BRIDGING THE SKILLS GAP: UNIVERSITY TEACHERS, STUDENTS, AND EMPLOYERS’ PERSPECTIVES ON HARD AND SOFT SKILLS FOR EMPLOYABILITY

Abstract

In their talent acquisition strategies, companies establish a comprehensive candidate profile, detailing the combination of hard and soft skills considered vital for future employee success. An exploratory analysis was undertaken to explore whether undergraduate studies facilitate the acquisition of both specialized knowledge and essential soft skills, based on the viewpoints of teachers and students. Additionally, the study seeks to determine if the skills developed by educators align with employer expectations and explores the relative importance placed on technical versus interpersonal competencies by hiring organizations. The study involved directors and students of different higher education programmes (Educational Sciences, Psychology, Management, and Tourism), and employers whose business focus lies in the above-mentioned. Using NVivo software, content analysis was performed on the transcribed interviews to systematically analyse and interpret the data. Findings indicated a unanimous emphasis on soft skills, particularly communication, critical thinking, and autonomy, across all participant groups. Moreover, a strong consensus emerged regarding the need for enhanced collaboration between academia and industry, signifying a clear alignment between employer expectations and educational objectives