Abstract:

Career management skills are getting increased attention as vital for contemporary (and future) employment; different strategies are suggested to ensure their development in education and labor market sectors – including offerings of stand-alone courses and extra-curricular activities (Sultana, 2012). Elective course Career Management was designed with the intention to develop career management skills not only in students but also in the vulnerable community members – by means of service-learning, an innovative pedagogical approach with promising results regarding students’ academic, personal, social and citizenship outcomes (Conway et al., 2009). Service-learning (S-L) is “a course-based, credit-bearing educational experience in which students:
(a) participate in an organized service activity that meets identified community needs and
(b) reflect on the service activity in such a way as to gain further understanding of course content, a broader appreciation of the discipline, and an enhanced sense of civic responsibility” (Bringle and Hatcher, 1995, p. 112).

This work aims to investigate the effectiveness of the course in the development of not only generic and specific skills relevant for the labor market but also civic responsibility and general self-efficacy in graduate students.

Total of 24 students filled in questionnaire at the beginning and at the end of the course. In both measurements, participants provided anonymous self-assessment of preparedness for entering the labor market; development level of particular knowledge, skills and virtues; civic responsibility; and general self-efficacy – therefore t-test for dependent samples were used for the data analysis. Results revealed statistically significant improvement in sense of preparedness for the labor market (t (23) = 4.84; p < 0.01; d = 0.99), knowledge, skills and virtues (t (22) = 2.91; p < 0.01; d = 0.61), civic responsibility (t (23) = 3.83; p < 0.01; d = 0.78) and general self-efficacy (t (23) = 2.35; p < 0.05; d = 0.48) after the S-L experience.

The findings of the present study suggest that the implementation of S-L in the career management course not only provides the development of career management skills in students but also provides the development of civic responsibility in students about to enter the labor market. Universities that aspire to make better connections with their community should consider implementing the S-L methodology within their programs to increase their outreach and fulfil the third mission of the University.

Keywords:

Service-learning, career-management, civic responsibility, self-efficacy, labor market, employability.