Dissertation
Influence of partnerships on mechanical graduate employment success
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Influence of partnerships on mechanical graduate employment successAll four interviewees (IE1, IE2, IE3, IE4) are concerned about the difficulties of attachment training and its impact on graduate employment in mechanical engineering, as revealed by the findings of the interviews. The brief duration of attachment training, which is limited to students' two-month summer breaks, and the large number of students requiring attachments with limited resources are identified as the two major obstacles. Due to these obstacles, businesses find it difficult to allocate sufficient funds to support students and are compelled to schedule them on a monthly basis rather than for the complete two- to three-month attachment. These findings are consistent with prior research (e.g., Farhadi Rad et al., 2020; Rizwan et al., 2021). that emphasises the importance of industry experience for engineering graduates to enhance their employability. However, the difficulties identified by the respondents suggest that the current attachment training may not be adequate to equip graduates with the necessary skills and experience. Despite these challenges, all interviewees are optimistic about the potential of university-industry partnerships to increase graduate employment opportunities. They believe that signing a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) that specifies the types and durations of training will be advantageous for graduates seeking employment. This is consistent with the literature that emphasises the importance of formalised industry-academic partnerships in addressing challenges associated with student training and employability (e.g., Chavan & Breyer, 2020; Rybnicek & Königsgruber, 2019b) The interviewees believe that strengthening partnerships between educational institutions and industries can assist in addressing the challenges associated with attachment training and positively impact the employment of mechanical graduates. These findings corroborate the existing literature regarding the significance of industry experience for graduates, the difficulties in providing adequate training, and the role of formalised partnerships in overcoming these obstacles. Download 2.1 Mb. Share with your friends:
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