Following the popularization of higher education (HE) and the resulting expansion of the consumption of tertiary-educated workforce, there is a widespread problem in the national discussion that the stockpile of degree holders surpasses the demand for graduate employment. Therefore, this has resulted in adverse outcomes and effects on the skill function, earning, and professional prospects of graduates. Thus far, studies indicate that the benefits of post-secondary instruction have climbed or remained stable in many nations, meaning that rising necessity has met university students’ graduate production expectations. In contrast, yields have declined in only a few nations, such as Hong Kong. This paper aims to discuss prior work experience as a trend in the graduate labor market. Additionally, the essay analyzes some of the competencies required in the architecture industry for prospective architects.
Prior Work Experience
Due to their high efficiency and reduced training costs, experienced employees are in high necessity in the employment market. Thus, this increased demand for skilled employees prompts higher education institutions, such as colleges, to incorporate the professional experience into their courses, including mandated apprenticeships (Oswald-Egg & Renold, 2021). Before graduation and entry into the labor market, this job experience provides graduates with formal qualifications. According to the Graduate Labor Market Statistics (GLMS), which provides information on the employment workforce for graduate students, productivity for working-age graduates, defined as those aged 16 to 64, was 86.4% in 2020, down 1.1% from 2019 (87.5%) (Oswald-Egg & Renold, 2021). Moreover, 66% of working-age graduates had highly skilled jobs, compared to 78.4% of postgraduates and 24.5% of non-graduates (Oswald-Egg & Renold, 2021). Nevertheless, various empirical research that compensates for self-selection into workforce experience possibilities before graduation from university education reveals inconsistent findings of postgraduate labor market results.
Traditionally, these studies examine the consequences of having an apprenticeship, student employment, or both during college. While students who get work experience before school avoid these disadvantages, they incur the disadvantage of postponed completion. Oswald-Egg and Renold (2021) investigated the impact of Vocational Educational Training (VET) job experience on post-secondary employability. They discovered that a year after completion, higher education (HE) participants with VET professional experience earned markedly increased pay of 7% to 19% and had much less time to obtain their first job, roughly two months (Oswald-Egg & Renold, 2021). Nonetheless, research regarding the effect of pre-college work experience on post-college employment outcomes is scant.
Skills Required in the Architecture Industry
Design Skills
As vital as safety and functionality are, there is also the issue of aesthetics, which is frequently a critical determinant in architectural design. Individuals interested in working in this field should be cognizant of architectural history as an art and the numerous artistic motions within the field (Ullrich et al., 2021). Furthermore, one must be in contact with one’s sense of imagination and creativity. Luckily, architectural instruction will aid in the nurturing and development of one’s aesthetic side and technical aptitude and competence. The layout should be something that individuals enjoy doing if they are to perform an excellent job on it.
Competence in Constructing Laws and Codes
Zoning regulations and construction codes determine a great deal about what can be erected, where it can be constructed, and how it can be established. In some instances, these restrictions are directly related to the architect’s function, such as the size and the number of windows that must be used in different architectural styles (Ullrich et al., 2021). Building on particular locations, such as swamps or floodplains, is prohibited in several jurisdictions. Even though some rules do not explicitly engage the designer, all of a contractor’s hard work will be for naught if the architect does not grasp how planning and construction ordinances function in the construction sector. Planning, design, construction techniques, engineering, and safety procedures are among the governing architecture.
General and Transferrable Skills
Communication Skills
Communication capabilities are related to a person’s ability to express data and thoughts clearly and succinctly, leaving no space for ambiguity. Since architects must collaborate directly with partners, designers, building employees, and, on occasion, other stakeholder groups, one must be able to communicate appropriately and effectively for their idea to be understood by whomever they are interacting with. To successfully create a design and see it through to execution, a designer must comprehend what others are saying and engage with them clearly and concisely.
Critical Thinking and Problem-Solving
Critical thinking, like analytical argumentation, is the examination and analysis of knowledge to reach a decision, draw conclusions, or determine a plan of action. It involves examining and verifying information to determine whether the material is more opinion than reality before using it to support a judgment. On the other hand, problem-solving abilities encourage individuals to recognize the presence of an issue and determine the root of the issue and devise a remedy. Employers value it when employees point out inconsistencies or obstructions in a methodology. They are, however, far more pleased when staff members additionally provide answers to those problems.
Skills Gaps
A skills gap occurs when an organization’s workforce’s knowledge base does not match the abilities required to do their tasks. My skills gaps are leadership and teamwork competence abilities. Leadership abilities include taking the initiative on a task and motivating a team to complete it and achieve common goals. The following, as discussed below, is the action plan that would enable me to meet these skill gaps to improve in addressing my abilities shortages.
Recognizing My Strengths and Limitations
This stage is critical in bridging the gap between my talents and abilities by conducting an assessment of my capabilities and limitations. Recognizing the abilities, I already possess and those I need to develop, leadership and teamwork skills, requires me to put my ego aside and be brutally honest with myself. This step would be accomplished through a brainstorming session in which I would jot down any trait that comes to mind about myself without editing or qualifying the list.
Revisiting My Present Employment Requirements
This action plan enables me to concentrate and reevaluate my perspective skills gap by closely examining my current job description. Comparing the job tasks given in my employee handbook to how I perform my everyday activities enables me to identify anomalies that suggest a skills gap. For example, this step would assist me in recognizing my shortcoming of frequently deferring assigned group responsibilities, showing a lack of confidence in my leadership abilities.
