Keywords
Employability Capital Growth Model (ECGM)
graduate employability
higher education
resilience
sustainable career
Categories
How to Cite
Abstract
This essay offers a pragmatic and holistic perspective of resilience to assist careers and employability professionals in supporting university students and graduates. It examines the evolution of employability models from skills-based to capital-based frameworks, emphasising resilience as a key component of psychological capital. Drawing on the Employability Capital Growth Model (ECGM) and sustainable career theory, the essay critiques simplistic views of resilience grounded in positive psychology, advocating for a more nuanced understanding that considers personal, contextual, and temporal dimensions. Drawing parallels with physical strength-building through weight training, it underscores the importance of progressive challenges, mental fortitude, support systems, consistency, and recovery in developing resilience. These factors provide a practical framework for guiding university students and graduates toward sustainable careers, with an emphasis on health, well-being, and long-term productivity. Resilience, the essay argues, is not about unyielding strength but adaptability and recovery, accounting for external factors and systemic barriers. By integrating principles from weight training into career guidance, careers and employability professionals can offer a balanced view of resilience, equipping students and graduates to navigate contemporary career challenges. This approach bridges career development and employability theories, providing new insights for practice and research in higher education and beyond.
References
Agyapong, B., Obuobi-Donkor, G., Burback, L., & Wei, Y. (2022). Stress, burnout, anxiety and depression among teachers: A scoping review. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 19(17), 10706. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph191710706
Brewer, M. L., Lane, M., Carter, A., Barnard, S., & Ibrahim, O. (2019). Evaluation of a leadership development programme to enhance university staff and student resilience. Journal of Teaching and Learning for Graduate Employability, 10(2), 136-151. https://doi.org/10.21153/jtlge2019vol10no2art882
Bridgstock, R. (2009). The graduate attributes we’ve overlooked: Enhancing graduate employability through career management skills. Higher Education Research & Development, 28(1), 31-44. https://doi.org/10.1080/07294360802444347
Clarke, M. (2018). Rethinking graduate employability: The role of capital, individual attributes and context. Studies in Higher Education, 43(11), 1923-1937. https://doi.org/10.1080/03075079.2017.1294152
Coetzee, M. (2023). Students’ career capital resource needs for employability in the technology-driven work world. Journal of Teaching and Learning for Graduate Employability, 14(1), 136-150. https://doi.org/10.21153/jtlge2023vol14no1art1658
Dacre Pool, L., & Sewell, P. (2007). The key to employability: Developing a practical model of graduate employability. Education + Training, 49(4), 277-289. https://doi.org/10.1108/00400910710754435
Dall’Ora, C., Ball, J., Reinius, M., & Griffiths, P. (2020). Burnout in nursing: A theoretical review. Human Resources for Health, 18, 41. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12960-020-00469-9
De Vos, A., Van der Heijden, B. I. J. M., & Akkermans, J. (2020). Sustainable careers: Towards a conceptual model. Journal of Vocational Behavior, 117. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jvb.2018.06.011
Donald, W. E. (2017). Students’ perceptions of graduate employability: A sequential explanatory approach. Doctoral Thesis, University of Southampton. https://eprints.soton.ac.uk/415935/
Donald, W. E., Baruch, Y., & Ashleigh, M. J. (2019). The undergraduate self-perception of employability: Human capital, careers advice and career ownership. Studies in Higher Education, 44(4), 599-614. https://doi.org/10.1080/03075079.2017.1387107
Donald, W. E., Baruch, Y., & Ashleigh, M. J. (2024). Construction and operationalisation of an Employability Capital Growth Model (ECGM) via a systematic literature review (2016-2022). Studies in Higher Education, 49(1), 1-15. https://doi.org/10.1080/03075079.2023.2219270
Donald, W. E., & Jackson, D. (2022). Subjective wellbeing among university students and recent graduates: Evidence from the United Kingdom. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 19(11), 6911. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph19116911
Donald, W. E., Van der Heijden, B. I. J. M., & Baruch, Y. (2024). Introducing a sustainable career ecosystem: Theoretical perspectives, conceptualization, and future research agenda. Journal of Vocational Behavior, 151, 103989. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jvb.2024.103989
Donald, W. E., Van der Heijden, B. I. J. M., & Manville, G. (2024). (Re)Framing sustainable careers: Toward a conceptual model and future research agenda. Career Development International, 29(5), 513-526. https://doi.org/10.1108/CDI-02-2024-0073
Endress, M. (2015). The social constructedness of resilience. Social Science, 4, 533-545. https://doi.org/10.3390/socsci4030533
Healy, M. (2021). Microcredential learners need quality careers and employability support. Journal of Teaching and Learning for Graduate Employability, 12(1), 21-23. https://doi.org/10.21153/jtlge2021vol12no1art1071
Healy, M. (2023). Careers and employability learning: Pedagogical principles for higher education. Studies in Higher Education, 48(8), 1303-1314. https://doi.org/10.1080/03075079.2023.2196997
Healy, M., Brown, J. L., & Ho, C. (2022). Graduate employability as a professional proto-jurisdiction in higher education. Higher Education, 83, 1125-1142. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10734-021-00733-4
Healy, M., Hammer, S., & McIlveen, P. (2022). Mapping graduate employability and career development in higher education research: A citation network analysis. Studies in Higher Education, 47(4), 799-811. https://doi.org/10.1080/03075079.2020.1804851
Knight, P., & Yorke, M. (2004). Learning, Curriculum and Employability in Higher Education. Routledge Falmer.
Luthans. F. (2002). Positive organizational behavior: Developing and managing psychological strengths. Academy of Management Perspectives, 16(1), 57-72. https://doi.org/10.5465/ame.2002.6640181
Luthans, F., & Youseff, C. M. (2004). Human, social, and now positive psychological capital management: Investing in people for competitive advantage. Organizational Dynamics, 33(2), 143-160. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.orgdyn.2004.01.003
Luthans, F., & Youseff-Morgan, C. M. (2017). Psychological capital: An evidence-based positive approach. Annual Review of Organizational Psychology and Organizational Behavior, 4, 339-366. https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev-orgpsych-032516-113324
Pitan, O. S., & Muller, C. (2023). Assessment of strategies for preparing graduates for the disruptive workplace: Evidence from Nigeria and South Africa. Journal of Teaching and Learning for Graduate Employability, 14(1), 15-30. https://doi.org/10.21153/jtlge2023vol14no1art1576
Sultana, R. G. (2024). Four ‘dirty words’ in career guidance: from common sense to good sense. International Journal of Educational and Vocational Guidance, 24, 1-19. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10775-022-09550-2
Tomlinson, M. (2017). Forms of graduate capital and their relationship to graduate employability. Education + Training, 59(4), 338-352. https://doi.org/10.1108/ET-05-2016-0090
Van der Heijden, B. I. J. M. (2005). “No one has ever promised you a rose garden” on shared responsibility and employability enhancing strategies throughout careers. Heerlen, Open University of the Netherlands/Van Corcum, Assen.
Van der Heijden, B. I. J. M., & De Vos, A. (2015). Sustainable careers: Introductory chapter. In A. De Vos & B. I. J. M. Van der Heijden (Eds.), Handbook of Research on Sustainable Careers (pp. 1-19). Edward Elgar Publishing. https://doi.org/10.4337/9781782547037.00006
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
Copyright (c) 2025 William E. Donald, Michael Healy