Beyond the Hard and Soft Skills Paradigm: An Australian Architecture Industry Perspective on Employability and the University/Practice Divide

Autor/inn/en	Sebastian Smith; Karine Dupre; Julie Crough
Titel	Beyond the Hard and Soft Skills Paradigm: An Australian Architecture Industry Perspective on Employability and the University/Practice Divide
Quelle	In: Higher Education, Skills and Work-based Learning, 14 (2024) 6, S. 1282-1298 PDF als Volltext Verfügbarkeit
Zusatzinformation	ORCID (Sebastian Smith) ORCID (Karine Dupre)
Sprache	englisch
Dokumenttyp	gedruckt; online; Zeitschriftenaufsatz
ISSN	2042-3896
DOI	10.1108/HESWBL-07-2023-0197
Schlagwörter	Forschungsbericht; Foreign Countries; Industry; Employer Attitudes; School Business Relationship; Universities; Employment Potential; Architecture; Social Capital; Human Capital; Cultural Capital; Psychological Characteristics; Self Efficacy; Resilience (Psychology); Well Being; Personnel Management; Personnel Selection; Job Skills; Australia + Suchen Sie Ihr Suchwort? Ausland; Industrie; Arbeitgeberinteresse; University; Universität; Arbeitsmarktbezogene Qualifikation; Beschäftigungsfähigkeit; Architektur; Sozialkapital; Humankapital; Self-efficacy; Selbstwirksamkeit; Well-being; Wellness; Wohlbefinden; Personalmanagement; Personalauswahl; Personalentscheidung; Produktive Fertigkeit; Australien
Abstract	Purpose: This study explores practitioners' perspectives on the perceived gap between university and practice beyond the hard and soft skill paradigm. Utilising Tomlinson's graduate capital model of employability (2017), we explored human, social, cultural, and psychological capitals to enrich the understanding of this issue and employability. It provided a new perspective, useful for implementing curriculum renewal. Design/methodology/approach: This study utilised a two-stage mixed methods design. Using Tomlinson's (2017) Graduate capital model as a framework, the first stage involved distributing an online survey to qualified architects in hiring positions practising in Australia. This served as the foundation for generating qualitative and quantitative data. The second stage involved a two-hour practitioner workshop where the survey results were discussed and expanded upon. Findings: Our results found that the practitioner's perspective on the perceived skills gap is more complex than the hard/soft skill paradigm commonly discussed. Practitioners expressed a need for students/graduates to possess identity and cultural capital to contextualise industry norms and expectations. This knowledge lets students know where and how hard/soft skills are used. Our results also suggest practitioners are concerned with the prevailing individualistic approach to the higher education system and traditional architectural teaching methods, instead suggesting a more industry-aligned collaborative disposition. Originality/value: By expanding the employability discourse beyond hard/soft skills, the results of this research provide an opportunity for architectural curriculum renewal in line with industry expectations. (As Provided).
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Begutachtung	Peer reviewed
Erfasst von	ERIC (Education Resources Information Center), Washington, DC
Update	2025/2/04