Generation Ys' Employment Expectations: UK Undergraduates' Opinions on Enjoyment, Opportunity and Progression
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| Title: | Generation Ys' Employment Expectations: UK Undergraduates' Opinions on Enjoyment, Opportunity and Progression |
|---|---|
| Language: | English |
| Authors: | Maxwell, G. A., Broadbridge, A. M. |
| Source: | Studies in Higher Education. 2017 42(12):2267-2283. |
| Availability: | Routledge. Available from: Taylor & Francis, Ltd. 530 Walnut Street Suite 850, Philadelphia, PA 19106. Tel: 800-354-1420; Tel: 215-625-8900; Fax: 215-207-0050; Web site: http://www.tandf.co.uk/journals |
| Peer Reviewed: | Y |
| Page Count: | 17 |
| Publication Date: | 2017 |
| Document Type: | Journal Articles Reports - Research |
| Education Level: | Higher Education |
| Descriptors: | Age Groups, Undergraduate Students, Student Attitudes, Expectation, Employment Potential, Foreign Countries, Focus Groups, Work Ethic, Job Skills, Skill Development, Labor Market, Qualitative Research, Business Administration Education, Work Attitudes, Employment Opportunities, Career Development |
| Geographic Terms: | United Kingdom |
| DOI: | 10.1080/03075079.2016.1141403 |
| ISSN: | 0307-5079 |
| Abstract: | Generation Y can be taken to be the group of people born between 1977 and 2000. The aim of this paper is to investigate the initial career entry and long-term career employment expectations of UK undergraduate Generation Ys, in order to inform employability skills development in higher education. The empirical research comprises 26 focus groups with 172 undergraduates of this generation in 2 universities in the UK. The focus group participants are found predominantly to have high expectations of their employment in enjoyment, opportunity and progression. Overall, the respondents appear enthusiastic and optimistic, with a positive work ethic and healthy mindset. Fundamentally, recognising and appreciating undergraduate Generation Ys' opinions on their employment expectations enables development of their employability skills while they are in university. The paper sets out implications for higher educational stakeholders including students, graduates and employers on the development of employability skills. |
| Abstractor: | As Provided |
| Number of References: | 86 |
| Entry Date: | 2017 |
| Accession Number: | EJ1160288 |
| Database: | ERIC |
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| FullText | Links: – Type: pdflink Url: https://content.ebscohost.com/cds/retrieve?content=AQICAHj0k_4E0hTGH8RJwT4gCJyBsGNe_WN95AvKlDbXJGqwxwGRUTvdP1jb7mCuN_EmNI3RAAAA4zCB4AYJKoZIhvcNAQcGoIHSMIHPAgEAMIHJBgkqhkiG9w0BBwEwHgYJYIZIAWUDBAEuMBEEDEJeamN9SuLmL1yv5AIBEICBm-1J9nwirHtsUsSLXMl_K0EE46CntsXFxchUWFu9ZhWNQMRWM5tbg4qnxXa0EkuPxhdeQYDnU5A8ie7WMRN_jA5cfTs_oHcnQZMXsZ40Br3IcQfVlCFdGg7PrQNqMxeo3zs3mcg9zbRtQ9iE5B2hNKXr8_6awN5sIlunXqtiH4lUQWIe5gfrqGgI9A_v8ODztKDb9aUqefi4RSy4 Text: Availability: 1 Value: <anid>AN0126098482;she01dec.17;2019Mar19.12:42;v2.2.500</anid> <title id="AN0126098482-1">Generation Ys’ employment expectations: UK undergraduates’ opinions on enjoyment, opportunity and progression. </title> <p>Generation Y can be taken to be the group of people born between 1977 and 2000. The aim of this paper is to investigate the initial career entry and long-term career employment expectations of UK undergraduate Generation Ys, in order to inform employability skills development in higher education. The empirical research comprises 26 focus groups with 172 undergraduates of this generation in 2 universities in the UK. The focus group participants are found predominantly to have high expectations of their employment in enjoyment, opportunity and progression. Overall, the respondents appear enthusiastic and optimistic, with a positive work ethic and healthy mindset. Fundamentally, recognising and appreciating undergraduate Generation Ys' opinions on their employment expectations enables development of their employability skills while they are in university. The paper sets out implications for higher educational stakeholders including students, graduates and employers on the development of employability skills.</p> <p>Keywords: Generation Y; undergraduates; employment expectations; employability</p> <hd id="AN0126098482-2">Introduction</hd> <p>Giving generations names is an established practice and the coining of the term Generation Y is part of this (Coe [<reflink idref="bib19" id="ref1">19</reflink>]), not least due to the need to identify particular markets in what is contemporarily called multi-generational marketing (Williams and Page [<reflink idref="bib5" id="ref2">5</reflink>]). Generation Y, simply, follows Generation X chronologically and alphabetically and is now a very widely used term in business and academia (Coe [<reflink idref="bib19" id="ref3">19</reflink>]). The <emph>Financial Times</emph> (<ulink href="http://www.ft.com/lexicon,accessed4/11/15">www.ft.com/lexicon,accessed4/11/15</ulink>), a quality UK business newspaper, defines this generation, globally, as those people 'broadly in the demographic cohort born between 1975 and 1995'. In this article, Generation Y refers specifically to those born in the period 1977–2000, as this is the period specified in previous work by the authors (e.g. Broadbridge, Maxwell, and Ogden [<reflink idref="bib11" id="ref4">11</reflink>], [<reflink idref="bib12" id="ref5">12</reflink>]; Maxwell and Broadbridge [<reflink idref="bib51" id="ref6">51</reflink>]), while in keeping with the general time frame of this contemporary age group.</p> <p>Generation Y has attitudes and behaviours which differ from earlier generations and which can be challenging to those not from this generation to understand, it has been levelled (Kilber, Barclay, and Ohmer [<reflink idref="bib44" id="ref7">44</reflink>]). Resultantly, a steadily expanding body of academic research has concentrated on the characteristics of this generation (sometimes also dubbed Millennials) (e.g. Andert [<reflink idref="bib5" id="ref8">5</reflink>]; Boyd [<reflink idref="bib9" id="ref9">9</reflink>]; Broadbridge, Maxwell, and Ogden [<reflink idref="bib11" id="ref10">11</reflink>]; De Hauw and De Vos [<reflink idref="bib22" id="ref11">22</reflink>]; Ng, Schweitzer, and Lyons [<reflink idref="bib63" id="ref12">63</reflink>]; Mello [<reflink idref="bib53" id="ref13">53</reflink>]; Meriac, Woehr, and Banister [<reflink idref="bib54" id="ref14">54</reflink>]; Terjesen, Vinnicombe, and Freeman [<reflink idref="bib75" id="ref15">75</reflink>]). At the same time, there has been controversy over the suitability of the term Generation Y and its evidence base (Murray, Toulson, and Legg [<reflink idref="bib60" id="ref16">60</reflink>]; Parry and Urwin [<reflink idref="bib66" id="ref17">66</reflink>]; Real, Mitnick, and Maloney [<reflink idref="bib70" id="ref18">70</reflink>]). The main criticism is that several generic characteristics are arguably connected with youths of previous generations and are 'age effects that are developmental in nature' rather than unique to the generation born in the period 1977–2000 (Deal, Altman, and Rogelberg [<reflink idref="bib23" id="ref19">23</reflink>]; Parry and Urwin [<reflink idref="bib66" id="ref20">66</reflink>], 80).