EXPECTATIONS OF GRADUATES’ EMPLOYABILITY SKILLS: THE CASE OF NAZARBAYEV UNIVERSITY FIRST COHORT

Abstract

“Education for employment or education for employability?” is the question raised by many researchers and stakeholders worldwide. On the one hand, there is a lack of specialists with relevant skills in the labor market, which results in challenges with recruitment and the need for additional investment in retraining employees and challenges with recruitment. On the other hand, educators argue that the “true” purpose of education goes beyond preparing students for jobs, and that shifts in educational policies around the world are gearing towards meeting labor market needs more than they should. This study explores expectations of graduates’ employability skills from the perspectives of stakeholders, using the case of Nazarbayev University, a newly-established flagship university in Kazakhstan. The context of a new international university with top ranking partners and its talented students is analyzed in this research in order to shed light on the experiences of these students in regards to their employability. Kazakhstan’s historical transition from Soviet planned economy (education for employment) towards market and knowledge-based economy (education for employability) in the last 25 years of independence also provides an interesting context to analyze both sides of employability. This research was conducted at Nazarbayev University, through a survey of Nazarbayev University students as well as conducting semi-structured interviews with employers, Nazarbayev University faculty and focus group interviews with NU students. This empirical study found that stakeholders recognize the increasing importance of soft skills in the changing labor market conditions, especially in the context of elite university. Skills for lifelong and life-wide learning are considered essential by stakeholders. The study found that international environment serves both as a benefit (positive signal to employers) and a challenge (international faculty unawareness of the local context) for graduate employability skills. The study also reveals that stakeholders need to work in collaboration in order to accommodate a smoother education-to-labor-market transition.