Research and Employability - Essay Example

I have already decided how to accomplish this goal of mine. My plan is to get enrolled in one of the premium law institutes and graduate with a full time law degree. This will be the first step in achieving my ambition. I also feel that having a law degree coupled with in-depth knowledge of information technology will definitely help me succeed in life. In order to attain professional success one has to learn to stay employable in every possible economic scenario. Therefore it is evident that knowledge of labor markets as well as the understanding relationship between skill sets, education and employability is of critical significance.

It has been found that the definition of employability as defined in the official statements that is used as a basis by the policy makers does not reflect the true picture. Hillage and Pollard (1998:1) suggest that ‘employability is about having the capability to gain initial employment, maintain employment and obtain new employment if required’. According to this definition employability primarily depends on individual capability to stay in one job or have the ability to get employed in a new job.

It is evident that given the today’s market scenario, this definition is incomplete and does not consider all the factors that have a bearing on individual employability. To begin with, this definition ignores the impact of external factors, such as labor markets trends, and financial position of the economy on employability. In other words, Hillage and Pollard consider employability to be primarily a function of educational qualifications and the requisite skills required to perform on a particular job which is not the case at all.

In actual fact employability is both a relative as well as an absolute concept. Philip Brown was successful in recognizing this fact and his description of employability is more comprehensive and in line with the requirements of the modern business world. Employability is impacted by the changes in the labor markets which in turn are affected by the national economy. For instance if there is a shortage of labor supply in relation to the jobs, then even the unemployed will be successful in getting jobs.

On the other hand if there is a shortage of jobs as compared to labor, then there is a very high possibility, that despite of having all the professional qualification, one may not be able to get a job of choice or in line with his expertise. Another concept in relation to employability recognized by Brown et al is the role positional competition plays in determining the employability of professionals especially fresh graduated who are looking for employment opportunities. In other words according to Brown, employability not only depends on how good or educated you are but also your competence levels when compared with other who are applying of similar job positions.

Only if you are perceived as more qualified by the employers as compared with your competitions, you will be successful in getting the job of your choice. Therefore in order to succeed in remaining employable one had to have the understanding of this concept of duality. In addition to the above mentioned aspects of employability, there is another dimension which has a close relationship with this concept. This dimension is termed as social identity. According to this