Employers as stakeholders in employability skills development: expectations and responsibilities

This article explores the position and views of employers as a critical stakeholder group in postgraduates' employability skills. The intention is to raise the important issue of the gap between the skills developed on postgraduate programmes and employers' stated needs of postgraduates. Also, it is hoped the paper contributes modestly to narrowing the gap in this. The focus of the generative research design has its foundations in a professionally accredited MSc in Human Resource Management. While the primary work is limited in sample size, it offers some insights. The ten core employability skills that emerge for this postgraduate programme from the authors' primary work on employers' expectations are prioritised by employer line managers. Overall, communication and problem-solving emerge as the two core skills most important to employers.