</p> <p>Nevertheless, some distinctive views and traits that are particularly associated with this generation have also been identified leading some to argue they have broader and different perspectives on the workplace (Hershatter and Epstein [<reflink idref="bib35" id="ref21">35</reflink>]; Kowske, Rasch, and Wiley [<reflink idref="bib46" id="ref22">46</reflink>]; Myers and Sadaghiani [<reflink idref="bib61" id="ref23">61</reflink>]; Twenge [<reflink idref="bib80" id="ref24">80</reflink>]). Many of these traits are likely to be responses to the specific environment in which they have been raised (Twenge and Campbell [<reflink idref="bib81" id="ref25">81</reflink>]). In particular, the higher incidence of dual earner or single-parent households and rapid technological innovation are key influences on Generation Ys in mature economies and are evidenced in their concern with social media, social networking and work to live attitude (Broadbridge, Maxwell, and Ogden [<reflink idref="bib11" id="ref26">11</reflink>]; Flowers, Jones, and Hogan [<reflink idref="bib29" id="ref27">29</reflink>]; Hershatter and Epstein [<reflink idref="bib35" id="ref28">35</reflink>]). In addition, national culture has been found to influence the work attitude of this generation (Yi et al<emph>.</emph>[<reflink idref="bib86" id="ref29">86</reflink>]). One of the commonalities from various research on people born in 1977–2000 period has been that they generally place high value on their work–life balance (Allen [<reflink idref="bib3" id="ref30">3</reflink>]; Broadbridge, Maxwell, and Ogden [<reflink idref="bib12" id="ref31">12</reflink>]; Eisner [<reflink idref="bib25" id="ref32">25</reflink>]; Kerslake [<reflink idref="bib42" id="ref33">42</reflink>]; Morton [<reflink idref="bib59" id="ref34">59</reflink>]). This may mean that for them work is less central to their lives than in previous generations. Reflecting this, the Institute of Leadership &amp; Management and Ashridge Business School ([<reflink idref="bib39" id="ref35">39</reflink>]) in the UK suggest that managers underestimate the importance that work-life balance holds for today's graduates. Furthermore, Kong, Wang, and Fu ([<reflink idref="bib45" id="ref36">45</reflink>]) assert that Generation Ys' career expectations affect their job satisfaction, and Jackson ([<reflink idref="bib40" id="ref37">40</reflink>]) has commented on employer beliefs about the lack of commitment from this age group of employees. Hence, it can be seen that there is a need to continue to add to understanding of what may be called the Generation Y phenomenon, not least because a notable limitation of much of the literature treats this age bracket as a homogenous group.</p> <p>Thus, investigating the employment expectations of a segment of this generation may be informative, even instructive. The aim of this paper is to investigate the initial career entry and long-term career employment expectations of UK undergraduate Generation Ys, in order to inform employability skills development in higher education. The vast majority of undergraduate students in the UK are Generation Ys and employability considerations have become an important pre-occupation in higher education (Jackson [<reflink idref="bib41" id="ref38">41</reflink>]; Trede and Mcewen [<reflink idref="bib79" id="ref39">79</reflink>]). The UK nationwide organisation, the Higher Education Academy (HEA), in its role of enhancing the wider student learning experience, prioritises development of students' employability skills (www.heaacademy.acc.uk accessed 22/11/15; HEA [<reflink idref="bib36" id="ref40">36</reflink>]). Yet, there is scant study of employability skills from the view point of Generation Y students (Tymon [<reflink idref="bib82" id="ref41">82</reflink>]). This paper focuses on and investigates this perspective. In turn, the paper covers theoretical and empirical perspectives. Following a review of secondary sources on the UK graduate labour market, encompassing employability skills, and on expectations among Generation Y of their employment, the methodology of the empirical work is set out. Acknowledging Lyons and Kuron's ([<reflink idref="bib49" id="ref42">49</reflink>]) call for more qualitative research on this generation, the methodology is qualitative. Following explanation of the research methods, the paper moves onto the results and discussion; thereafter, the implications are set out and key points in conclusion are drawn on undergraduate generation Ys' employability skills development.</p> <hd id="AN0126098482-3">UK graduate labour market</hd> <p>Various articles focus on graduate employment, expectations and employability (Brown, Hesketh, and Williams [<reflink idref="bib14" id="ref43">14</reflink>]; Moreau and Leathwood [<reflink idref="bib56" id="ref44">56</reflink>]; Morrison [<reflink idref="bib58" id="ref45">58</reflink>]; Wilton [<reflink idref="bib83" id="ref46">83</reflink>]). Some of this has questioned the value of a degree as the number of graduates has increased (Purcell, Wilton, and Elias [<reflink idref="bib69" id="ref47">69</reflink>]; <emph>The Economist</emph>). The supply of graduates (notably in business and management) to the labour market has grown significantly (Branine [<reflink idref="bib10" id="ref48">10</reflink>]; Wilton [<reflink idref="bib85" id="ref49">85</reflink>]). However, the graduate jobs market can change quickly and recent figures show a 1.2% reduction in graduate unemployment in the UK from 2013–2014 to 7.3%, according to figures from the Higher Education Careers Service Unit (Burns [<reflink idref="bib17" id="ref50">17</reflink>]). Nevertheless, graduate employment rates are not yet at pre-recession, 2007 levels (Grove [<reflink idref="bib32" id="ref51">32</reflink>]). Indeed, it has also been highlighted that figures from the UK Office of National Statistics point to 47% of graduates employed within six months of graduation not being in jobs which need a degree (Kesvani [<reflink idref="bib43" id="ref52">43</reflink>]). Thus, the competition for graduate jobs has intensified (AGR [<reflink idref="bib1" id="ref53">1</reflink>]; Coughlan [<reflink idref="bib20" id="ref54">20</reflink>]; Garner [<reflink idref="bib30" id="ref55">30</reflink>]). Additionally, research in the UK has shown that the starting salaries of graduate jobs has decreased by 11% over five years (BBC News [<reflink idref="bib8" id="ref56">8</reflink>]). It can be seen therefore that the 2008 economic recession and subsequent period of gradual recovery, as indicated by GDP growth statistics (ONS [<reflink idref="bib65" id="ref57">65</reflink>]), have had a notable impact on the graduate labour market in the UK.</p> <p>Key changes that have occurred in the undergraduate labour market due to changes in the UK higher educational system over the past few decades are also well documented (Hakim [<reflink idref="bib33" id="ref58">33</reflink>]; Humphrey et al<emph>.</emph>[<reflink idref="bib38" id="ref59">38</reflink>]; Lucas [<reflink idref="bib48" id="ref60">48</reflink>]; Smith and Taylor [<reflink idref="bib74" id="ref61">74</reflink>]). One important change is the 1998 introduction of fees for undergraduates in the UK, except – notably – for students resident in Scotland for at least three years prior to starting university. This introduction and the subsequent 2012 increase in fees in England could have had the effect of raising expectations of undergraduates generally in the UK in their degree experience and value (Bates and Kaye [<reflink idref="bib7" id="ref62">7</reflink>]). However, the results of the UK-wide national student survey for 2015 indicate that the increased fees have not impacted on levels of student satisfaction (Times Higher Education [<reflink idref="bib78" id="ref63">78</reflink>]). Another important change is widening access, whereby higher education has moved from an elite to a mass system, the result being that the UK has the highest number of students in tertiary education within Europe (Eurostat [<reflink idref="bib27" id="ref64">27</reflink>]). This clearly has repercussions on the graduate labour market too and in turn for the nature of graduate employment. Accompanying the more traditional and modern graduate occupations now, according to Elias and Purcell ([<reflink idref="bib26" id="ref65">26</reflink>]), are newer, non-traditional graduate occupations (e.g. marketing and sales, advertising managers) and niche occupations (e.g. hospitality, leisure and