Abstract:

The current context is characterized by a growing instability, uncertainty, complexity and ambiguity (VUCA Concept: Volatility, Uncertainty, Complexity, and Ambiguity). Several studies have sought to understand this concept and the way professionals, in different stages of their careers, are adapting to VUCA world. The way companies deal with professionals in changing times has also been studied.

The present study aims to analyze the adaptation and skills development of the final year students in higher education (HE) to a hybrid labour market, as a result of the world covid-19 pandemic. At the moment of their experience in the labour market (internship of 360 hours at a company), HE students were surprised by the pandemic, which forced them to adapt abruptly, something which had never been experienced before by students, teachers and companies. The study also addresses the adaptation made by companies that, in the midst of a lockdown, kept students in this labour experience process, but in a remote way.

Based on this framework, we seek to analyze the adaptation process of final year students in HE, who are undergoing an internship, to an unforeseen change: mandatory confinement due to covid-19 pandemic. This study is based on a mixed methodology, by conducting a questionnaire survey addressed to three stakeholders: teachers, students and companies; and, in parallel, a documentary analysis will be performed to identify the main factors of adaptation in this field.

The contributions of this study are relevant for three stakeholders – higher education institutions (HEI), teachers and companies. In the case of HEIs, because these must invest in the development of soft skills that enhance the adaptation of students to VUCA environments; for the teachers, because these are the supervisors in this phase of transition to the labour market and they will support and enhance this integration; and for companies, in order to help them to develop mechanisms for talent growth and retention in VUCA contexts.

Keywords:

Higher education, development of soft skills, VUCA.