Abstract:
Employers of college graduates have indicated they value certain skills in employees and that they look for these skills when making hiring decisions. This study sought to assess University of Kentucky (UK) College of Agriculture (COA) Bachelor of Science graduates as to the perceived levels of importance they placed on and competence in performing select employability skills. Previous research has indicated that hard and soft science disciplines can be compared to each other; thus, the population of COA graduates was dichotomized and compared as such. Of the employability skills measured in this study, motivation was deemed the most important by both groups. Hard science graduates identified interpersonal relations as their greatest competency, while soft-science graduates identified listening. Excluding listening, no statistical differences existed among graduates' self-perceived abilities to perform the employability skills. Regardless of discipline, the quadrant analysis model revealed that the greatest deficiencies in perceptions between the groups (i.e., hard and soft sciences) were in the areas of motivation; problem solving and analysis; organization and time management; visioning; creativity, innovation, and change; and lifelong learning.
Keywords:
employability skills, science disciplines
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