study. I have chosen a secondary data collection method for this research study; hence, interpretivism philosophy is the best suit for this research to validate issues associated with commencing higher education in personal development and employability. Exploratory design and inductive approach will help to find the major issues such as lack of skills. An inductive approach will be chosen for this study as I will take help from existing theories to validate my research study. Hence, I can confidently state that I have chosen the correct methods in order to justify my research study as it is based on secondary data collection.
Recommendations on Alternative Methods That Could Have Been Used
For this research study, I could have used primary data as well to make it more reliable. In order to collect primary data, I could have chosen random students to get their opinion on which issues they faced with higher education in employability and personal development. I could have made surveys and questionnaires with open-ended questions to find out the issues accurately.
I could have also chosen the interpretivism philosophy of research if I chose a primary data collection method. Then I need to choose qualitative data analysis after getting the survey responses from the students. I can work with numeric data if I choose to conduct surveys. A deductive approach can also be chosen for this research study in order to validate the reliability of the research.
References
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