Universities and the Challenge of Employability: Leveraging Labor Market Data for Relevant Lifelong Education
The economy and society are experiencing significant transformations fueled by the emergence of new technological advancements. These changes are affecting not just the job market, but also social norms and interactions. In light of this, universities cannot confine themselves to the mere creation a...
| Main Authors: | , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Ubiquity Press
2023-10-01
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| Series: | Ubiquity Proceedings |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://account.ubiquityproceedings.com/index.php/up-j-up/article/view/76 |
| _version_ | 1797352468266352640 |
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| author | Àngels Fitó Carmen Pagés |
| author_facet | Àngels Fitó Carmen Pagés |
| author_sort | Àngels Fitó |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | The economy and society are experiencing significant transformations fueled by the emergence of new technological advancements. These changes are affecting not just the job market, but also social norms and interactions. In light of this, universities cannot confine themselves to the mere creation and dissemination of knowledge, as education alone does not assure employment prospects. Rather, universities must strive to enhance the transformative impact of education on both individuals' employability and organizations' competitiveness. To accomplish this objective, it is essential to leverage labor market insights and artificial intelligence technology. The Universitat Oberta de Catalunya (UOC) is an online university that serves almost 90,000 students and has over 100,000 alumni. Its primary mission is to provide lifelong learning opportunities to people. However, due to the rapidly changing job market and evolving skill requirements, the UOC is currently implementing a university-wide strategy to prioritize employability. This strategy involves three main components. Firstly, the UOC is establishing a scheme to collect, store, generate, analyze, and present labor market data in a user-friendly manner that supports informed decision-making. This scheme will also connect educational programs to learning outcomes that can be linked to labor market information. Secondly, new organizational roles are being created to ensure that labor market information is integrated into the design of course offerings and career guidance services. Lastly, an interface is being designed for students to independently evaluate their position in the labor market and make better career decisions. This strategy builds on existing employability services and creates a foundation for relevant lifelong learning. The purpose of describing the UOC experience is to elucidate the strategy that universities should implement to enhance employability by capitalizing on the potential of artificial intelligence and big data. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-08T13:16:58Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-1377f8c385dd433ba0f7fd8fb01e105f |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2631-5602 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-08T13:16:58Z |
| publishDate | 2023-10-01 |
| publisher | Ubiquity Press |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Ubiquity Proceedings |
| spelling | doaj.art-1377f8c385dd433ba0f7fd8fb01e105f2024-01-18T05:31:38ZengUbiquity PressUbiquity Proceedings2631-56022023-10-0110.5334/uproc.7676Universities and the Challenge of Employability: Leveraging Labor Market Data for Relevant Lifelong EducationÀngels Fitó0Carmen Pagés1Universitat Oberta de CatalunyaUniversitat Oberta de CatalunyaThe economy and society are experiencing significant transformations fueled by the emergence of new technological advancements. These changes are affecting not just the job market, but also social norms and interactions. In light of this, universities cannot confine themselves to the mere creation and dissemination of knowledge, as education alone does not assure employment prospects. Rather, universities must strive to enhance the transformative impact of education on both individuals' employability and organizations' competitiveness. To accomplish this objective, it is essential to leverage labor market insights and artificial intelligence technology. The Universitat Oberta de Catalunya (UOC) is an online university that serves almost 90,000 students and has over 100,000 alumni. Its primary mission is to provide lifelong learning opportunities to people. However, due to the rapidly changing job market and evolving skill requirements, the UOC is currently implementing a university-wide strategy to prioritize employability. This strategy involves three main components. Firstly, the UOC is establishing a scheme to collect, store, generate, analyze, and present labor market data in a user-friendly manner that supports informed decision-making. This scheme will also connect educational programs to learning outcomes that can be linked to labor market information. Secondly, new organizational roles are being created to ensure that labor market information is integrated into the design of course offerings and career guidance services. Lastly, an interface is being designed for students to independently evaluate their position in the labor market and make better career decisions. This strategy builds on existing employability services and creates a foundation for relevant lifelong learning. The purpose of describing the UOC experience is to elucidate the strategy that universities should implement to enhance employability by capitalizing on the potential of artificial intelligence and big data.https://account.ubiquityproceedings.com/index.php/up-j-up/article/view/76employabilityreskillinglifelong learninglabor market datacareer advice |
| spellingShingle | Àngels Fitó Carmen Pagés Universities and the Challenge of Employability: Leveraging Labor Market Data for Relevant Lifelong Education Ubiquity Proceedings employability reskilling lifelong learning labor market data career advice |
| title | Universities and the Challenge of Employability: Leveraging Labor Market Data for Relevant Lifelong Education |
| title_full | Universities and the Challenge of Employability: Leveraging Labor Market Data for Relevant Lifelong Education |
| title_fullStr | Universities and the Challenge of Employability: Leveraging Labor Market Data for Relevant Lifelong Education |
| title_full_unstemmed | Universities and the Challenge of Employability: Leveraging Labor Market Data for Relevant Lifelong Education |
| title_short | Universities and the Challenge of Employability: Leveraging Labor Market Data for Relevant Lifelong Education |
| title_sort | universities and the challenge of employability leveraging labor market data for relevant lifelong education |
| topic | employability reskilling lifelong learning labor market data career advice |
| url | https://account.ubiquityproceedings.com/index.php/up-j-up/article/view/76 |
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