Innovate Higher Education to Enhance Graduate Employability

The Researcher Links Workshop was designed on how to innovate higher education to enhance graduate employability. A total of 34 early career researchers consisted of 20, 13, and one from Thailand, United Kingdom, and Vietnam respectively was selected as workshop participants. Researcher employed focus-group interview as a means of qualitative data collection amongst participants. These participants came to share and discuss scientifically what should be done to secure win-win solutions for improving the quality of higher education, increasing graduates' employability, and boosting the economy. The 34 participants were identified as influential change agents in transforming their teaching, learning environments, and research that reflecting on their pedagogical practice in working with students and industries. Thematic analysis was used to analyze individual data, as well as focus-group data. Since the workshop was planned to achieve the main aims including forming networking, knowledge transfer and change, research skills development as well as spreading effects related to innovative research, teaching, and industrial links, a study was carried out to measure the impacts from this workshop. The results revealed that there were five different mechanisms by which to enhance graduate employability, namely employers' involvement in course design; using technology to enhance employability; preparing graduates to apply theory in practice, educational challenges to the global manufacturing industry, and soft skills development to enhance employability. In conclusion, the results contribute significantly to knowledge with regard to the development of the employability agenda in practice.