Employability of University Students: Introduction of the Concept and the Psychometric Properties of the Polish Self-Perceived Employability Scale
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.12775/PBE.2021.016Keywords
employability, first year students, Self-Perceived Employability Scale, university education, career paths scale adaptationAbstract
Higher education has been undergoing a number of changes in recent years, and its effect is to be not only the diploma but the competencies needed for professional work. The employment model has also changed – currently, employees change jobs more often, contracts are rather short-term, and work requires the acquisition of new competencies in line with the idea of lifelong learning. The Covid-19 reality complicated the job market, even more, making people to lose and change their jobs much more often and be prepared to work constantly in unstable hybrid reality. Consequently, studies should not so much prepare to undertake a specific job but provide competences that build “employability”. The aim of the research presented in the article is to adapt and prepare the Polish version of The Self-Perceived Employability Scale of Rothwell & Arnold (2007). 600 first-year students took part in the study. The research results indicated a significant two-factor model, and therefore a Polish version of the scale based on two subscales was developed, which has good psychometric properties. The scale differs from the original British version, which may be related to social and cultural differences. The changes have been discussed and approved
by the team and consulted with the author of the original version. The scale can be used to assess the perceived level of own employability for students of different years of study. Its
results may form the basis for making decisions regarding the design of study programs and their evaluation in longitudinal studies.
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