Learning employability skills at university: Exploring skills development in the Bachelor of Business in the Australian context

This qualitative study explored how employability skills are embedded, taught, and learnt in a Bachelor of Business degree program in Australia. The study used a combined theoretical framework, creating the Employability Skills Development Framework to analyse interviews and opinionnaires from 32 participants. Findings showed skills were embedded both explicitly (via tutorials, discussions, assignments) and implicitly (assumed to be acquired). Teaching strategies and student learning were influenced by instruction quality, repeated exposure, and feedback quality. Macro, meso, and micro factors, including the casualisation of the academic workforce, institutional policies, and academic and student readiness, also shaped outcomes. The study provides new insights into curriculum design and teaching strategies for the development of employability skills in the higher education sector.