THE IMPLICATIONS OF EMPLOYABILITY FOR OPEN DISTANCE LEARNING AND TRAINING AND DEVELOPMENT

Employers require employable workers, while most graduates of higher education fully realise the importance of actively managing their employability (Dabic, 2008; Griesel &

Parker, 2007; Poropat, 2011; Tomlinson, 2007). Thus, securing a job not only involves acquiring a degree and achieving good marks, but also constructing and pursuing a personal career entry and management strategy. One of the roles of higher education in the post-modern society is to cultivate and nurture graduate employability (Coetzee, 2012; Poropat, 2011).

From the perspective of graduates employability relates to their own insight into the labour market and related changes and is augmented and facilitated by their developing identities as employees, their recognition that they are active agents in their own careers and their personalities as they relate to work and career (Tomlinson, 2007; Tymon, 2011; Wilton,

2008). Graduates may position themselves differently in the labour market and they may also adopt various action plans as regards finding employment as a result of, not only their comprehension of job markets, but also their implicit knowledge of specific job markets.

Graduate dispositions influence their comprehension and perception of various job and career opportunities and options (Dabic, 2008; Tymon, 2011; Tomlinson, 2007). People associate their employability with the investment they make in their development through education and continued learning (Berntson, et al., 2008; Tymon, 2011; Wittekind et al., 2009).

Some of the implications of the focus on employability for higher education involve both curricula and teaching methods (Boden & Nedeva, 2010). The focus of higher education may also change from providing education to potential leaders in society to providing education that ensures employment. Universities nowadays are compelled to prove that they are utilising public funds effectively and efficiently. One of the methods used to supply this proof is by adopting a “learning outcomes” approach to teaching. Learning outcomes that require that adult learners perform in ways that are measurable may effectively be utilised to demonstrate the effectiveness of university education (Boden & Nevada, 2010). The preparation of adult learners for a turbulent world may be even more essential in the current economic climate of austerity and constricting economies. According to Furnham (2000), insufficient natural resources, globalisation, the growing demand for corporate social responsibility and ethical governance, as well as the increasing vulnerability of the business world to economic and political steadiness create a future workplace that may be anything but comfortable. Full-time employment may be replaced by part-time employment and/or shorter working days for most employees and employees will enjoy little job security. People will be forced to take more responsibility for their own future prosperity and satisfaction. A lucky few may be correctly equipped for such an environment (Furnham, 2000). An essential skill for all graduates is the ability to transfer the generic skills nurtured during higher education to the work milieu (Ehiyazaryan & Barraclough, 2009; Morrison, 2013).

From the organisational perspective, employability is a joint venture between the employer and the employee (Clarke, 2009; Van Emmerik, Schreurs, De Cuyper, Jawahar & Peeters, 2012). Training and development initiatives may facilitate and nurture employee competence development and agility while the employees are responsible for identifying which initiatives are relevant to their working futures. Employees who possess the ability to be active agents in their own working and learning lives will adopt either a protean or a boundaryless career management strategy in order to achieve their personal goals and ambitions (Billet, 2010b;

Clarke, 2009; Von Emmerik, 2012). A protean career management strategy revolves around

the individual adjusting his or her career according to environmental changes. On the other hand, a boundaryless career management strategy focuses on utilising learning opportunities in order to remain employable in a volatile and uncertain business environment. Consequently, the career pattern adopted by individual employees will also reflect the extent to which they display employability behaviours (Billet, 2010b; Clarke, 2009;

Von Emmerik, 2012). The adoption of a specific career management strategy implies self-awareness and also proactive planning and management of the personal career journey, as well as a commitment to lifelong learning – all characteristics associated with self-directedness.

Work involves individuals in goal-directed activities. The understanding of lifelong learning and creativity requires the ability to understand that learning comes about when employees become involved in meaningful work activities (Billet, 2010b; Von Emmerik, 2012).

Involvement in work activities also implies the ability to adapt those work activities in meaningful ways. Learning in the workplace and from the workplace is an essential component for continued employment (Tones, Pillay, & Kelly, 2011). Workplace learning may be facilitated in various settings, either by providing programmes mediated by training providers, or by nurturing a workplace environment that inspires, prizes and enriches relevant learning experiences (Billet, 2010b; Candy, 2000). Conversely, it is not always possible to plan and control learning in the workplace because employees do not learn only when participating in formal programmes, but they also learn from observing others, by being exposed to different contexts and by making mistakes which are corrected in an appropriate way (Billet, 2010b; Candy, 2000). The workplace is considered to be a significant setting for learning in terms of the pursuit of lifelong learning – a vital element in both self-directedness and lifelong learning (Billet, 2010b; Botha, 2012; Reio & Wiswell, 2000).

Embedded in the concepts of lifelong learning and workplace learning is the concept of curiosity – the person who is curious will usually find a way to satisfy that curiosity by searching out new information in one way or the other (Slev & Pop, 2012; Ya-Hui, 2009).

Coupled to this is intrinsic motivation with curiosity playing a crucial role in intrinsic motivation (Ya-Hui, 2009). However, developing adult lifelong learners implies more than just stimulating and harnessing curiosity (Slev & Pop, 2012). It is essential that employees understand both their specific, everyday job responsibilities as well as the broader organisation that employs them. In other words, they need to understand and be able to function effectively within the organisational culture and this, in turn, forms part of workplace learning and development (Billet, 2010b; Slev & Pop, 2012). Employees who are involved in

interesting and inspiring work contexts perceive themselves to be more employable (Berntson, et al., 2008; Van Emmerik, et al., 2012).

The purpose of training and development in an organisation is to provide employees with opportunities to acquire the competencies that will enable them to perform optimally in both their current and future jobs. Thus, training and development provides employees with workplace learning experiences in order to ensure a continued competitive advantage for the organisation (Coetzee et al., 2013; Du Toit et al., 2010). Training and development involves increasing the value employees may add to the organisation by also increasing employee agility (Coetzee et al., 2013). Consequently, the training and development function in the organisation focuses on fostering the long-term capacity for learning in the organisation, from the individual employee to the organisation as a whole. Training and development activities which are associated with employee development include training, individual development as well as career and organisational development (Coetzee et al., 2013).

In addition, training and development encompasses both the formal and informal learning that takes place at the workplace. The essence of training and development is the focus on increasing the capacity of employees and the organisation to improve performance (Cameron & Harrison, 2012; Coetzee et al., 2013). Training and development relates to employability orientations in organisations through the concept of goal-driven employee development in order to build improved organisational agility. Certain personality traits which are related to employability, such as openness (being willing and eager to accept changes and new ideas), may positively predict the success of training interventions (Van Dam, 2004). While workplace learning is often viewed as an extension of education, organisational learning is considered to be a sub-field of organisational renewal and change (Cameron &

Harrison, 2012; Engstrom & Kerosuo, 2007). However, in view of the fact that an organisation is populated by people, and organisational modifications are originated and fostered by its employees, clearly workplace learning and organisational learning form two sides of the same whole (Cameron & Harrison, 2012; Engstrom & Kerosuo, 2007).