The Design and Validation of a Diagnostic Maturity Model to S ...

Work thumb

Views: 396

All Rights Reserved

Copyright © 2018, Common Ground Research Networks, All Rights Reserved

Abstract

Against the backdrop of the new labor market realities of the twenty-first century, employability has (re)emerged as a hot topic of debate in the context of the higher education institution’s (HEI) fitness for purpose. While vigorously debated, the construct of employability remains opaque in terms of its definition. Investigations around how employability is being addressed in a higher education (HE) context have typically been conducted without assuming an institution-wide perspective. Though employability has become popular in higher-education rhetoric, when faced with the question of how to outline how institutions address employability, the answers are far less clear and raise questions around accountability. The continued lament by the industry about failing to produce young graduates that match the requirements of the market is an enduring issue whereby a quality improvement assessment tool for HEIs in the context of addressing employability would be a timely and welcomed knowledge artifact. Assuming a holistic lens on employability, this paper proposes a diagnostic tool in the form of a maturity model. This model allows evaluation of HEIs to address employability and inherently holds potential pathways for improvement in such context. Applying the methodology of design science research, this paper outlines an iterative approach of two design cycles that draw respectively from a multi-case analysis and an expert validation exercise by means of a Delphi Technique. The Employability Development and Assessment Maturity Model (EDAMM) breaks the HEI transformation process for employability down into five thematic activities which can be described using a total of twenty-two qualifying criteria. The EDAMM describes the process over five potential levels of sophistication, sketching an increased level of complexity and quality attainment towards the goal of graduate employability.