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RESEARCH PRODUCT

Development of non-academic skills at university : what impact(s) on the employability of master's graduates?

subject

description

The job market has gone through changes requiring companies to adapt to internationalization as well as to the rise of new technologies and the place of digital. Recruiters expect their future employees to be able to evolve at the rate of these changes. The professional integration of young graduates is therefore conditioned by new criteria, including the acquisition of so-called non-academic skills. These non-academic skills refer to a set of skills that are closer to soft skills and less to theoretical knowledge. They depend on the ability of individuals to manage their emotions and react to others and are not specific to a discipline or a job. Based on a sample of 852 university master's graduates, we questioned the impact of non-academic skills on the employability of master's graduates interviewed 9 to 12 months after graduation. This work is divided into three parts; firstly, it was verified whether the university develops non-academic skills, secondly, the non-academic skills developed during university training were compared to those used in employment. Finally, the role of non-academic skills on employability is discussed in a third step. Employability is analyzed based on three criteria: the ability to gain initial job, the ability to maintain in a job and the ability to obtain a new job if required. To these criteria was added the need to hold a quality job, i.e., not to be downgraded in terms of salary, job level and status of the job held by the graduates. The analyses highlight results regarding the role of the university. It contributes to the development of non-academic skills. Moreover, these skills developed in training correspond to the skills used in employment. Finally, it has been shown that there is an effect of certain non-academic skills on the probability of finding and keeping a job. While no effect of non-academic skills on the probability of finding a job has been demonstrated, skills will influence the quality of the job held, particularly in the case of executive-level, permanent jobs, as well as in terms of salary.