Employers and Graduates: the mediating role of signals and capitals Seminar
Event details
This seminar will present an empirical and conceptual analysis of employers’ perspectives on graduate employability and how they conceive the relationship between higher education and employment. Based on one component of a HEFCE-funded project involving interviews with graduate employers of varying size and profiles, this seminar will show that much of employers’ discourse on graduate employability is framed strongly in terms of capitals which graduates differentially develop and deploy to their advantage.
The talk will show some significant features of what constitutes an ‘ideal’ graduate and how this can significantly inform employers’ selection decisions. It will illustrate how signals work in the selection process and what types of credentials and experiences are utilised by employers.
The talk will also outline some salient implications for key stakeholder in this area in terms of finding ways of enhancing graduates’ career readiness and negotiating access to the labour market.
Speaker information
Dr Michael Tomlinson, Associate Professor