retail managers, nurses, scientific technicians). There are also concerns about graduate underemployment or overqualification (Green and Zhu [<reflink idref="bib31" id="ref66">31</reflink>]), where graduates are in 'jobs that do not require as much education as they have ... .offering little chance for advancement' (Burke [<reflink idref="bib16" id="ref67">16</reflink>], 627). Underlining this position, the Chartered Institute for Personnel and Development, the UK professional body for human resource professionals, asserts that there are more graduates than high-skilled jobs in the UK, so too many graduates enter non-graduate jobs (www.cipdupdate, accessed 17/11/15). At the same time, individuals are increasingly expected to take responsibility for their own employability by paying closer attention to their personal skills and self-promotion (Brown and Hesketh [<reflink idref="bib13" id="ref68">13</reflink>]). Also, university rankings are becoming more important (Daraio, Bonaccorsi, and Simar [<reflink idref="bib21" id="ref69">21</reflink>]) and may include employability measures (Baruch and Lavi-Steiner [<reflink idref="bib6" id="ref70">6</reflink>]). While graduate supply might currently exceed demand, to attract and retain the best graduates means that employers and universities alike arguably need to understand undergraduates' expectations of employment after graduation. This is so at a time when career development in the twenty-first century may be more 'complex and uncertain' than ever before (Pryor and Bright [<reflink idref="bib68" id="ref71">68</reflink>], 1) and careers tend to be not only more self-directed (Lyons, Schweitzer, and Ng [<reflink idref="bib50" id="ref72">50</reflink>]) but also more employability focused (Moreau and Leathwood [<reflink idref="bib56" id="ref73">56</reflink>]).</p> <p>Given that the age range of Generation Y comprises the majority of the undergraduate population in the UK, we embrace this term in this paper. We note Lyons and Kuron's ([<reflink idref="bib49" id="ref74">49</reflink>], 139) point that there is sufficient 'proof of concept' that this generation is an important workplace entity. Indeed, there is expanding evidence across the world that this is so (Ng, Lyons, and Schweitzer [<reflink idref="bib62" id="ref75">62</reflink>]). However, it is recognised that some researchers (e.g. Murray, Toulson, and Legg [<reflink idref="bib60" id="ref76">60</reflink>]) demur on the significance of this age group as constituting a different generation from the previous one. Irrespective of whether individuals accept or reject the term and entity of Generation Y, it is nonetheless arguably important to research this swelling proportion of the working population of the UK who are increasingly being recognised as 'high contributors to the economy' (Poornima [<reflink idref="bib67" id="ref77">67</reflink>], 26). Within this generational cohort, the paper focuses on Nicholson and Arnold's ([<reflink idref="bib64" id="ref78">64</reflink>]) first stage of career transition for graduates, namely anticipation, at a time of economic restraint and employer demand for employability skills in the UK graduate labour market as noted above.</p> <hd id="AN0126098482-4">Generation Y expectations of employment</hd> <p>Somewhat controversially, McDonald ([<reflink idref="bib52" id="ref79">52</reflink>]) claims that Generation Y tend to have unrealistic expectations about work. Others have claimed that Generation Y see work as less central to their lives, as indicated earlier, and therefore have a weaker work ethic and are less motivated by a career (Myers and Sadaghiani [<reflink idref="bib61" id="ref80">61</reflink>]; Twenge [<reflink idref="bib80" id="ref81">80</reflink>]). These claims are countered by other research that finds that Generation Y do indeed have clear and varied employment expectations, some of which have gendered nuances such as: more women continuing their student job after graduation and being more accepting of taking a non-graduate level job (Maxwell and Broadbridge [<reflink idref="bib51" id="ref82">51</reflink>]). This is in keeping with Hakim's ([<reflink idref="bib34" id="ref83">34</reflink>]) position that men and women may have different aspirations and priorities in their careers.</p> <p>Broadbridge, Maxwell, and Ogden ([<reflink idref="bib11" id="ref84">11</reflink>]) delineate Generation Y characteristics in terms of their employment expectations in relation to four categories: employment terms and conditions; management approach and culture; personal career development; and personal values. Examples of each category, according to the same authors, are as follows. Factors important to Generation Y included under employment terms and conditions are training and development opportunities and being fast tracked, performance-related salaries and employment flexibility. Under management approach and culture, empowerment, freedom and flexibility at work are included as is thriving on change and uncertainty. Regarding their personal career development, success and security are noted as important characteristics. Being achievement-oriented, craving opportunities and responsibility, plus having an interest in self-development and improvement are other important personal career development features. Generation Y personal values indicate wanting to enjoy their work along with an appropriate work–life balance, so money alone is not most important. While various characteristics found by Broadbridge, Maxwell, and Ogden ([<reflink idref="bib11" id="ref85">11</reflink>]) could be applicable to all youths of any generation, several of these characteristics may be more dominant in this particular generation. These findings concur with those of Brown and Hesketh ([<reflink idref="bib13" id="ref86">13</reflink>]) who found that most graduates' expectations are for personal achievement and career development. In their work, graduates wanted new learning opportunities and scope for responsibility, which seem to be in line with the basic tenets of protean, self-managed careers. Money, while found to be important, was not the overriding consideration for the graduates (Brown and Hesketh [<reflink idref="bib13" id="ref87">13</reflink>]), resonating with Scholfied and Honore's ([<reflink idref="bib73" id="ref88">73</reflink>]) finding on the importance of enjoyment above financial reward for Generation Ys. More recently, Tews et al.'s ([<reflink idref="bib76" id="ref89">76</reflink>]) research finds that fun job responsibilities are most important to Generation Ys, more so than having career opportunities and receiving praise and rewards.</p> <p>Furthermore, De Hauw and De Vos ([<reflink idref="bib22" id="ref90">22</reflink>], 293) argue that personal career development is of primary importance to Generation Ys in their finding that Generation Ys tend to have 'high expectations of job content, training, career development, and financial rewards ... suggesting these expectations are largely embedded within the generation'. Similarly, Ng, Schweitzer, and Lyons ([<reflink idref="bib63" id="ref91">63</reflink>], 281) find that this generation can 'have realistic expectations of their first job and salary but seek rapid development and the development of new skills, while also ensuring a meaningful and satisfying life outside of work' (Ng, Schweitzer, and Lyons [<reflink idref="bib63" id="ref92">63</reflink>], 281). Moreover, Richardson's ([<reflink idref="bib71" id="ref93">71</reflink>]) study of Generation Y students in Australia underlines the centrality of career preoccupations in promotion opportunities and career paths, as well as concerns with pay and conditions. Related to their apparent preoccupation with their personal career development is this age group's inclination towards placing expectations on organisations to accommodate this (Hershatter and