Preffered Competence Structure of University Graduates: Russian Employers‘ Point of View

Abstract

Purpose of the article: The article examines preffered structure of competences from Russian employers’s point of view in order to provide universities with the knowledge on how graduates’ skills are viewed by the main customers. Methodology/methods: The article is based on factor analysis of competences which are derived from the questionnaire which was distributed to Russian enterprises (mainly meduim sized manufacturing enterprises). The questionnaires were gathered from management of the companies, and evaluated by factor analysis using varimax method. Significance of the findings is confirmed by the level of Cronbach alpha. Scientific aim: The scientific aim of the article is to define the main competences of university graduates as they are seen by employers. The paper also aims to define whether the structure of preffered competences differs alone the timeline, i.e. do employers evaluate their requirements in past, present and future differently. Findings: In the article it is revealed that preferred structure of competences university graduates should possess evolves overtime, and that employers have lower understanding of their needs and requirments for the future. Second, it appeared that the most signigicant graduates’ competences are systemic thinking and professional skills, but the other factors may only be considered moderator of these skills in future. Finally, multidisciplinary skills appear to gain significance along the timeline of the study, so employers are looking for multidisciplinary skills for the future as a response for existing high turbulence. Conclusions: The main limitations of the study are small sample and focus on mid-Russian medium enterprises, which are mainly manufacturing. The study has distinct applications to practice by defining the most significant graduates’ competences from employers’ perspective, and to theory by proposing evolution paths for competence significance.