Information Technology Reference
In-Depth Information
Overall, the participants appeared to be diligent in their efforts to keep up to date with
employers' skill requirements. The average number of channels used by the students during
the previous three months was 3.8, and the most common number used was five. The most
commonly used channels were newspaper employment and IT sections, and Internet
sources. The same three channels were rated most highly in terms of importance, however,
the ordering was different, with Internet sources being seen as most important.
Instructors were ranked relatively highly (fourth of nine channels) in terms of frequency
of consultation and importance. In addition, the feedback from participants about the match
between the skills provided by their degrees and employers' needs suggests an implicit
confidence that the knowledge of instructors is up to date. While students have a wide variety
of information channels available to them and make use of them, instructors have a major role
to play in providing up-to-date information about employers' needs. They need to be highly
accessible and to ensure that their knowledge of employers' skill requirements remains
current. Instructors should use studies of employers' requirements to assess their course
offerings and to help guide their students. They can also use the results of studies such as
this one to better understand student information-seeking behavior.
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