Epstein [<reflink idref="bib35" id="ref94">35</reflink>]). This pronounced characteristic is behind Hershatter and Epstein's ([<reflink idref="bib35" id="ref95">35</reflink>], 211) contention that it is one of 'two compelling factors that differentiate Millennial [Generation Y] behaviours in the workplace', while Alexander and Sysko ([<reflink idref="bib2" id="ref96">2</reflink>], 16) discuss 'the entitlement mentality' among Generation Y in the USA. Other conspicuous mindset characteristics, according to Flowers, Jones, and Hogan ([<reflink idref="bib29" id="ref97">29</reflink>], 1), are 'demands for instant gratification and a high feeling of importance'. Yet another characteristic may be the self-centredness of this generation (Maxwell and Broadbridge [<reflink idref="bib51" id="ref98">51</reflink>]). Hence, it is apparent that despite the prevalence of economic recessionary effects at present, Generation Y tends to have high expectations of and in their employment, yet a work–life balance too. For Generation Y undergraduates in the UK who are paying their own tuition fees (Bates and Kaye [<reflink idref="bib7" id="ref99">7</reflink>]), as noted earlier in the article, such high expectations are arguably understandable to some extent. It may therefore be a limitation of much of the research to date on Generation Y that it does not segment the entirety of this generational entity, rather than treating it as a homogenous whole.</p> <p>Consequently, it can be seen that there is at present in the UK an apparent contradiction, at least theoretically, between exigent challenges in the graduate labour market, on the one hand, and the high expectations among Generation Y, on the other. This stimulated our investigation into the employment expectations of undergraduate, Generation Y students, a segment of Generation Ys as a whole. Thus, the aim of our empirical work is to investigate the initial career entry and long-term career employment expectations of UK undergraduate Generation Ys, in order to inform employability skills development in higher education.</p> <hd id="AN0126098482-5">Method</hd> <p></p> <hd id="AN0126098482-6">Procedure</hd> <p>In order to investigate the initial career entry and long-term career employment expectations of UK undergraduate Generation Ys, an interpretive and qualitative research design was deemed most appropriate for our research design, reflecting Lyons and Kuron's ([<reflink idref="bib49" id="ref100">49</reflink>]) call for more qualitative research on this generation. Focus groups were selected so as to achieve in-depth opinions through interaction and discussion between group members (Morgan [<reflink idref="bib57" id="ref101">57</reflink>]). The main advantage of a focus group, particularly if well executed, is that it can reveal how much consensus, if any, is present in a group, allowing any commonalities shared by undergraduates about their future employment to emerge. Careful facilitation is necessary to ensure that the results from a focus group are not skewed by extreme views (Krueger and Casey [<reflink idref="bib47" id="ref102">47</reflink>]). Therefore, a focus group protocol was devised and used, after piloting, to ensure that the facilitators of each of the focus groups followed a procedure that encouraged consistent coverage of the empirical questions. Ethical considerations were also built into the design of the focus group protocol to ensure due consideration of voluntary participation, informed consent, assessment of risk of harm and anonymity of contributions. Verbatim and written notes were made during each focus group, supporting the subsequent content analysis. Both of the authors periodically reviewed each other facilitator's notes and commentaries, so as to provide a degree of triangulation.</p> <p>In the first few focus groups, we divided the groups so as to ascertain whether single sexed gender groups differed from mixed groups and from each other, sensitive to the possibility that they may be gendered tendencies in the responses (Hakim [<reflink idref="bib34" id="ref103">34</reflink>]; Maxwell and Broadbridge [<reflink idref="bib51" id="ref104">51</reflink>]). This, however, was not apparent from our early analysis of the data generated and hence was discontinued. The focus group participants were asked to express their opinion in response to each open question, then come to a consensus, if possible, on the group's collective opinion on the question. Thus intra-group interaction and discussion yielded a considered and generalised, summary response to each main question posed to each focus group. This technique allows an initial reduction of the data to 'manageable proportions', supporting exposure of 'key themes' which is in keeping with content analysis prevalent in human resource management research (Anderson [<reflink idref="bib4" id="ref105">4</reflink>], 169). Thereafter, the main commonalities – or themes as we call them in this paper – inherent in the findings were identified by counting the most frequently used terms and expressions in the resultant data set. Easterby-Smith, Thorpe, and Lowe ([<reflink idref="bib59" id="ref106">59</reflink>], 117) dub this approach 'going by numbers', as a valid and reliable way of identifying the inherent themes within the qualitative empirical data.</p> <hd id="AN0126098482-7">Participants and schedule</hd> <p>The population for study was British Generation Y, business and management undergraduate students at two UK universities, acknowledging that national culture can influence this generation's attitudes (Yi et al<emph>.</emph>[<reflink idref="bib86" id="ref107">86</reflink>]). The sampling was non-probability and purposive (Saunders, Lewis, and Thornhill [<reflink idref="bib72" id="ref108">72</reflink>]). The study reported in this paper analyses the views expressed across a total of 26 focus groups, with a total of 172, self-selected Generation Y undergraduate business and management students. Students in their final year of study were purposively sampled in academic sessions 2010–2011 (13 focus groups, 105 students) and 2014–2015 (13 focus groups, 67 students), on the basis that they were more likely to have begun the process of considering and preparing for their employment after graduation. Such longitudinal rather than cross-sectional in time research arguably supports identification of enduring dimensions of Generation Ys. All of the focus groups comprised student participants in the Generation Y age range, with the vast majority being 21–23 years old; the mean age was 22. Around 30% of the participants were male, reflecting the overall composition of students on the business and management degree programmes. Each focus group lasted 45 minutes to 1 hour. In the review of all the focus group data yielded, the very high degree of consensus within and across the focus groups was notable.</p> <p>The focus group schedule comprised seven elemental questions on the focus group participants' initial and long-term career expectations. The initial questions were: <emph>How do you expect a</emph> 'graduate career' <emph>to be different from a</emph> 'non-graduate career'<emph>?</emph> and <emph>How important to you do you envision your career to be in your life</emph> (<emph>1</emph>) <emph>in your first job after graduating and</emph> (<emph>2</emph>) <emph>in your long-term career employment?</emph> Next, two questions on initial career entry expectations were raised: <emph>What expectations do you have for your</emph> 'first destination' <emph>job after you graduate? What factors have influenced these expectations?</emph> Lastly, two questions centred on long-term career expectations: <emph>What do you expect in your career in the long term? What factors do you feel will impact most on your career?</emph> The findings on these questions are set out next in the results and discussion section.