The book makes a significant contribution to critical higher education studies, specifically to graduate employability research and to capabilities and education research. The book moves beyond the simplistic conception of alleged 'gaps' in graduate skills and 'mismatches' between employers and universities, and instead provides an innovative multi-dimensional and intersectional human capabilities conceptualisation of graduate employability. The book challenges an individualised notion of employability, instead locating employability issues in social and economic conditions, and argues that employability choices cannot be divorced from inequality. Qualitative and quantitative data from multiple case-study universities in South Africa are used to explore the perceptions and experiences of diverse students, lecturers, support officers and employers, regarding what each university is doing, or should be doing, to enhance graduate economic opportunities and contribute to inclusive development. The book will be highly relevant to students, scholars and researchers in the fields of education and sociology, particularly those with an interest in graduate employability.

Globally, universities are the subject of public debate and disagreement about their private benefits or public good, and the key policy vehicle for driving human capital development for competitive knowledge economies. Yet what is increasingly lost in the disagreements about who should pay for university education is a more expansive imaginary which risks being lost in reductionist contemporary education policy. This is compounded by the influences on practices of students as consumers, of a university education as a private benefit and not a public good, of human capital outcomes over other graduate qualities, and of unfettered markets in education. Policy reductionism comes from a narrow vision of the activities, products, and objectives of the University and a blinkered vision of what is a knowledge society. Human Development and Capabilities, therefore, imaginatively applies a theoretical framework to universities as institutions and social practices from human development and the capability approach, attempting to show how universities might advance equalities rather than necessarily widen them, and how they can contribute to a sustainable and democratic society. Picking through the capability approach for human development, in relation to Universities, this book highlights and explores three main ideas: theoretical insights to advance thinking about human development and higher education Policy implications for the responsibilities and potential contributions of universities in a period of significant global change Operationalising a New Imaginary This fresh take on the work and purpose of the University is essential reading for anyone interested in university education, capability approach and human development; particularly postgraduates, University policy makers, researchers and academics in the field of higher education.

Focusing on reimagining the purpose of vocational education and training (VET) and grounded in the reality of a small cohort of young South Africans and an institution seeking to serve them, Skills for Human Development moves beyond the inadequacies of the dominant human capital orthodoxy to present a rich theoretical and practical alternative for VET. Offering a human development and capability approach, it brings social justice to the forefront of the discussion of VET’s purpose at the national, institutional and individual levels. In doing so, this book insists that VET should be about enlarging peoples’ opportunities to live a flourishing life, rather than simply being about narrow employability and productivity. It argues that human development approaches, while acknowledging the importance of work in its broadest sense, offer a better way of bringing together VET and development than the current human capital-inspired orthodoxy. Offering a transformative vision for skills development, this book: Considers the potential contribution skills development could make to broader human development, as well as to economic development Points to an alternative approach to the current and flawed deficit assumptions of VET learners Presents for the first time an alternative evaluative frame for judging VET purpose and quality Presents a timely account of current vocational and education training that is high on the agenda of international policymakers Taking a broad perspective, Skills for Human Development presents a comprehensive and unique framework which bridges theory, policy and practice to give VET institutions a new way of thinking about their practice, and VET policymakers a new way of engaging with global messages of sustainable human development. It is a vital resource for those working on the human development and skills approach in multiple disciplines and offers a grounding framework for international policymakers interested in this growing area.

This book utilises a human development and capability approach to examine the role of higher education in the context of Tanzania. The author considers decolonisation debates as they relate to African concerns in order to make a case for systems design and implementation implications for decolonising higher education institutions. The book will be of interest to students, scholars and policymakers in the field of higher education.

This title explores the place of education in development debates and provides a systematic as well as a theoretical overview of the main approaches to education and development. It emphasises the fact that education is profoundly shaped by national and local cultures even if many issues are shared across institutions in different locations. Education and Development discusses different theoretical accounts from different disciplinary traditions to help students understand the complexity of the overall debate. The text does not shy away from discussions of education’s negative impacts, and insists that an account of education must include consideration of early childhood development, adult, vocational and higher education, as well as the growing range of informal and distance forms. It includes chapters on human capital, human rights and human development, and on education, gender and development, and draws on examples from a wide range of countries and regions such as India, Hong Kong, Kenya and South Africa. The book has a well-developed pedagogy including text boxes, chapter summaries, key questions, links to websites and videos, and annotated further reading sections. Particular attention is paid to ensuring that a plurality of voices, contexts and educational sub-sectors are represented in the boxes, weblinks and references. Education and Development provides an introductory overview to the field, aimed at the undergraduate level, while critically engaging with key themes and questions. The book will also be of interest to development practitioners, policymakers, entrepreneurs and corporate employees engaged in aspects of education and development work.

