1. Graduate employability skills in
Taiwanese business education
Jean-Sebastien Goyette

2. Agenda
• Context of study
• Original research
• Preliminary results
• Updated research
• Employability model
• Current research

3. Context of study
• Globalization
– Increased competition
– Global SME’s
• Increased access to higher education
– Decreased value of degree

4. Context of study
• Co-existence of unemployment and vacancies
• New employer expectations
– Skills, knowledge and ongoing training
• Lack of agreement between:
– Employers
– HEIs
– Graduates

5. Initial research topic
• Influence of postgraduate business program
skills development on career success in Taiwan
(focus on student’s perspective)
• Goal to better prepare graduates for the
workplace

6. 21st century curriculum?
• Alumni anecdotal evidence:
– Finding position matching expectations
– Staying in same company for more than 1-2 years
– Fulfilling employer expectations (sales, e-business,
IT)
• Evolution of curriculum (or lack of)
– Generic core classes
– Lack of adaptation to current demands

7. Concerned groups
1. Students & graduates
2. Employers
3. Higher education institutions
• Others
– Government
– Society (e.g. economic development)

8. International Trade Institute (ITI)
• Part of Taiwan External Trade Development
Council
• 1-2 year postgraduate program
– Focus on business & languages
• Goals
– Provide skilled labor
– Promote international trade
– Increase network (HEIs & companies)

9. Step 1: Taiwan’s business programs
• Similar foundation
– Strong focus on professional knowledge
• Marketing, finance, HR
– Distinction in specializations (small proportion)
• Differences ITI’s curriculum
– Short courses with practical focus
– Industry lecturers
– Strong focus on languages (English/Japanese)

10. Step 2: Alumni placement
• Majority in sales & marketing
• Industries
– Computer hardware (e.g. ASUS)
– Consumer electronics (e.g. HTC)
– Semiconductor & optoelectronics (e.g. TSMC)
• Strong SME presence
– Same requirements, fewer resources

11. Step 3: Employer requirements
• Analysis of postings sent to ITI
– Education
– Skills:
• Language
• Sales & marketing
• Research
• IT
– Business & management experience
– Personality

12. Step 4: Pilot interviews
• 40 invitations
– 25% positive response rate
• 5 students from different concentrations
– Skype interviews
• Goals:
– Test assumptions
– Improve questionnaire
– Examine different concentrations

13. Preliminary findings
• Curriculum isn’t central
• Passive experience – follow process:
– Focus on goal of getting job
– Trust program will deliver this
• Merger of business subjects
• Request to go outside curriculum

14. Focus on English classes
• Seldom used at work
• Focus on associated classes
Business curriculum
hours (Chinese)
English curriculum hours
Meetings 3 48
Negotiations 12 48
Presentations 6 48
Job search 7 48
Report writing 3 48

15. Graduate employability skills
• “soft”, “transferable” or “generic” skills
– Flexibility, creativity, independence
– Communication, teamwork
– Self-reflection, time management
• General definition (Knight & Yorke, 2003)
– “A set of achievements – skills, understandings and
personal attributes – that make individuals more likely
to gain employment and be successful in their chosen
occupations, which benefits themselves, the
workforce, the community and the economy”

16. Employment Vs. Employability
• Employment - short term
– Percentage of employed graduates
• Employability – long term
– Acquisition (of a position)
– Transition (into the workforce)
– Development (of a career)

17. Research questions
• What employability skills are required in order for
a recent graduate to successfully:
– Obtain employment
– Transition into this new position
– Facilitate career progression
• Which of these employability skills are
successfully taught in business programs?
• How can business programs incorporate these
employability skills in a curriculum?

18. Gaps in literature
• Previous emphasis on Western countries
– UK, USA & Australia
• Little research on Taiwan, Greater China, or
East Asia
• Lack of focus on student experience

19. USEM model (Knight & Yorke, 2003)
Skillful practices
Metacognition
Understanding
Efficacy beliefs
Employability

20. Alternative models of employability
• Psycho-Social Model (Fugate et al., 2004)

21. Alternative models of employability
• CareerEDGE Model (Dacre Pool & Sewell,
2007)

22. Alternative models of employability
• Bridgstock’s employability model (2009)

23. Alternative models of employability
• CBI/NUS Model

24. USEM model (Knight & Yorke, 2003)
• Research with recent graduates (less than 5
years)
• Lead back to curriculum (e.g. changes)
• Adaptable by design
– Database of core questions
– Successfully implemented in past decade

25. Updated sample
• 2 year “Double Major” program
– 50% business (in Mandarin Chinese)
– 50% English
• 30-35 hours of classes/ week
– Similar structure to MBA + language classes
• 2 month internship abroad (USA or Ireland)

26. Updated sample
• Minimize difference between interviewee
– Education level (B.A.)
– Minimal (or no) work experience
– Fluent Mandarin Chinese & upper intermediate to
advanced English
– Taiwanese nationality
– No international experience (study or work)

27. Current process
• Updating employability literature review
• 2nd round of interviews
• Analysis
– Compare with advertised skills (job ads)
– Compare with program promised skills
• Embedding strategy