Education + Training

Curricular profile of university graduates versus business demands: Is there a fit or

mismatch in Spain?
Mercedes Marzo-Navarro Marta Pedraja-Iglesias Pilar Rivera-Torres
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Peter Robert, (2014),"Job mismatch in early career of graduates under post-communism", International
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ET
51,1 Curricular profile of university
graduates versus business
demands
56
Is there a fit or mismatch in Spain?
Mercedes Marzo-Navarro, Marta Pedraja-Iglesias and
Pilar Rivera-Torres
Department of Economics and Business Management,
Faculty of Economic and Business Sciences, University of Zaragoza,
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Zaragoza, Spain

Abstract
Purpose – The curricular profile that businesses demand from their workers is undergoing
considerable change, especially in regard to university graduates. Considering the functions that are
associated with universities, they should respond to these business demands. As a result, they should
educate their students following curricula that fit the needs of the labour market. This fit would allow
improving the employability of university graduates. The objectives of this work consist of
determining the competencies that firms demand from university graduates and determining the
curricula that universities follow to educate their students.
Design/methodology/approach – Through a comparison of these objectives, the paper analyses
the mismatches that exist between these competencies and the curricula, and action lines are proposed
to correct them.
Findings – The results show the various competencies that universities must improve upon in the
education of their students. This improvement would mean a better fit between university curricula
and business demands.
Research limitations/implications – The research was applied in one region of Spain, and it
would be appropriate to expand it to the entire country.
Practical implications – University managers can use the information obtained from this study as
the basis for designing and subsequently implementing action lines that allow improving the
curricular profile of university graduates.
Originality/value – There are few papers that analyse the competencies that firms demand from
university graduates and that determine the curricula that universities follow to educate their
students.
Keywords Curricula, Business policy, Competences, Graduates, Universities, Spain
Paper type Research paper

Education þ Training
Vol. 51 No. 1, 2009
pp. 56-69
q Emerald Group Publishing Limited
0040-0912
DOI 10.1108/00400910910931832
1. Introduction
In the 1970s, the human capital of Spain had one of the lowest education levels in the
countries of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD)
This study has been carried out within the framework of the “CREVALOR” Excellence Group.
The authors would like to acknowledge the assistance received through the Research Project of
the Ministry of Education and Science, SEJ2005-06603/ECON and the Research Project of
University of Zaragoza, UZ2007-SOC-12.
 (Mas et al., 1995). This situation has changed over recent decades, given that the Curricular profile
number of students enrolled in secondary and university education has increased. This of university
has translated into a considerable increase in the educational levels of the new Spanish
generations (Marcenaro and Navarro, 2005). graduates
This improvement in the education level of the human capital is generating a series
of social benefits or positive externalities, such as improvement of citizen coexistence,
the effective use of leisure time, the establishment of democratic values, etc. (Albi et al., 57
2002; Barcienas et al., 2000; Blaug, 1998; Merisotis, 1998). Moreover, as set forth in the
Theory of Human Capital[1] (Mincer, 1958; Schultz, 1961), this increase in education
has resulted in a higher income level and greater economic growth. The important role
that a high level of education plays in the technological development of a society
should also be highlighted.
Education therefore has a positive impact on the overall growth of an economy over
time, given that an economy depends on the productivity of its elements. This growth
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in productivity, to a large extent, depends on well-trained human capital (Palazón and

