How to improve Indian graduate employability and outcomes: empirical comparisons with Australia

Thakur, Narender and Kinash, Shelley and Bannatyne, Amy (2020) How to improve Indian graduate employability and outcomes: empirical comparisons with Australia. In: Teaching and learning in higher education in India and Australia. Taylor & Francis (Routledge), Milton Park, United Kingdom, pp. 57-75. ISBN 978-1-138-31807-6

Text (Accepted Version) Chapter 4 Employability Chapter Text.pdf Restricted - Available after 1 September 2021.

Abstract

Depending on the rhetorician’s perspective, university graduate employability and outcomes in India might be described as the perfect storm or the opportune reclamation. India is experiencing a youth explosion and many of these young people are pursuing degrees (Gupta, 2014). Compared to Australia, India has 18 times the annual university graduates. The total number of graduates from
tertiary education1 in India and Australia in 2014 were 7.7 million and 0.42 million respectively (UNESCO, 2017).2 However, whereas an overall average of 70 per cent of Australian youth secure full‐time discipline‐related careers four‐month post‐graduation (Australian Government Department of Education & Training, 2016), only 33.5 per cent of Indian youth secure the same outcomes (Thakur, 2016). One commonly cited explanatory factor is degree‐choice. In the contemporary knowledge economy, employability tends to be higher from degrees in the disciplinary areas of Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) (Langdon, McKittrick, Beede, Khan, &
Doms, 2011). Whereas 73% of Australian graduates enrol in these degrees, STEM disciplines are chosen by just over half (52%) of Indian graduates (MHRD, 2016; UNESCO, 2017). Thereby, one ameliorative active to improve employment outcomes in India would be to encourage students to
enrol in STEM disciplines and then focus employability strategies and supports in these degrees.

Statistics for this ePrint Item

Item Type:	Book Chapter (Commonwealth Reporting Category B)
Refereed:	Yes
Item Status:	Live Archive
Additional Information:	Accepted version embargoed until 1 September 2021 (18 months), in accordance with the copyright policy of the publisher.
Faculty/School / Institute/Centre:	Current - USQ Other
Faculty/School / Institute/Centre:	Current - USQ Other
Date Deposited:	06 Sep 2019 04:24
Last Modified:	05 Jun 2020 05:35
Uncontrolled Keywords:	university graduate employability; India
Fields of Research (2008):	13 Education > 1301 Education Systems > 130103 Higher Education
URI:	http://eprints.usq.edu.au/id/eprint/35541

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