Barbara Mumme
University of Western Australia
Barbara is a PhD student at the University of Western Australia. Research interests include graduate work-readiness, employability skills, the formation the psychological contract and career development. Barbara teaches in the Business School at Curtin University, Western Australia in the areas of domestic and international comparative employment relations and human resource development.
Globalisation and increasing demand for work-ready skilled graduates who can ride the tide of the fourth industrial revolution is challenging stakeholders (Schwab 2016). A major concern is how differing academic disciplines, industries and jobs will adapt to the digital disruptions presented by the fourth industrial revolution, fusing physical, digital and biological worlds, profoundly revising the way people live, work and interact. Challenges include technological unemployment and skill mismatches with organisations needing to rethink their existence to remain relevant. This uncertainty adds to the difficulties of how to prepare graduates for jobs that do not exist yet and are not currently identifiable in the labour landscape.
This paper examines the role of stakeholders to address the challenges posed by digital disruptions. Now more than ever, all stakeholders need to work hand in hand, to build strategies to meet skill demands in the workplace. The paper connects overlapping academic disciplines and analyses various aspects of inquiry into the problem of successfully transitioning graduates from education to employment with relevant skill sets. The urgency of these concerns are reflected in ongoing studies by governments, industry and academics. Methodological considerations give focus to the analysis of secondary data with key stakeholders, reflecting macro, meso and micro levels, to include reports from international professional bodies, governments, industry, higher education, as well as, academic research. The research aims to identify stakeholder responsibilities to meet the needs of graduates for the fourth industrial revolution.
A major concern for stakeholders is how education will address inequalities and skill deficits as a result of the technological changes on the global landscape. Levels of unemployment, underemployment and atypical employment have increased for young people, placing pressure on individuals to have more qualifications and experience to get jobs. Research suggests, governments must adapt to the new norm implementing appropriate policies to support the changing educational landscape; industry is charged with becoming more innovative to maximise opportunities from the impact of digital disruption and embrace new paradigms to meet demands of global connectivity; education providers need to work with industry to meet the fast paced change, with greater transparency and commitment to transforming education to reflect the digital landscape graduates will be expected to work in, as well as, using a range of platforms to provide accessible, flexible and affordable education; and lastly, the graduates themselves need to embrace lifelong learning principles and develop transferable skills sets.
Globally, education before and during employment, will potentially be one of the most critical influences on workforce outcomes, with observers suggesting education providers need to encourage innovative, entrepreneurial and flexible mindsets.