Tobar, 2004).
Despite the aforementioned, this growth in productivity has not occurred in Spain,
and even though the education level of the Spanish population has increased
significantly since the mid eighties of last century, labour productivity has experienced
a notable deceleration since the mid nineties. Two of the main factors causing this
situation seem to be an inadequate use of the human capital and deficiencies in the
quality of that capital (Jimeno, 2007). It has been argued that workforce quality is of
central importance to economic success (Crouch et al., 1999) and that creating quality
products and services requires a well trained and skilled workforce (Lloyd, 2005).
Thus, if we focus on qualified manpower, the high unemployment rate existing
among Spanish university graduates is notable, which is above the unemployment rate
recorded for other education levels. It should also be pointed out that a situation of
overeducation is observed among young Spanish university graduates. Thus, the
results of various research projects show how more than 30 per cent of young Spanish
university graduates hold jobs for which they have an education level that is above
what is necessary to perform the job for which they have been hired (Marzo et al., 2007;
Garcı́a-Montalvo and Mora, 2000; Garcı́a-Montalvo et al., 2003).
This apparent mismatch makes it necessary to analyse the educational profile that
universities are providing for their students so that universities can subsequently
emphasise the skills demanded by the labour market (Amat and Puig, 1999; Brew,
1995; Mir et al., 2003a; Mora and Garcı́a, 2004).
Given the importance to the Spanish economy of recovering the growth rates in
labour productivity, it is necessary to make an in-depth analysis of the aspects that
could condition that productivity. This recovery is essential to continue the process of
convergence towards the per capita income levels of the most advanced countries.
Moreover, Spanish universities are currently immersed in a process of change. This
change is due to Spain’s incorporation in the European Higher Education Area. The
European Higher Education Area arose from the Sorbonne Declaration (1998). In this
Declaration, the four member countries declared their commitment to create a
European Higher Education Area. The inspiring principles of the process, which were
put forth in the Bologna Declaration (1999), centred on the topics of autonomy, quality,
mobility, diversity, compatibility, the comparability of the higher education systems
 ET and competitiveness. This process has continued to expand and become more
51,1 consolidated. At the London Conference (2007), there were already forty-six countries
immersed in the convergence process. This process means that the current degrees
given by Spanish universities have to be replaced by others, for which it will be
necessary to make new study plans. This new catalogue of degrees, which must be
operating by 2010, has to be designed considering the interests of the various
58 stakeholders, including the labour market.
This research has been undertaken within this context, and it focuses on an analysis
of the education quality of qualified labour. Thus, the main objective of this study is to
make a comparison between the educational curricula of university graduates and the
curricula demanded by the labour market.
Up to now, research in Spain has tended not to focus on studying employers
(Institut D’Estudis Universitaris Joseph Trueta, 1991; Club Gestión de Calidad, 1998).
More often, surveys of students or of graduates have been taken (Garcı́a-Montalvo and
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Mora, 2000; Cajide et al., 2002), or the opinions of academic experts have been compiled
(Hernández, 1997; Rodrı́guez, 2002). Thus, the main contribution by this application,
within the Spanish context, is that it combines information from the two protagonists
that are in the best position to evaluate university curricula and business demands.
A review of specialised literature shows four aspects that companies would like
their workers to have. These aspects are content of study, social skills, methodological
skills and participation skills. However, only Content of Study is the main/exclusive
competency of the university. The three remaining aspects could be acquired by
graduates before, during or after their time at university. However, a university can
contribute to the development of these aspects, even though it may not be a
fundamental objective of higher education, thereby improving the human capital that
will be joining the labour market.
The results show that firms place considerable importance on the fact that
graduates possess certain generic competencies for holding qualified job positions. The
study corroborates the need to improve the mastery of some generic competencies such
as practical training, oral communication, the ability to integrate into firms,
adaptability to new situations and the ability to apply practical knowledge. Improving
these aspects while studying at a university would allow universities to adapt the
educational curricula of their graduates to business needs.

2. Method
2.1 Objectives
This work had three objectives. First, it endeavoured to detect the curriculum profiles
of university graduates demanded by firms. Second, it endeavoured to determine the
curricula studied by students during their time at university. And finally, by
comparing the preceding results, it endeavoured to analyse the existing educational
mismatches and to subsequently analyse the quality of university education. If
discrepancies were detected, action lines could be proposed, which should allow
improving the detected mismatches.
An empirical analysis of this situation was performed in the autonomous
community of Aragón in Spain. This region is located in the northeast of Spain, and it
has a population of 1,249,584 people, 48.48 per cent of which constitute the working
 population. Aragón has a single public university, the University of Zaragoza, and Curricular profile
several private universities, although they are notably smaller. of university
2.2 Database
graduates
The necessary information for reaching the proposed objectives was obtained from two
data sources.
To determine the curricular needs of the labour market when university graduates 59
are hired, a postal survey was sent to firms in different industries. 3,950
questionnaires[2] were sent during the month of June 2004. One hundred and forty
four questionnaires were returned, duly completed, and therefore the response
percentage was 3.64 per cent. This low response rate is due basically to the difficulty of
finding firms that have recently hired a graduate without prior work experience. Thus,
in order to respond to the survey, it was necessary for a firm to have recently hired a
university graduate without work experience[3].
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The second source of information used was a survey taken of students at various
campuses of the University of Zaragoza. This university can be considered
representative of the universities in Spain. The field work was performed during the
months of April and May 2006. The number of questionnaires that were obtained and
valid for the objective of the research was 281.