</p> <hd id="AN0126098482-8">Results and discussion</hd> <p>In general, the focus group responses on their employment expectations can be classified into three themes. These themes are dominant, in that nearly all of the focus groups had consensus on these, namely: enjoyment, opportunity and progression. Hence, they are used in turn to structure the findings in both initial career entry and long-term career employment expectations. A narrative approach to the findings is adopted using direct quotations of the participants and summarisation of the discussions. Illustrative and indicative verbatim quotations are anonymous though they are labelled by the academic session of their data capture and by focus group number to add some texture and range to the findings. The quotations are selected from the student feedback from across the two academic sessions of data collection. Where opinions are given in the first person, this is a view the others in the focus group agreed with.</p> <hd id="AN0126098482-9">Enjoyment</hd> <p>An overriding expectation among the focus group participants is to enjoy their employment. This corresponds with previous research which finds that Generation Ys tend to want to enjoy their jobs (Broadbridge, Maxwell, and Ogden [<reflink idref="bib11" id="ref109">11</reflink>]; McDonald [<reflink idref="bib52" id="ref110">52</reflink>]; Mills [<reflink idref="bib55" id="ref111">55</reflink>]). However, it may not go so far as to underline the primacy of having fun responsibilities, as found in Tews et al<emph>.</emph>'s ([<reflink idref="bib76" id="ref112">76</reflink>]) research. Enjoyment is a recurring theme across the researched academic sessions, in their expectations both in initial career entry and in long-term career employment expectations. For example, in initial career entry, the following quotations indicate the importance of enjoyment above financial reward, contrary to the finding of Scholfied and Honore ([<reflink idref="bib73" id="ref113">73</reflink>]) on this.</p> <p>I just want a job that I actually enjoy ... too many folk waste too much time in their life hating their job ... it's not about money, it's about doing something you enjoy and making a difference ... you would work for peanuts as long as you were enjoying it ... money's a bonus (academic session 2010–2011 student; focus group 2).</p> <p>It [my first job destination after graduation] should be more than just a job. It should be something that you are proud of and satisfied doing (2010–2011; group 9).</p> <p>[We're] looking for enjoyment, a career to grow with you in your life (2014–15; group 17).</p> <p>After the hard work at uni., you want to able to enjoy using the skills (2014–2015; group 18).</p> <p>Furthermore, in relation to long-term career expectations, the following quotations also reflect enjoyment, also above financial reward.</p> <p>It's [my long term career expectation] something you want to do, maybe a vocation. You're going to work for the next 40 years so you should do something you enjoy (2010–2011; group 4).</p> <p>A career to me is something I would have to love ... if I had choice between getting paid a lot and not enjoying it or getting paid less and enjoying it, I would choose getting less ... don't see the point of doing something you don't enjoy (2010–2011; group 8).</p> <p>Not just a job but something you want to do long term and are passionate about (2014–2015; group 21).</p> <p>[Over the long term] a career is important for satisfaction and achieving personal goals (2014–2015; group 25).</p> <p>These quotations, for example, indicate that employment enjoyment is a priority among the focus group students of both academic sessions. Moreover, the quotations suggest enthusiasm, not reluctance, in relation to work and being career motivated, in sharp contrast to criticisms of Generation Y tendencies in these regards (Twenge [<reflink idref="bib80" id="ref114">80</reflink>]). However, at the same time, the opinions expressed on enjoyment can be seen to centre wholly on the students themselves. They do not, for example, include an employer perspective. This possibly reflects a Generation Y tendency towards self-centredness (Maxwell and Broadbridge [<reflink idref="bib51" id="ref115">51</reflink>]). Nevertheless, the respondents seem to have some realistic opinions on their prospects of securing graduate-level employment (Branine [<reflink idref="bib10" id="ref116">10</reflink>]; Wilton [<reflink idref="bib85" id="ref117">85</reflink>]), as can be seen regarding opinions of employment opportunities too.</p> <hd id="AN0126098482-10">Opportunities</hd> <p>There seems to be a keen awareness of, and concern over, the prevalent economic conditions affecting graduates' employment opportunities (Grove [<reflink idref="bib32" id="ref118">32</reflink>]), among the 2010–2011 cohort respondents, at least in their securing their first graduate-level job. This is the finding that differs in the two academic sessions of the empirical study. The following quotations on opinions on a lack of ready opportunities in initial career entry indicate the session 2010–2011 concerns.</p> <p>Getting in [to a graduate job] is the hardest part (2010–2011; group 10).</p> <p>I think it is really difficult now because there are so many students whereas before you would get a graduate job ... there are so many people and small amount of jobs ... a lot of graduates will do jobs that they could have done before without a degree (2010–2011; group 1).</p> <p>There's so much competition out there ... you are not just facing people from your country but from all over the world, so you have to find a way of standing out from crowd (2010–2011; group 7).</p> <p>Undercurrents in the academic session 2010–2011 quotations above are graduate underemployment (Green and Zhu [<reflink idref="bib31" id="ref119">31</reflink>]) and student awareness of employability skills as a possible differentiator (Moreau and Leathwood [<reflink idref="bib56" id="ref120">56</reflink>]). However, at the same time, these focus group students apparently have expectations of opportunities being available to them when they are in employment, as can be seen in the following illustrative quotations as regards initial career entry employment.</p> <p>It's [career entry job] about opportunity not just about money, it's also about meeting other people and developing other skills for life (2010–2011; group 2).</p> <p>Getting [chances for] exposure to different experiences – having certain responsibilities (2010–2011; group 11).</p> <p>For the academic session 2014–2015 respondents, the concern over economic conditions is apparently notably less as this was not explicitly expressed in their responses nearly as often. Rather, the theme of opportunities is strong in their responses, as the examples below illustrate.</p> <p>The career entry job is a 'stepping stone' to your career, to gain experience before progressing to another job, [having] training and development opportunities (2014–2015; group 14).</p> <p>[We expect] to start a job which gives us experience in a new field and allow us opportunities to develop our skills and knowledge (2014–2015; group 20).</p> <p>Similarly, an expectation of opportunities in long-term careers comes across. Again, some illustrative quotations are indicative of this.</p> <p>Being in a career means more possibilities and opportunities and more job security (2010–2011; group 5).</p> <p>I expect constant opportunities for learning and building yourself up (2010–2011; group 9).</p> <p>A successful career is a job with the opportunity to grow (2014–2015; group 15).</p> <p>Ideally a career ... presents opportunities and challenges (2014–2015; group 26).