Universities are expected to produce employable graduates. In Education for Employability experts explore critical questions in the employability agenda.

In Education for Employability (Volume 2): Learning for Future Possibilities we continue on from the big agenda discussions of Education for Employability (Volume 1): The Employability Agenda to explore education for employ-ability in a variety of spaces: in the context of higher education as an entrance into the workforce, in joining communities of practice and in the lifelong pursuit of employability – preparing people for a portfolio of careers rather than a job-for-life.

In Education for Employability (Volume 2): Learning for Future Possibilities we continue on from the big agenda discussions of Education for Employability (Volume 1): The Employability Agenda to explore education for employ-ability in a variety of spaces: in the context of higher education as an entrance into the workforce, in joining communities of practice and in the lifelong pursuit of employability - preparing people for a portfolio of careers rather than a job-for-life.

Anyone with a responsibility for curriculum development or policy making within higher education who wants to advance learning and promote employability amongst their students will find this book absolutely essential reading.

This book challenges the dominant ‘employability skills’ discourse by exploring socially connected and networked perspectives to learning and teaching in higher education. Both learning and career development happen naturally and optimally in ecologies, informal communities and partnerships. In the digital age, they are also highly networked. This book presents ten empirical case studies of educational practice that investigate the development of learner capabilities, teaching approaches, and institutional strategies in higher education, to foster lifelong graduate employability through social connectedness.

This book explores a noteworthy variety among economically advanced countries in the competences fostered by higher education, and the emphasis placed either on laying a broad basis of knowledge or direct preparation for professional tasks. In some countries, universities are closely involved in ensuring a rapid transition from student to employee; in others, students typically face a long period after graduation for the search of a suitable career.

This book is among the first of its kind to comprehensively examine the implementation of soft skills in universities in the developing country, Vietnam. The context is unique as the implementation is taking place within the distinctive socio-economic, cultural and political characteristics of the country, amidst several simultaneously-executed educational reforms. Tran lays down the foundation for discussion by providing readers with a comprehensive review of how soft skills implementation has come into existence in higher education across the globe, before diving into the implementation of soft skills in Vietnamese universities. He goes on to highlight the interesting differences in the conceptualization of soft skills between Vietnamese universities and those in the West. The book depicts and compares how university leaders and managers tackle contextual factors, submit to constraints enforced by political forces, and how they use institutional advantages available for implementation. It goes further to examine how personal and contextual factors affect teachers’ and students’ engagement with the implementation, and highlights the role of work-integrated learning and extra-curricular activities in developing soft skills for students. Finally, the book investigates the contribution of external stakeholders, such as alumni, employers, skills experts, and local authorities, to the implementation and obstacles that prevent their participation. This book will be a valuable reference for the implementation of soft skills in higher education around the world.