2.3 Characteristics of the sample

The sample of firms consists mainly of firms in the service and manufacturing
industries (59 per cent and 40.2 per cent, respectively). The sample includes only a few
firms from the primary sector (9.8 per cent). Regarding the number of employees, most
firms (61 per cent) have less than fifty, 18.6 per cent have between 50 and 250
employees and the remainder have more than 250 employees[4].
Considering the characteristics of the sample of university students, it should be
highlighted that the majority of students are studying 5-year degrees (84.3 per cent)
and that there is similar representation from two macro-areas: Social and Legal
Sciences (45.9 per cent) and Technical Education (54.1 per cent). The surveyed students
were finishing their university studies, specifically in their last semester. Moreover, the
distribution according to gender is homogeneous (47.3 per cent are men and 52.7 per
cent are women).

2.4 Measurement of the variables

When hiring, organisations usually look at a combination of candidates’ skills,
abilities, qualities and competencies (Baruch and Peiperl, 2000). The analysed
competencies, content and skills that can be included in the curriculum of university
graduates when they access the labour market are reflected in Table I. These aspects
were identified based on a review of specialised literature and an analysis thereof by a
panel of experts. This panel of experts was formed by twelve professionals from the
business world, from public institutions and from research institutions who were very
familiar with human resources. All panel members received a report that they had to
fill out, which had a dual purpose: assess both the adequacy and understanding of the
item for the study’s objective and also propose new items that they considered to be
relevant but which were not included in the report. The 48 proposed items can be
grouped into four blocks:
 ET Content of the major of study
51,1 C1 Theoretical knowledge in a specific field
C2 Basic professional knowledge and abilities
C3 Multidisciplinary knowledge and reasoning
C4 Practical training
C5 Knowledge of methods in a specific field
C6 Mastery of specialised software (Autocad, SPSS, accounting and tax
60 management software)
Social skills
S1 Knowledge of basic computer tools (internet, office programs, etc.)
S2 Knowledge of languages
S3 General culture
S4 Oral communication skills
S5 Written communication skills
S6 Public speaking skills
S7 Ability to integrate in a company
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S8 Ability to appreciate different points of view (empathy)

