Browsing by Author "Dyrda, April Joy"

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    Beyond Generation Jobless: How Recent University Graduates Are Finding Meaningful Employment
    (2018-02) Dyrda, April Joy; Arthur, Nancy; Zwiers, Michael L.; Ciccocioppo, Anna-Lisa
    Obtaining meaningful employment is a common goal for university graduates, however, the school-to-work transition is an increasingly tumultuous time for young job seekers. Currently, limited research exists from the perspective of recent graduates about how they navigated the process of finding employment and, particularly, why some are successful in this search, while others are not. To address this gap in the literature, the present study incorporated social constructivist principles to explore incidents associated with successes and struggles among new-entrants to the workforce in finding meaningful employment. Using the exploratory method of the Enhanced Critical Incident Technique, eight meaningfully employed recent university graduates identified incidents that helped, hindered, or would have helped them successfully transition from school-to-work. The data analysis process resulted in 13 categories: (a) academic experience, (b) occupational experience, (c) personal learning, (d) perceived experience, (e) network, (f) networking, (g) concern, (h) control, (i) curiosity, (j) confidence, (k) unexpected opportunity, (l) labour market conditions, and (m) logistical skills. The researcher considered these findings within the context of existing literature, presenting both implications for key stakeholders involved in the school-to-work transition process as well as recommendations for future research.