Employers' view on studies abroad - Svenskt NÃ¤ringsliv

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Introduction/Background 3 1 Introduction/Background Globalization has a great impact on higher education, especially through increased internationalization. In the bill 2008/09:175 Gränslös kunskap – högskolan i globaliseringens tid 1 the Swedish government inculcates that international experiences and connections is a contributing factor in the development of quality in higher education, both on the level of the individual student and on an aggregated level for society. Weight is put on the fact that international movement among students has increased substantially around the world over the latest years, at the same time as the number of Swedish students studying abroad has decreased. This is regarded as a problem that needs to be dealt with actively, as the foreign experience of students contributes to the quality of higher education and prepares students for careers highly affected by globalization (p. 16). In <strong>view</strong> of the bill presented, the political ambition to enhance international experience is clear, but is it a skill that Swedish companies are looking for? In what way does foreign experience contribute to quality 2 ? Employability is a factor that can be paired with quality. If it is possible to show clearly that foreign experience leads to higher employability among students, one could also claim that foreign experience adds to the quality of higher education. Some previous inquiries on this topic have been made in Sweden, but their approach has been wider than specifically foreign experience, and their bases have been quite narrow. The lack of previous research is the reason behind the present study. Similar studies in other countries have shown relatively diverse results, which makes this study even more interesting. 1.1 Earlier studies in other countries Employers’ <strong>view</strong> on studies abroad have not been explicitly examined in the total number of studies referred to here, except for the study conducted by Irma Garam in Finland. All references are however of interest, since the selected parts of the remaining studies examine employers’ <strong>view</strong> on exchange studies. These are some of the findings of said studies. 1.2 Employers’ <strong>view</strong> on studies abroad – a European perspective In the report The Professional value of ERASMUS mobility 3 one chapter is devoted to the opinions and <strong>view</strong>s of employers regarding exchange studies abroad. The study focuses on two groups: European organizations that have hired former ERASMUS students (about 1,500), and organizations that do not know whether they have hired anyone with ERASMUS experience or not (about 4,500). The response frequency was 6 %. Aside from these groups a section where former ERASMUS students give their perspectives on exchange studies abroad. 1. Swedish government, prop. 2008/09:175 2. I the government bill Fokus på kunskap – kvalitet den högre utbildningen it is stated that employability in its broader sense, meaning the usefulness of the education program in question in the labor market, is an important result in coming quality evaluations. 3. Teichler et al., The Professional Value of ERASMUS Mobility, 2006. Svenskt Näringsliv
Introduction/Background 4 The study refers to studies conducted earlier that have shown that the most important criteria for recruitment among employers are the academic competence of the recruited, and their personality. In this study two additional skills are stated as important by employers: language (other than the native language) and computers. Central and Eastern European companies tend to place higher value on foreign experience than organization in Western Europe, the study also shows. The <strong>view</strong>s of employers and students regarding the relevance of international experience for employment correlate relatively well. The study also shows that international experience has impact on the distribution of international assignments; an employee with experience of studies abroad is more likely to be assigned international tasks in their occupation. Newly hired employees are more likely to be assigned international tasks by employers in and Eastern European companies than in Western European companies. Overall, newly hired employees with international experience are considered to have greater knowledge in areas related to this experience (i.e. language skills, cultural differences, etc.). They are also deemed more attractive to employers when it comes to more general attributes, such as adaptability, proneness to initiative, analytical skills and determination. This positive <strong>view</strong> of employees with experience from studies abroad is not limited to former ERASMUS students, but goes for everyone who has studied or done work practice abroad. In regard to wage levels and career opportunities, the differences between students with and without international experience are not substantial, albeit they do exist. Especially in Central and Eastern European countries the differences tend to show. In these countries, the study shows that students with international experience tend to have somewhat higher wages and somewhat better career opportunities than those without. The conclusion drawn is that international experience is an important factor for employers when hiring. 1.3 Mixed experiences in Norway… In the Norwegian study Studiemobilitet og arbeidsmarkedstilpasning 4 opinions from employers are not stated. However, students’ experiences on what employers tend to look for are surveyed, giving an indirect profile of employers’ <strong>view</strong> on exchange studies abroad. The study shows that two out of three students find that Norwegian employers <strong>view</strong> exchange studies abroad as an asset. At the same time half of the surveyed students state that employers lack knowledge of the studies conducted abroad. 1.4 …Finland… A Finnish study conducted by Irma Garam at CIMO shows that employers generally are doubtful of the benefits of foreign experience when it comes to skills in workplace-specific areas. They do on the other hand consider exchange studies positive when it comes to personal development, internationalization, etc. – i.e., more general skills that students develop during the exchange studies. This is also reflected in the recruitment process, where more than half of the respondents state that foreign experience is of no significance for recruitment, even though many employers state that it is a positive asset in general. None of the respondents state that it is a condition for recruitment, however. 5 4. NIFU, 2008/22 5. CIMO, 2005/1. Svenskt Näringsliv
Page 1 and 2: Employers’ view
Page 3: Content 2 Content Summary .........
Page 7 and 8: Introduction/Background 6 In additi
Page 9 and 10: Method 8 3 Method The study has bee
Page 11 and 12: Results 10 Figure 2 - How many of y
Page 13 and 14: Results 12 Figure 4 English 73% 76%
Page 15 and 16: Results 14 Figure 8 - How important
Page 17 and 18: Results 16 Figure 11 - How importan
Page 19 and 20: Results 18 Figure 14 and 15 - To wh
Page 21 and 22: Results 20 The results show that th
Page 23 and 24: Results 22 Figure 20 - When recruit
Page 25 and 26: Results 24 Figure 23 - When recruit
Page 27 and 28: Conclusions 26 5 Conclusions This r
Page 29 and 30: References 28 6 References Bengtsso

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