S9 Suitability of a person’s image to a company’s image
S10 Ability to take initiative
Methodological skills
M1 Ability to apply theoretical knowledge
M2 Ability to apply practical knowledge
M3 Ability to think logically
M4 Ability to think critically
M5 Problem solving skills
M6 Ability to adapt to new situations
M7 Skilled at continuous learning
M8 Creative ability
M9 Ability to apply rules and regulations
M10 Ability to work independently
M11 Economic reasoning ability
M12 Ability to understand the business organisational chart
M13 Knowledge about the operation of organisations
M14 Concentration ability
M15 Ability to reflect on one’s own work
M16 Ability to administer time correctly
M17 Information analysis and interpretation skills
M18 Information compilation skills
M19 Skills for documenting ideas and decisions
Participation skills
P1 Skills to motivate other people
P2 Negotiation and conflict resolution skills
P3 Ability to establish relationships with superiors
P4 Teamwork ability
P5 Ability to establish relationships with subordinates
P6 Willingness to share knowledge and resources
P7 Ability to get personally involved in the job
P8 Firm and resolute attitude in complicated situations
P9 Ability to make decisions and assume responsibilities
P10 Ability to work under pressure
P11 Planning, coordination and organisation ability
P12 Leadership ability
P13 Analysis ability
Source: Own preparation based on Hernández (1997), Rodrı́guez (2002), Club Gestión de Calidad (1998),
ANECA (2004), Bendicho (2003), Guerrero (2003), Garcı́a-Montalvo and Mora (2000), Cajide et al. (2002), Willis
Table I. and Taylor (1999), Karakaya and Karakaya (1996), Roberson et al. (2002), CE and CEEFT (1999),
Items used Eurobarómetro (2003)
 (1) Content of the Major of Study (C1 to C6): Knowledge that graduates have Curricular profile
acquired through the university degree that they have studied; the knowledge of university
that is necessary to enable a graduate to effectively perform and fulfil the
requirements of their job. graduates
(2) Social Skills (S1 to S10): Those skills that, in any context (both labour and
personal), allow communicative and constructive cooperation, as well as
interpersonal understanding. 61
(3) Methodological Skills (M1 to M19): Those skills that facilitate applying an
adequate procedure to any task or situation and that furthermore allow
graduates to transfer related experiences to new situations.
(4) Participation Skills (P1 to P13): Those skills that, in a strictly labour context,
allow taking part and cooperating in the work organisation, thereby assuming
the necessary responsibilities.
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These items were measured through seven-point Likert scales. Thus, firms were asked
to indicate the curricular aspects required of a university graduate without prior work
experience in order to undertake the duties of a job position. The extremes of the scale
used were 1 for “Not at all necessary” and 7 for “Highly necessary”.
The same 48 items were assessed by the student group, also through 7-point Likert
scales. In this case, students were asked to indicate the level of competencies, content
and skills that they thought they were acquiring through their university education,
from 1 for “Very low” to 7 for “Very high”.

3. Analysis and results

To analyse the educational profile of university graduates demanded by firms, the
means of each of the 48 items were calculated. Likewise, to determine the educational
profile that university graduates believed they were obtaining, the arithmetic means of
the 48 items were calculated. To detect and analyse a possible curricular mismatch, a
comparison was made between the mean assessments given by students to the
education they were receiving at the university and the demands stated by firms when
hiring a university graduate with no prior work experience.
Finally, in order to analyse if the differences found were statistically significant, the
pertinent means comparisons were made.
The values shown in Table II allow us to make an overall analysis of educational
mismatches. Thus, we can observe that university students perceive that in most of the
analysed categories they acquire a competency level that is above the middle point of

A B A2B

Content of the major of study 5.27 4.16 1.11

Social skills 5.29 3.78 1.51
Methodological skills 5.65 4.66 0.98
Participation skills 5.50 4.28 1.22
Notes: A – simple mean of the assessment by firms of the requirement for these competencies at their
job positions; B – Simple mean of the assessment by students of the level of competencies that they are Table II.
acquiring in their university education Overall means
 ET the scale used. However, the mean assessment of social skills is notable, given that it
51,1 does not exceed the mean point of the scale used (3.78). Moreover, despite the fact that
deficits are detected in all aspects, the greatest vulnerability is detected in social skills,
given that there is a high demand versus the low level possessed by graduates (1.51).
The situation of methodological skills is also notable. Even though there is a deficit
situation, this deficit is the least of the four analysed areas, considering that the
62 difference between the level demand by employers and the level acquired by graduates
is 0.98.
After analysing the overall situation, we proceeded to analyse, individually, each of
the four categories. Beginning with the content of the major of study, in Figure 1 we
present the situations of each of the analysed aspects.
An analysis of the data shows how all the aspects of this category are highly
demanded by firms, given that the mean scores exceed the mean value of the scale.
However, statistically significant deficiencies are observed in five of the six aspects
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that compose this category. The main weak points are the scarce practical training
shown by graduates (C4), which corroborates the situation of an educational deficit
observed in prior research (Cajide et al., 2002; ANECA, 2004; Ayats et al., 2004), as well
as the deficient mastery of specialised software by students (C6). Moreover, a slight
educational surplus was detected in the theoretical training of graduates (C1), which
corroborates the results obtained in other research regarding Spain (Garcı́a-Montalvo
and Mora, 2000; Cajide et al., 2002) and in other countries such as Australia (Toft et al.,
2003).
The description of the social skills category (S1 to S10), shown in Figure 2, clearly
demonstrates the relevance of these skills for business owners when they look at the
curricula of potential employees. All items show mean values above four. The elements
most highly valued by firms are integration into the organisation (S7: 5.92), the ability
to take initiative (S10: 5.79) and knowledge of basic computer tools (S1: 5.78).

