What are GRADUATE ATTRIBUTES and why are they important in higher education?

What are GRADUATE ATTRIBUTES and why are they important in higher education?

Graduate attributes are also called a university’s graduate profile and are specific skills and understandings that a university student should gain during their learning journey at a particular university. The internationalizing of higher education in Papua New Guinea (PNG) brings with it a sense of market competition between graduates of universities for employment opportunities (especially within disciplines such as business and agriculture) that may be available across multiple universities. 

The graduate attributes may differentiate the skills set of such graduates. These attributes should they differ in alignment to learning outcomes, the depth and breadth of content within taught courses may serve as a competitive advantage for graduates. 

Nagarajan and Edwards 2014, have quoted Bowden, Hart, King, Trigwell and Watts, 2000 defining graduate attributes as:  

…….the qualities, skills and understandings that a university community agree its students would desirably develop during their time at the institution and consequently shape the contribution they are able to make to their profession and as a citizen.

Some university communities have a single set of graduate attributes generic to all disciplines. These are often called the university’s ‘graduate profile.’ Some strategic institutions have profiled disciplinary specific expertise through their academic schools and or departments.

Here are two examples from the University of PNG (UPNG) and PNG University of Technology ( UoT).

The GRADUATE PROFILE of UPNG Students

The graduate profile of UPNG graduates is displayed on the university website. https://www.upng.ac.pg/index.php/about-upng/graduate-profile

UPNG has produced some of PNG’s finest intellectual minds and their objective is to continue to produce graduates who: 

• Care for ethical values, and provide leadership in national development, with a clear understanding of national values and needs.
• Are committed to self-development through the continuous acquisition of knowledge and experience and are able to survive in an environment of continuous change in a rapidly evolving society.
• Are capable of providing political leadership, national unity, and social development.
• Are technologically literate, receptive to new ideas, and prepared to be innovative.
• Have social responsibility and a strong identity with their own communities.
• Have acquired adequate knowledge, skills, and the creative ability to meet specific national manpower needs.
• Have acquired adequate skills in communication, information technology, critical inquiry, and problem solving.
• Have acquired a basic understanding about fundamental national issues and sustainable development.
• Will promote critical and free inquiry into issues concerning human nature, society, and the world.
• Can understand, interpret, and educate people to enhance their contributions to the social and economic development of the country; and
• Accept criticism and self-criticism as self-development processes and are able to face the realities of hardship of life in communities.

 

The GRADUATE ATTRIBUTES of PNG UoT students.

PNG UoT strategic plan 2020 -2024 concisely displays their organizational vision as working to “grow world class technocrats for the real world, 2024 and beyond.

Moreover, the PNG UoT Strategic Plan (2020-2024) states that a PNG UoT graduate is,

1.       1. a lifelong learner

2.     2.  a critical thinker

3.     3.  an effective communicator

4.      4. a cultural modernist

5.      5. morally upright

6.      6. technologically savvy

These are the (6) six graduate attributes generic to PNG UoT graduates.

Their Department of Agriculture produces extremely competitive graduates and have their own disciplinary expertise set out as follows.

Thus, PNG Unitech’s Bachelor in Agriculture Science graduates are;

·         Inquisitive

·         Articulate

·         Entrepreneurial

·         Reliable

·         Visionary

The Agriculture Department has taken these a step further by expressing these attributes in a tabulated format across three (3) dimensions – Academic, Personal and Transferable.

This table has been copied from PNG university of Technology (2024) http://wasu.unitech.ac.pg/departments/Department%20of%20Agriculture/Graduates%20Attributes

Agriculture Graduate Attributes

Attribute	Academic Dimension	Personal Dimension	Transferable Dimension
Inquisitive	Attitude towards observance of finer details pertaining to academic and professional discourses and engagements.	The basis for a life-long search for knowledge, and to live with curiosity knowing, all events are understandable through systematic inquiry.	Cognitive asset that is observable, applicable and transferrable for positive influence and impact.
Articulate	Quality of clarity in discourse between colleagues and clients, either oral or written, of knowledge and skills so far attained.	Empowerment of confidence in disseminating knowledge and skills to a specific or wider audience.	Ability to convince audiences through the use of varied communication medium for continued dialogue and relationship.
Entrepreneurial	Ability to be creative and innovative, a means to attaining the status of academic prowess and professional consultancy and inter-dependency.	Character of scholarship that creates self-actualization, a quality that adopts and promotes self-reliance and sustainability.	Ability to influence individuals or groups to adopt entrepreneurialism.
Reliable	Quality of dependability when pursuing academic tasks where academic and professional leadership are crucial.	Character of moral awareness that ensures honesty and accountability in times of challenge and controversy.	Ability to promote professionalism and transparency.
Visionary	Ability to 'look through' prevailing and expected challenges and offer predictable resolutions for preparedness and mitigation.	Ability to establish goals and progress towards the fulfilment of any worthy ideal.	Foster an attitude of strategic reasoning and approach in planning for immediate or long-term goals.

 

This information is readily available on the university website enabling potential employers of their graduates to know the generic capabilities of their graduates.

Concluding thoughts

Neoliberal forces in the higher education sector require graduates to possess the skills, knowledge and values necessary to enable them to navigate and positively contribute to today’s knowledge economy. In many university communities, assessment and learning outcomes of courses (across disciplines) are aligned to graduate attributes. Perhaps, a good question for industry stakeholders to ask is whether universities can achieve these attributes? How can the achievement of these attributes be measured?

This then brings out the real objective for those career fairs hosted by universities. 

Career fairs are not only intended to fascinate potential students on “what you can be when you grow up (if you study with us)?” Career fairs in this digitized global village should have academics sharing the learning journeys of capstone (core) courses in a specific discipline via short videos, tiktoks etc. They should be relating the learning outcomes therein to graduate attributes. This effort will also educate potential employers on the specific and generic abilities of graduates, thus increasing graduate marketability. A career fair should be a venue (could be a digitized venue) where higher education institutions should focus on bringing in new students and marketing their graduates. 

Does your university display your graduate attributes (graduate profile)?

Tip. 

As a fresh graduate, some of you may be still finding your way in the job market, these attributes such as those from PNG UoT can be displayed on your curriculum vitae.

What are the graduate attributes of your university? Is your graduate profile displayed on your university website?

Speak to your head of department and encourage them to do likewise. These simple gestures will help market YOU, their graduates.

 

References

Vilapakkam Nagarajan, S., & Edwards, J. (2014). Is the graduate attributes approach sufficient to develop work ready graduates? Journal of Teaching and Learning for Graduate Employability, 5(1), 12-28.

http://doi.org/10.21153/jtlge2014vol5no1art565