This book presents the most comprehensive discussion of emerging trends in higher education in the Asia Pacific, ranging from graduate attributes to integrated workplace learning, with an in-depth focus on work readiness, employability and career development. It draws on the relationship between graduate attributes and employability, as well as vocational training or internship programs. It offers theoretical and empirical analyses that institutions, decision-makers or academics can work on together to enhance job employability. This volume will also include issues such as development of emerging and employability skills, as well as directions for the changing nature in real-world settings. The book consists of contributions from experienced international authors, offering detailed insights for those who want a timely understanding of the latest trends in higher education.

This book makes the case for a critical turn in development thinking around universities and their contributions in making a more equal post-2015 world. It puts forward a normative approach based on human development and the capability approach, one which can gain a hearing from policy, scholarship, and practitioners dealing with practical issues of understanding policy, democratising research and knowledge, and fostering student learning - all key university functions. The book argues that such an approach can elucidate development debates drawing on local, national and international issues and examples to show why higher education matters for sustainable development goals both in educational and social terms. It advocates a new arena of engagement with universities as key sites of development and freedoms beyond human capital and challenges development omissions and gaps around university education. The book explores how the human development approach addresses the following core ideas: the meaning of well-being, the idea of agency, participation and democratic citizenship, how to address inequalities, the relation between local and global, and the idea of equitable partnerships. This book is addressed to researchers and postgraduate students in development studies, university education, the capability approach and human development community.

This volume examines the role of higher education and employment in economic development in emerging economies like India. It looks at the contours of higher education policies and the labour market dynamics to explore ways to address joblessness and income disparity. The book discusses themes such as quality and access to higher education, the shift towards private investment in higher education, demographic dividend and joblessness among youth, social and income inequalities, labour migration and employment, and the participation of women in the workforce, among others. It provides insights into the challenges relating to employment generation in the industrial sector. It also offers solutions and policy measures to move towards sustainable growth, better employment opportunities in various sectors of industries, and human development. Rich in empirical data, this volume will be of interest to students and researchers of education, economics, development studies, sociology, gender studies, and social and economic policy.

This book addresses the issue of graduate employability (GE) within the changing context of contemporary Vietnam. GE has become a highly topical and contested issue in Vietnam. Employers report that university students are not suitably prepared for work, and universities are often criticised for their poor commitment to developing student employability assets. However, it is suggested that enhancing GE in Vietnam involves many factors that are often underplayed in the general literature. In the Vietnamese context, both the education system and the economy remain relatively underdeveloped; students are schooled to be passive learners; and corrupt employment practices remain rife. Moreover, Confucian cultural features of face saving, hierarchical order in decision making, and the role of rumour and hearsay in a collectivist culture each play an important part in the different ways university graduates negotiate their transition to employment. Thus, in order to enhance the development of GE in Vietnam, all related stakeholders need opportunities to collaborate so that a mutual understanding of the problem is arrived at and feasible solutions are developed and implemented.

This book presents a comprehensive discussion of sociocultural perspectives on graduate employability and workplace-based learning development. It draws on Vygotsky’s theories such as situated learning and sociocultural perspectives, as well as the constructivist learning theory. This book showcases theoretical and empirical analyses that show how institutions, decision-makers or academics can work together to enhance job employability in this age of uncertainty. It discusses issues such as the development of emerging and employability skills, examines research in higher education and workplace-based learning development, and proposes directions for the changing nature in real-world settings. This book details empirical research in the field using quantitative, qualitative and mixed method approaches, and summarizes the key conclusions pertaining to graduate employability skills as well as workplace learning culture and technology-mediated environment. It includes contributions from experienced international scholars, and offers detailed insights for readers who want a timely understanding of research trends in graduate employability and workplace-based learning development.