</p> <p>Our empirical work thus finds that having career opportunities is important to the Generation Y focus group participants in sessions 2010–2011 and 2014–2015 alike, as previous research has suggested (Broadbridge, Maxwell, and Ogden [<reflink idref="bib11" id="ref121">11</reflink>]; Tews et al. [<reflink idref="bib76" id="ref122">76</reflink>]). This finding also chimes with De Hauw and De Vos ([<reflink idref="bib22" id="ref123">22</reflink>], 293) argument that personal career development is a 'high expectation' among Generation Ys; however, it is also discordant with their finding that Generation Ys tend to have 'high expectations of job content, training ... and financial rewards' as well. Furthermore, no overt evidence is found that the focus group respondents opine that they are entitled to opportunities in contrast to earlier research findings (Alexander and Sysko's [<reflink idref="bib2" id="ref124">2</reflink>]). However, it is notable that there does seem to be an expectation of opportunities being offered rather than sought. The distinction between the two academic cohorts on level of concern about the economic conditions is also notable, possibly reflecting improvement in economic conditions since the 2008 recession and in graduate employment (Burns [<reflink idref="bib17" id="ref125">17</reflink>]). The suggestion is that the respondents here are attuned to prevailing economic conditions and, possibly, the uncertain graduate labour market which is not as favourable as it was before 2007 (Grove [<reflink idref="bib32" id="ref126">32</reflink>]). Nonetheless, they apparently exhibit a self-centredness (Maxwell and Broadbridge [<reflink idref="bib51" id="ref127">51</reflink>]) in their desire for opportunities in their employment in order to progress in their careers.</p> <hd id="AN0126098482-11">Progression</hd> <p>Previous research links promotion opportunities and career paths for Generation Y (Richardson [<reflink idref="bib71" id="ref128">71</reflink>]), while the importance of career development for graduates has been noted (Brown and Hesketh [<reflink idref="bib13" id="ref129">13</reflink>]). Notably, most focus group participants described their expectations for a career in active and recurring terms, using adjectives such as 'building', 'developing', 'achieving' and, most frequently, 'progressing' their careers in their search for 'challenging' and 'responsible work'. For example, their expectations may initially centre on a structured progression.</p> <p>When you are striving to get somewhere, you've got direction, career goals and paths for progressing. (2010–2011; group 12)</p> <p>A job you can always progress in, not a job where you are at the same level – career prospects – always developing your career, moving up the ladder, learning new skills, changing job roles. (2010–2011; group 3)</p> <p>[Our expectations are for] an enjoyable job, with room for progression professionally and academically. (2014–2015; group 19)</p> <p>[A graduate career] is structured, [has] faster progression with huge emphasis on training and development. (2014–2015; group 22)</p> <p>In the long term, expectations of progression are still apparent, as encapsulated in the comments below on successful careers. However, they appear to reflect neither entitlement (Alexander and Sysko [<reflink idref="bib2" id="ref130">2</reflink>]) nor self-importance (Flowers, Jones, and Hogan [<reflink idref="bib29" id="ref131">29</reflink>]).</p> <p>Getting somewhere in life, like getting to a higher stage, evolving. (2010–2011; group 3)</p> <p>Long term career success is a secure job you enjoy and are treated equally in, with opportunity to progress. (2014–2015; group 14)</p> <p>However, while there is a widespread expectation among the focus group participants that they will progress in their employment, factored into this are opinions on work–life balance, as in previous research (Allen [<reflink idref="bib3" id="ref132">3</reflink>]; Broadbridge, Maxwell, and Ogden [<reflink idref="bib12" id="ref133">12</reflink>]; Eisner [<reflink idref="bib25" id="ref134">25</reflink>]; Kerslake [<reflink idref="bib42" id="ref135">42</reflink>]; Morton [<reflink idref="bib59" id="ref136">59</reflink>]). The following quotations illustrate this.</p> <p>I hope that I'm going to have a good work-life balance. I think it is very important to manage work and private life. (2010–-2011; group 13)</p> <p>That's my main focus, to have a good work-life balance more so than achieving a certain status in my career ... I want enjoyment, sense of fulfilment. I want to look forward going to work. (2010–2011; group 4)</p> <p>[It's important] to have good relationships with management, flexible working hours to suit family life, possible relocation, development opportunities. (2014–2015; group 16)</p> <p>Ideally a well paid job with a respected position within a company and job security. Also an enjoyable career with a good work-life balance and friendly, open work environment. (2014–2015; group 24)</p> <p>Across both academic sessions, most respondent students appear to be adopting a protean, self-managed attitude towards their career progression, despite the complexity and uncertainty that are hallmarks of contemporary career development (Pryor and Bright [<reflink idref="bib68" id="ref137">68</reflink>]). They are apparently self-motivated to progress in their career and get a lot out of their employment, again including enjoyment. Their career is, in short, regarded as an integral part of their lives, underlining the primacy and priority of personal career development to Generation Ys (De Hauw and De Vos [<reflink idref="bib22" id="ref138">22</reflink>]; Hershatter and Epstein [<reflink idref="bib35" id="ref139">35</reflink>]; Ng, Schweitzer, and Lyons [<reflink idref="bib63" id="ref140">63</reflink>]; Richardson [<reflink idref="bib71" id="ref141">71</reflink>]). Perhaps this is unsurprising, as undergraduates may be a specific group who are seeking career progression. At the same time, the focus group respondents are clear that a good work–life balance is an important aspect to them, which should not be underestimated by their managers according to the Institute of Leadership &amp; Management and Ashridge Business School ([<reflink idref="bib39" id="ref142">39</reflink>]). Again, the possibility of self-centredness (Maxwell and Broadbridge [<reflink idref="bib51" id="ref143">51</reflink>]) arises in the comments expressed by the focus group informants.</p> <hd id="AN0126098482-12">Implications</hd> <p>In terms of informing the employability skills development of this group of UK Generation Ys while they are in higher education, we note three implications for key stakeholders. Firstly, employability should remain a strategic priority for the organisation in the UK, the HEA, which seeks to enhance the student learning experience in the higher education sector. Accordingly, this organisation should take account of the outlook and opinions of undergraduate Generation Ys by explicitly incorporating these into their toolkit for embedding employability in the higher education sector, not only in the UK but also in their aspiration for global recognition. This is arguably important as an influential, pan-university reference point for individual higher educational institutions. Secondly, it may be advantageous at an institutional level for UK university academic, programme leader, and careers office staff to recognise and appreciate, rather than challenge or criticise, the enjoyment, opportunity and progression opinions among final year Generation Y undergraduates. From this, they can support their undergraduates in communicating the nature of their employment expectations and inherent organisational benefits to prospective employers. Thirdly and complementarily, it may be advantageous for the same key stakeholder staff in universities to develop understanding among their final-year undergraduate Generation Ys that people of other generations may not share or understand their opinions on their employment expectations. Therefore, these students arguably need to be sensitised to employers' opinions and encouraged to proactively seek rather than passively expect to be offered development opportunities. Furthermore, their expectations of what they can reasonably seek to achieve in their employment subsequent to gaining a university degree could be managed to an extent by exploring with them how realistic their expectations of the outcomes of gaining a degree are. In turn, managing student expectations may have a potentially positive impact on overall levels of student satisfaction with their university experience, as surveyed annually in the UK in a university-wide national student survey.