Problem Definition
One of the single critical problems related to higher education is students’ lack of practical employability skills. As the literature suggests, 91, 90 and 89 percent of students enroll for college education to improve their employment opportunities, make more money, and get a good job (Craig, 2017). Unfortunately, most students who complete college do not have adequate practical skills to suit the job market. Fajaryati and Akhyar (2020) argues that one reason for insufficient skills among students and job seekers is education quality. Arguably, a majority of universities focus on the theoretical aspect of education and student’s performance and very little on their practical skills, leading to low technical expertise among students. Moreover, some of the colleges that offer practical experiences fail to address the most technical aspects, limiting students’ employment skills.
Business Criteria
Business Capabilities:
- Availability of adequate financial resources.
The organization’s financial resources are a match to address the lack of practical skills among college students because they can finance career service budgets. As the literature suggests, there is a direct link between career services, recruitment, retention, and a firm’s revenue (Dey & Cruzvergara, 2014). Arguably, the establishment of career services in the college can offer guidance to students on career selection and, to some extent, help them find available jobs. Therefore, while the available financial resources may not directly address the problem, they may finance career counseling sessions to help students select jobs that match their skills. Moreover, with the available resources, the organization can set up sites, such as clinical sites, where students can practice the acquired skills in preparation for job placement.
- Availability of a competent and highly committed workforce.
The organization’s current workforce is also a potential capability that could be used to address the mentioned problem. As noted, poor quality education is a root cause of lack of skills among job seekers. The provision of poor-quality education in colleges may stem from an incompetent workforce that cannot instill the practical skills required by students in preparation for the job market. Moreover, lack of dedication among tutors may compromise the quality of training that students receive. Arguably, with the current competent and highly committed workforce, the university may be well-positioned to offer quality education to students and offer them the practical skills required in the job market.
- Organizational and management flexibility.
The firm’s flexible structure is ideal for incorporating required changes, such as building sites where students can enhance their practical skills.
Customer Criteria
Essential Criteria of Addressing the Problem to Create Value for Customer
Among the customer criteria for the creation of value in this scenario are:
- Problem solution
Solving the mentioned problem is the crucial criteria for creating value for customers; in this context, college students and other stakeholders such as communities that rely on this group for their daily living. Notably, combatting the lack of practical skills among college students will provide sustained value for customers by equipping them with skills that other scholars from other institutions may not acquire during their college stay. These skills may, in turn, enable students to secure well-paying jobs that may help elevate their family and community’s living standard.
- Sustained solution
A sustained solution will also provide a superior value for the customers by enhancing their job suitability in the long term. Arguably, with the available skills, students could easily compete for the limited high-paying job opportunities compared to their counterparts who only receive academic support from higher learning institutions.
References
Fajaryati, N., & Akhyar, M. (2020). The employability skills needed to face the demands of work in the future: Systematic literature reviews. Open Engineering, 10(1), 595-603. https://doi.org/10.1515/eng-2020-0072
Dey, F., & Cruzvergara, C. Y. (2014). Evolution of career services in higher education. New Directions for Student Services, 2014(148), 5–18. https://doi.org/10.1002/ss.20105
Craig, R. (2017, January 20). The top 10 higher education issues we all agree on. Forbes. https://www.forbes.com/sites/ryancraig/2017/01/20/the-top-10-higher-education-issues-we-all-agree-on/?sh=57921a31fa87