Figure 1.
Content of the major of
study
 Curricular profile
of university
graduates

63
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Figure 2.
Social skills

Conversely, knowledge of languages (S2: 4.13) receives the lowest demand level out of
the social skills set, even though that demand is average.
Statistically significant differences between the curricula demanded by firms and
the curricula followed by graduates were detected in all items of this category, which
implies the existence of educational deficits. The main deficiencies were detected in the
ability to take initiative (S10), the suitability of the person’s image to the firm (S9),
empathy (S8) and oral communication skills (S4). It should also be highlighted how the
public presentation skill (S6) is the aspect where the discrepancy level is the lowest.
With respect to the skills that allow individuals to react by applying the most
appropriate procedure to specific situations, namely methodological skills, the results
are shown in Figure 3. The results verify the importance of these skills to firms when
selecting qualified personnel, given that the mean assessments of all items are above a
score of five. This figure shows how the most relevant aspects for adequately
performing the duties of job positions are problem-solving skills (M5: 6.13), continuous
learning skills (M7: 6.12), the ability to think logically (M3: 5.98), skills for analysing
and interpreting information (M17: 5.95) and the ability to adapt to new situations (M6:
5.93).
Problem-solving ability on many occasions is based on continuous learning by
workers. Currently, and due to the rapid changes that are occurring, firms increasingly
give greater importance to a worker’s continuous learning ability (Monserrat, 1997;
Bebko and Richardson, 2000; Bendicho, 2003; Guerrero, 2003). Thus, the changes that
are occurring in industrial societies involve irreversible transformations of the
economic and social fabric of developed countries. In view of this situation, universities
cannot similarly adapt their study plans as quickly and with as much flexibility.
 ET
51,1

64
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Figure 3.
Figureh 3 Methodological
skills

Wherefore, to face this challenge, solid basic training is required, accompanied by the
development of continuing education (Monserrat, 1997).
Statistically significant differences between the demands of firms and the education
of graduates have been detected in all aspects included in this category. The greatest
educational mismatches in this group of skills are detected in the following aspects: the
ability to apply practical knowledge (M2), creative ability (M8), the ability to adapt to
new situations (M6) and the ability to apply standards and regulations (M9).
Conversely, the narrowest educational mismatches, even though significant, are
found in the competencies that refer to the ability to work independently (M10),
concentration ability (M14) and the ability to apply theoretical knowledge (M1).
Finally, we proceeded to analyse the situation presented in the forth block,
Participation Skills (Figure 4). In this case, to adequately perform the duties of job
positions, business owners basically require the ability to get personally involved in
the job (P7: 6.00), teamwork ability (P4: 5.97) and a firm and resolute attitude in view of
complicated situations (P8: 5.85). The importance given by employers to their workers’
ability to work in a team corroborates the results obtained in other research, such as
the work developed by the Institut D’Estudis Universitaris Joseph Trueta (1991), Mir
et al. (2003), and Ayats et al. (2004).
Statistically significant deficiencies were detected in all the analysed aspects. The
most notable educational mismatches are the ability to establish relationships with
superiors (P3), negotiation and conflict resolution abilities (P2), a firm and resolute
attitude in view of complicated situations (P8) and skills to motivate other people (P1).