Communicating with My Supervisor
Regularly scheduled check-ins with my manager provide a list of ‘skills I should develop.’ As a result, this will be necessary by the administrator’s response. Having obtained these comments and knowledge from my boss regarding how to develop and surmount my skill deficiencies, the next step is to identify training and educational possibilities that will help me bridge these gaps.
Identifying Education and Training Opportunities
After conducting a self-assessment, consulting with my boss, and examining my job requirements and scorecards, my “skills I want to improve” list has evolved into a practical road plan for bridging my skills gap. I will determine whether my organization has a specialized institutional development and instructional department that I can investigate. Additionally, I will study other digital strategies for closing my skills gaps, such as conferences, audiobooks, academic institutions, and other distance-learning alternatives.
How to Meet an Organization’s Key Requirements Using CARL Model
Team Working
The context (C) in the CARL assessment tool in the text takes an organizational situation where a group collaborates to reach a common goal or end; collaboration skills are required of the individuals collaborating. It is prudent that the team leader and the individuals forming those cohorts assign roles to accomplish each undertaken task. Giving responsibilities by the leader forms action (A) in the selling tool CARL. Promoting practical cooperation among a team has a favorable influence on the effectiveness, production output, inventiveness, development, and job happiness, all of which impact the organization and form the results (R) in the CARL selling model. The learning (L) in the CARL framework obtained from having diversification in a cohort group is that a varied group of individuals are more likely to produce diverse suggestions and views to the discussion.
Communication Skills
It is possible in an organization that a context (C) will arise in which the CEO is conveying information to the junior staff about the company’s everyday business activities. In an enterprise, action (A) can be accomplished through active listening, which is paying considerable interest to what the other individual is saying, requesting clarifying issues, and reiterating what the other speaker means to assure comprehension. Maintaining self-assurance in a person’s relationships with others is critical. The result (R) occurs when there is an increment in the individual conversation by beginning any dialogue without an unbiased view and adapting to the situation. The learning (L) is that people will be capable of having more genuine and constructive interactions if they are willing to engage in discourse with others, especially those with whom they differ.
Leadership
A leadership context (C) in an institutional setting occurs where an individual’s leadership skills are tested to manage the firm’s daily operations. The majority of supervisors will only offer staff projects that they are confident they can complete. Due to this, managers’ action (A) is to commit to taking on more duties while continuing to perform above in their current role. Moreover, the best business executives are also concerned about possible prospects and use them in the best interests of their organizations and their people. The result (R) is that effective listening encourages management to make eye contact with their audiences, minimize downtime, and respond acceptably to the situation. Learning (L) occurs due to the rapid changes in the world leaders continuously learn and push themselves. Thus, studying other professionals and their characteristics, behaviors, and how they interact helps them improve their leadership potential.
Problem-Solving
An institutional context (C) occurs where individuals’ problem-solving capabilities are checked on how they solve and manage organizational conflict. The ability to comprehend what one is trying to solve is critical when dealing with any problem, whether it is a sophisticated or relatively basic one. The action (A) towards improving one’s problem-solving abilities is by demanding imagination and research. They come up with a few ideal answers and some alternate solutions if their first set of solutions does not work out. The result (R) shows that when dealing with conflicts, it is common to design mitigation strategies to keep the situation from worsening. Leaders and workers learn (L) that it is necessary to take in a wide range of information and opinions and thoroughly assess them when it comes to problem-solving. It is critical that all parties associated with the process feel understood and appreciated.
Organizational Skills
A context (C) in an enterprise occurs when one attends a project planning meeting. Action (A) demonstrates organizational skills by taking clear notes during the meeting, saving them in a designated place where they can easily refer back to them, and making appropriate updates to a corresponding project timeline. Learning (L) was obtained by understanding that systematically recording business transactions or events is crucial, especially when working with clients, vendors, or direct reports. The result (R) is that organizational skills enable people to work harmoniously with others on their team when they have to schedule and run meetings, assign or take on new responsibilities, set expectations, or track deliverables.
Working to Deadlines
Context (C) in an organization occurs when a firm works to complete a project within a given deadline. Action (A) is deciding whether to take short-term objectives that have a limited time frame in which they must be achieved or long-term ones that require a longer time frame to complete. The result (R) is that deadlines are helpful when it comes to prioritizing work since they offer managers a roadmap of how much time they have to finish their responsibilities. The timeframe is reached, and people within an organization are relieved of any pressure. The learning (L) is that the provision of regular status updates to the firm’s upper executives or staff members is essential. It is possible to do this through the use of regularly planned meetings.
References
Hale, C. C., Nanni, A., & Hooper, D. (2018). Conversation analysis in language teacher education: An approach for reflection through action research. Hacettepe University Journal of Education, 33, 54-71.
McLaren, J. (2017). Globalization and labor market dynamics. Annual Review of Economics, 9, 177-200.
Oswald-Egg, M. E., & Renold, U. (2021). No experience, no employment: The effect of vocational education and training work experience on labor market outcomes after higher education. Economics of education review, 80, 1-33.
Ullrich, A., Bertheau, C., Wiedmann, M., Sultanow, E., Körppen, T., & Bente, S. (2021). Roles, tasks and skills of the enterprise architect in the VUCA world. In 2021 International Enterprise Distributed Object Computing Workshop (pp. 261-270). IEEE.