</p> <p>Providing opportunities for Generation Y students to interact with – and enjoy – workplace experiences in realistic work sampling in placements, work-based learning and assessments, industry visits, and alumni mentoring could, for example, support development of the employability skills of undergraduates. Providing employers of significant numbers of graduates with opportunities to interact with this group of students in universities in master classes, for example, could also support development of their employability skills. The combination of very proactively taking students to employers and <emph>vice versa</emph> may help narrow any gap between undergraduate Generation Ys and their potential employers in expectations of employment and employability skills.</p> <p>Thus, employers can learn about and better understand the expectations of Generation Y undergraduates. Responsive employers can then ensure that they provide the aspects of employment these graduates aspire to (notably enjoyment, development opportunities and career progression), thereby meeting at least some of their employment expectations. In return, employers are likely to be better placed to attract and retain the best graduates with positive mindsets to contribute to the workplace. Furthermore, understanding and responding to what Generation Y employees tend to seek from their future employment may help employers to tailor their job design, opportunities, training programmes and, possibly, workplace employability skills development to best engage and meet the goals of this burgeoning group of the workforce. However, it is acknowledged that reaching out to employers in the ways suggested here may be ambitious and challenging, hence a little unrealistic. Consequently, resources within universities are likely to be better invested in concentrating more on developing undergraduates' employability skills in order that they are better able to achieve their expectations and career goals.</p> <hd id="AN0126098482-13">Limitations</hd> <p>A key limitation of the methodology is criticism of the subjective nature and challenge of generalisation in qualitative research (Bryman and Bell [<reflink idref="bib15" id="ref144">15</reflink>]). However, the counterpoint to this in our research is the systematic approach to content analysis adopted, as explained above, which arguably lends not only objectivity to the data generated but also permits generalisability among the large sample. Another limitation is that student informants come from only two UK universities, the findings and may not be representative of the total UK student population. However, the university locations – one city centre and the other more rural – mean the respondent students are from around the UK. A third limitation is the single method of data collection, though this lack of triangulation in data collection methods is arguably offset by the high volume of data yielded for content analysis. Thus, a credible tranche of empirical data informs the paper as above and in its conclusion below.</p> <hd id="AN0126098482-14">Conclusion</hd> <p>The background of this paper are criticisms that Generation Y has a weaker work ethic and is less career motivated than earlier generations (Myers and Sadaghiani [<reflink idref="bib61" id="ref145">61</reflink>]; Twenge [<reflink idref="bib80" id="ref146">80</reflink>]), tending to place high value on their work–life balance (Broadbridge, Maxwell, and Ogden [<reflink idref="bib12" id="ref147">12</reflink>]; Eisner [<reflink idref="bib25" id="ref148">25</reflink>]; Kerslake [<reflink idref="bib42" id="ref149">42</reflink>]), when twenty-first century career development is more challenging than ever before (Pryor and Bright [<reflink idref="bib68" id="ref150">68</reflink>]). At a time in the UK of economic recession and gradual recovery (ONS [<reflink idref="bib65" id="ref151">65</reflink>]), with graduate employment rates still less than those at pre-recession, 2007 levels (Grove [<reflink idref="bib32" id="ref152">32</reflink>]) and concerns about graduate underemployment (Green and Zhu [<reflink idref="bib31" id="ref153">31</reflink>]), it may be that Generation Y undergraduates mostly have unrealistic expectations of their employment (McDonald [<reflink idref="bib52" id="ref154">52</reflink>]). Such expectations prevail at a time when employability skills are important in universities and to employers (Jackson [<reflink idref="bib41" id="ref155">41</reflink>]; Trede and Mcewen [<reflink idref="bib79" id="ref156">79</reflink>]), notably from the undergraduate perspective (Tymon [<reflink idref="bib82" id="ref157">82</reflink>]).</p> <p>It is on this background that the aim of this paper was to investigate the initial career entry and long-term career employment expectations of UK undergraduate Generation Ys, in order to inform employability skills development in higher education. The empirical work covered in the paper comprises 26 focus groups with a total of 172 final-year undergraduate students of business and management of this generation in two UK universities, in the academic sessions 2010–2011 and 2014–2015. This is arguably a sufficiently sound base from to conclude that enjoyment, opportunities and career progression not only matter but also are priorities among all the student participants, irrespective of their academic session. Enjoyment of employment, both in initial career entry and in long-term careers, is the most prominent theme of the focus group data, with opportunities for development, and protean career progression emerging as key themes too. The overriding expectation of enjoyment in the findings coexists with recognition of the prevalent economic conditions in the graduate employment market. While careers seem to be a focal point in the focus group participants' whole lives, they also seek a good work–life balance. In general, these Generation Ys arguably seem upfront and upbeat about their employment expectations, if somewhat self-centred or at least self-focused in their responses to the questions on their employment expectations. Interpreted in this way, some of the critical literature might inadvertently portray a somewhat misleading picture of Generation Y and their attitudes to work (possibly as interpreted from a different generational viewpoint!). We assert that while the focus group participants are found generally to have what many graduates of earlier generations might describe as high expectations of their employment, these expectations are only unreasonable if employers do not acknowledge and consider ways to try to address them. Also, we contend that the opinions aired in the findings on a pervasive enthusiastic and optimistic outlook, coupled with a positive and healthy work ethic, are more to the research participants' credit than others' criticisms of this particular generation. Thus, the paper extends and contradicts some of the earlier research on Generation Ys' employment expectations in its focus on UK undergraduates in this age bracket. There is, however, scope for more research.