Redefining graduate work readiness: From conceptualisation to operationalisation

Kamini Peersia

Graduate work readiness (GWR) describes the set of skills essential for a smooth and effective transition from university to the workplace. Existing GWR measurement scales lack conceptual and compositional clarity and construct validity, raising doubts about their robustness. This study, comprising two phases, focuses on developing, validating and implementing a new GWR scale. Phase 1 used an exploratory sequential mixed-methods design to develop and validate the new scale. Data from focus group discussions and an employer survey were used to establish the scale’s factor structure. The factor structure and composition were validated through focus group discussions with university students, followed by a survey with second-year university students. Phase 2 used a cross-sectional design to implement the validated scale and collect data from a sample of university students and recent graduates. The data were used to establish how the constructs are interrelated and to identify demographic and academic characteristics as predictors of GWR. I investigated group differences between university students and graduates using a structural model of GWR and examined the alignment in perception of GWR between employers and graduates, and between university students and graduates. The main outcome is a parsimonious, reliable, and valid 35-item scale distributed among four hierarchically organised and interrelated constructs: Cognitive, Metacognition, Intrapersonal and Interpersonal. Metacognition and Intrapersonal constructs are predictors of Cognitive and Interpersonal constructs, with demographic and academic factors such as age and work experience contributing the most to variation. Students at the beginning of their studies self-rated their work readiness lower than graduates, but as they reached the end of their studies, it was similar to that of graduates. The study also indicates that graduates self-rated themselves higher than employers’ ratings of them. The broader conceptualisation of GWR in this thesis makes a rethink of skill development strategies necessary.

Redefining graduate work readiness: From conceptualisation to operationalisation

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