TRANSVERSAL COMPETENCES FOR EMPLOYABILITY ACROSS FOUR EUROPEAN COUNTRIES

The topic of competences has been in the spotlight of academic and business debates. Over time, various definitions of competences have emerged from several authors, which may explain the noticeable conceptual and terminological inaccuracy. The concept of competences has been progressively included in the education and job market language when it comes to processes of human resources management. However, there is still a lack of consensus that prevents a shared understanding whenever this concept is mentioned.

In a society in which globalization is a key element it becomes vital that each citizen is able to use their transversal competences in an international context. Nevertheless, we have to be aware that cultural aspects may influence the importance given to these competences. In other words, a competence regarded as crucial in a country might not be such in another country. Transversal competences, which are detached from a certain area of knowledge, are the ones that vary on their value.

This paper presents the results of an exploratory study aiming at understanding the differences regarding the importance of transversal competences between employers of leading industries across four European Countries. Regardless of these conclusions, students’ self-assessment regarding these competences may or may not be in accordance with the employers’ preferences in each country.

Data was collected in four European countries under the Erasmus+ Project ActYouth-EU – “From Theory to Action” by using questionnaires that were composed by statements that assessed 21 transversal competences. This survey was answered by two different target groups – students and employers of leading industries. Both questionnaires aimed to collect data regarding the entrepreneurial competences required to make a successful transition into the job market. A total of 537 responses were collected.

The methodology used in this analysis was conducted is an Importance Performance Analysis (IPA) and the Kruskal-Wallis H-test. The Dunn’s test was also used for post hoc comparisons.

Our research and results are a contribution towards understanding the congruences and the discrepancies between students’ perspectives and employers’ perspectives in different European countries concerning the main competences needed for a smooth transition from university to the job market.