A personal construct approach to employability: Comparing stakeholders’ implicit theories

Purpose: This research adopts the perspective of Personal Construct Theory (PCT) to conceptualise employability. The study explores differences in the implicit employability theories of those involved in developing employability (educators) and those selecting and recruiting HE students and graduates (employers). Design/methodology/approach: A repertory grid technique (RGT) was employed to uncover the implicit theories of 22 employers and 14 educators across the UK. Findings: A total of 717 constructs were elicited. A differential analysis of data gathered demonstrated several areas of consensus among employers and educators (including; emotional management, confidence, professionalism), as well as divergence in representations of commitment, proactivity, interpersonal competencies, and vision to the conceptualisation of employability. Practical implications: Findings from this analysis indicate a need to integrate group process assessments within undergraduate programmes and recruitment procedures. Originality/value: This study represents a personal construct approach to employability, utilising the unique value of RGT to further inform our understanding of employability within a HE context. This study contributes to an understanding of employability as a continually re-constructed concept. Providing insights to its nature via two information rich cases that have extensive knowledge on the topic