AQU publishes the opinions of employers on the preparation of graduates in Psychology, together with their enhancement proposals
AQU Catalunya has analysed the opinions provied by employers as a whole on the training and preparation of graduates in Psychology as part of the opinions of employers on higher education project, and has published a Report of findings: analysis of the opinions of employers.
Conclusions
The main conclusions of the survey study, which were presented to the deans of the faculties of Psychology at universities in Catalonia, are as follows:
- Regarding degree courses, it was found that there is a high demand for a bachelor's degree in Psychology, there are more female Psychology graduates than male graduates, and the first year drop-out rate was almost one in four. Graduates were relatively satisfied with their education and training (6.9 on a scale of 0 to 10) and considered the final year project to be of use, unlike work experience/placement. Professional guidance in terms of educational preparation and training in Psychology is minimal. The level of theoretical skill acquisition, problem-solving and decision-making was lower than the average for programmes in the Health Sciences and as a whole in the university system in Catalonia. Employability and education/job skills match were also rated significantly lower than average for programmes across the university system in Catalonia, which has an important impact on their monthly earnings.Nonetheless, 3 out of 4 woulb be inclined to take the same degree again.
- Regarding the recruitment and hiring of Psychology graduates: Organisations recognise the value of having a specific degree in order to work as a psychologist. 68% of organisations also recognise the importance of a candidate having a master's degree, a percentage rate that varies according to the field of Psychology. Personal, cognitive and social skills were the most highly rated factors as regards recruitment, as in other sectors.More than half of all organisations also recognised having had difficulties with recruitment due to candidates not having the requisite skills for the job.
- Regarding the preparation of graduates for the workplace: In terms of soft skills, problem solving, decision-making and practical skills acquisition were the areas in which improvement is most necessary. In relation to specific skills in Psychology degree courses, 65% of organisations considered that there was a skills gap in communication and/or interpersonal skills. To a lesser degree, 1 out of 3 identified the need to improve the acquisition of skills in self-criticism, involvement with people in different areas and staying abreast of advances in the field of psychology and integrating them into professional practice. Despite the needs for improvement, employers as a whole were satisfied with the skills level of recent graduates in Psychology.
The organisations considered that specific training and preparation (specialisation) will be the key factor over the next few years in the psychology sector. The organisations also referred to teams working, conflict resolution, human resources and commitment-related skills, with clinical psychology and human resources being the specialisations with most promise.
Enhancement proposals
On the basis of these findings, and together with the deans of the faculties of Psychology, the following series of enhancement proposals for Psychology degrees was drawn up:
- Encourage peer tutoring so as to identify potential first year drop-out students and help them to identify with their interests and degree studies.
- Improve students awareness of their career prospects outside of the clinical field:
- Better envision other professional areas for psychologists whilst studying. Ways of doing this ar through the tutorial action plan, optional/elective courses aimed at different specialisations, visits to professional associations of psychologists, short-term employment arrangements with enterprises starting in the first academic year (for example, work experience of 25 hours in real jobs as psychologists), etc.
- Design the provision of optional/elective courses that are more professionally oriented, together with the involvement of employers as a whole in optional/elective courses.
- A standard catalogue of Master's degrees would help consolidate the idea that psychologists as a whole have other particular fields of specialisation. Healthcare is a field that is already in a strong position whereas there are no master's programmes that stand out in other fields.
- Hold seminars with a small group of students to work on certain soft skills, such as communication, self-reflection and self-criticism.
- Encourage entrepreneurship and training in soft skills to improve the position of psychology graduates in the labour market outside of the clinical field. Cross-disciplinary education, for example in the technological field (big data, R/SPSS programming, etc.), may help to enhance the employability of those not able to enter the professional fields of psychology (and who would also not require such technological training in advance.)