</p> <hd id="AN0126098482-15">Further research</hd> <p>Replication research, ideally with dual or multiple means of data capture, is needed, however, for greater generalisability – or not – of our conclusions, which are offered more generatively than definitively. Also, ongoing work with UK Generation Y business and management graduates into their employment would be advantageous to track their retrospective reflections on their employability skills development at university. Additionally, undergraduate research needs to be segmented more in future research, for example, by types of degree programmes and nationalities, in order to deepen insights and avoid homogenous, even stereotyped, perceptions and treatment of this generation. Comparative research by programmes and place is a possible avenue of further research too. Such research directions may continue to contribute to deeper understanding, rather than misinterpretation, of the Generation Y phenomenon linked to development of their employability skills.</p> <hd id="AN0126098482-16">Acknowledgements</hd> <p>We thank Dr S. Ogden for her help in the data collection and analysis.</p> <hd id="AN0126098482-17">Disclosure statement</hd> <p>No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.</p> <ref id="AN0126098482-18"> <title> References </title> <blist> <bibl id="bib1" idref="ref53" type="bt">1</bibl> <bibtext> AGR. 2010. "Class of 2010 Faces Uphill Struggle for Jobs." Association of Graduate Recruiters bi-annual survey, 06.07.10. <ulink href="http://www.agr.org.uk/content/Class-of-2010-Faces-Uphill-Struggle-for-Jobs">http://www.agr.org.uk/content/Class-of-2010-Faces-Uphill-Struggle-for-Jobs</ulink>.</bibtext> </blist> <blist> <bibl id="bib2" idref="ref96" type="bt">2</bibl> <bibtext> Alexander, C. S., and J. M. Sysko. 2011. 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| Items | – Name: Title Label: Title Group: Ti Data: Generation Ys' Employment Expectations: UK Undergraduates' Opinions on Enjoyment, Opportunity and Progression – Name: Language Label: Language Group: Lang Data: English – Name: Author Label: Authors Group: Au Data: <searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Maxwell%2C+G%2E+A%2E%22">Maxwell, G. A.</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Broadbridge%2C+A%2E+M%2E%22">Broadbridge, A. M.</searchLink> – Name: TitleSource Label: Source Group: Src Data: <searchLink fieldCode="SO" term="%22Studies+in+Higher+Education%22"><i>Studies in Higher Education</i></searchLink>. 2017 42(12):2267-2283. – Name: Avail Label: Availability Group: Avail Data: Routledge. Available from: Taylor & Francis, Ltd. 530 Walnut Street Suite 850, Philadelphia, PA 19106. Tel: 800-354-1420; Tel: 215-625-8900; Fax: 215-207-0050; Web site: http://www.tandf.co.uk/journals – Name: PeerReviewed Label: Peer Reviewed Group: SrcInfo Data: Y – Name: Pages Label: Page Count Group: Src Data: 17 – Name: DatePubCY Label: Publication Date Group: Date Data: 2017 – Name: TypeDocument Label: Document Type Group: TypDoc Data: Journal Articles<br />Reports - Research – Name: Audience Label: Education Level Group: Audnce Data: <searchLink fieldCode="EL" term="%22Higher+Education%22">Higher Education</searchLink> – Name: Subject Label: Descriptors Group: Su Data: <searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Age+Groups%22">Age Groups</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Undergraduate+Students%22">Undergraduate Students</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Student+Attitudes%22">Student Attitudes</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Expectation%22">Expectation</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Employment+Potential%22">Employment Potential</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Foreign+Countries%22">Foreign Countries</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Focus+Groups%22">Focus Groups</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Work+Ethic%22">Work Ethic</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Job+Skills%22">Job Skills</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Skill+Development%22">Skill Development</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Labor+Market%22">Labor Market</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Qualitative+Research%22">Qualitative Research</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Business+Administration+Education%22">Business Administration Education</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Work+Attitudes%22">Work Attitudes</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Employment+Opportunities%22">Employment Opportunities</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Career+Development%22">Career Development</searchLink> – Name: Subject Label: Geographic Terms Group: Su Data: <searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22United+Kingdom%22">United Kingdom</searchLink> – Name: DOI Label: DOI Group: ID Data: 10.1080/03075079.2016.1141403 – Name: ISSN Label: ISSN Group: ISSN Data: 0307-5079 – Name: Abstract Label: Abstract Group: Ab Data: Generation Y can be taken to be the group of people born between 1977 and 2000. The aim of this paper is to investigate the initial career entry and long-term career employment expectations of UK undergraduate Generation Ys, in order to inform employability skills development in higher education. The empirical research comprises 26 focus groups with 172 undergraduates of this generation in 2 universities in the UK. The focus group participants are found predominantly to have high expectations of their employment in enjoyment, opportunity and progression. Overall, the respondents appear enthusiastic and optimistic, with a positive work ethic and healthy mindset. Fundamentally, recognising and appreciating undergraduate Generation Ys' opinions on their employment expectations enables development of their employability skills while they are in university. The paper sets out implications for higher educational stakeholders including students, graduates and employers on the development of employability skills. – Name: AbstractInfo Label: Abstractor Group: Ab Data: As Provided – Name: Ref Label: Number of References Group: RefInfo Data: 86 – Name: DateEntry Label: Entry Date Group: Date Data: 2017 – Name: AN Label: Accession Number Group: ID Data: EJ1160288 |
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| RecordInfo | BibRecord: BibEntity: Identifiers: – Type: doi Value: 10.1080/03075079.2016.1141403 Languages: – Text: English PhysicalDescription: Pagination: PageCount: 17 StartPage: 2267 Subjects: – SubjectFull: Age Groups Type: general – SubjectFull: Undergraduate Students Type: general – SubjectFull: Student Attitudes Type: general – SubjectFull: Expectation Type: general – SubjectFull: Employment Potential Type: general – SubjectFull: Foreign Countries Type: general – SubjectFull: Focus Groups Type: general – SubjectFull: Work Ethic Type: general – SubjectFull: Job Skills Type: general – SubjectFull: Skill Development Type: general – SubjectFull: Labor Market Type: general – SubjectFull: Qualitative Research Type: general – SubjectFull: Business Administration Education Type: general – SubjectFull: Work Attitudes Type: general – SubjectFull: Employment Opportunities Type: general – SubjectFull: Career Development Type: general – SubjectFull: United Kingdom Type: general Titles: – TitleFull: Generation Ys' Employment Expectations: UK Undergraduates' Opinions on Enjoyment, Opportunity and Progression Type: main BibRelationships: HasContributorRelationships: – PersonEntity: Name: NameFull: Maxwell, G. A. – PersonEntity: Name: NameFull: Broadbridge, A. M. IsPartOfRelationships: – BibEntity: Dates: – D: 01 M: 01 Type: published Y: 2017 Identifiers: – Type: issn-print Value: 0307-5079 Numbering: – Type: volume Value: 42 – Type: issue Value: 12 Titles: – TitleFull: Studies in Higher Education Type: main |
| ResultId | 1 |