4. Conclusions
To a large extent, the human resources of a country determine the course of its
economy. The considerable changes that have occurred are affecting the human
resources of firms, especially the human resources that are more highly qualified. This
is causing the general perception of a gap between the curriculum that universities are
 Curricular profile
of university
graduates

65
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Figure 4.
Participation skills

providing for their graduates and what firms are subsequently demanding. In view of
this situation, more in-depth research on this subject is necessary.
Furthermore, Spanish universities are converging towards the European higher
education area, where, among other things, they must redo their study plans while
considering the opinions of the various stakeholders, which especially include
companies as the employers of qualified labour.
Thus, and without taking importance away from the other functions that must be
performed by a university, especially scientific, cultural and social functions, the
context of this study falls within the university’s teaching function and its function as a
transmitter of human resources to the labour market. However, it should be pointed out
that there is extensive debate about whether the education that universities provide for
their students should be conditioned upon the needs of the labour market or whether
the education given should be independent from those needs.
Our research attempted to take up this question. It used the perceptions of both
university students and firms. The study was framed within the business sector of
Aragón and on the graduates of the University of Zaragoza. By using these
information sources, the study has applied the opinions of the two protagonists in the
relationship.
The results of this study show how firms confirm that they need to have university
graduates who possess competencies that allow them to adequately undertake the
duties of certain job positions. Out of the four groups of analysed competencies,
methodological skills are those that companies desire the most.
In general, a gap between university education and the demands of the labour
market has been observed. A fit between the labour market’s demands and the profile
 ET of the university curriculum has been identified only under theoretical knowledge in a
51,1 specific field.
Regarding the content of major of study, the practical training received by
graduates is the aspect that shows the greatest gap. Highlights regarding social skills
include graduates’ insufficient ability to take initiative and to communicate orally. The
most notable deficiencies in the methodological skills category include the ability of
66 graduates to apply practical knowledge, creative ability, the ability to adapt to new
situations and the ability to apply standards and regulations. Finally, regarding
Participation Skills, the ability to establish relationships with superiors, negotiation
and conflict resolution abilities, a firm and resolute attitude in view of complicated
situations and the ability to motivate other people are the competencies where the
biggest educational mismatches are found.
Wherefore, it has been clearly demonstrated that universities need to take corrective
measures, which should logically be accompanied by the necessary resources.
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Moreover, and given that educational surpluses have not been detected, resources
cannot be re-assigned (such as time, the teaching staff, etc.). And to correct the detected
mismatches, there are no potential, surplus resources that can be used, wherefore it will
be necessary to find new resources.
There are various measures that universities could take in this regard, including the
introduction of new and original teaching methods or changes in the very atmosphere
of the study centre. One possible solution might be to review and revise the teaching
methodology used by the teaching staff up to now. Thus, traditional lectures could be
alternated with other types of methodologies that promote those aspects where
considerable deficits have been detected. However, the use of other methodologies
tends to require a larger staffing resource and other teaching materials such as
sufficient computers and internet access points, updated magazines/periodicals
libraries, etc., which are often not available, given that they involve additional
economic resources.
Changes in teaching methodology could improve the competencies acquired by
students with respect to their practical knowledge, the ability to work in a team, their
communication skills, etc. One possible action would be to emphasise work on group
projects and subsequent public presentations.
So-called cooperative education could also be used, which consists of consecutively
and alternately using academic training modules at university and work modules at
firms. Its objective is to improve the bridge between university education and the
working world. It would allow students to acquire practical training first hand at a firm
and to have contact with the business world, thereby learning how it operates.
Moreover, by introducing these changes in university education, there would not
only be better job placement of graduates, but also these changes would have positive
effects on the economy.

Notes
1. Education is considered an investment made by individuals that allows them to increase
their productivity and future income. Thus, a causal relationship is established between
education, productivity and income.
2. The questionnaire was addressed to the manager of human resources of the firm or, in
default thereof, the general manager.
 3. This circumstance seriously limited the number of firms that could respond, given that Curricular profile
many hire university graduates, but who have prior work experience. It was fundamental to
establish this requisite (no work experience) to reach the objectives of the study. This was of university
the only way to measure the competencies and skills acquired through university experience, graduates
without considering those acquired in other, previous job positions.
4. The representativeness of the sample of firms is endorsed by the similar distribution of firms
according to their business activity sector for Spain and for the region of Aragón. Regarding
the distribution according to the size of the firm, as measured by the number of employees,
67
the sample would likewise be representative of both the Spanish and Aragonese populations.

References
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Albi, J.M., González, M. and Zubiri, I. (2002), Economı́a Pública I. Fundamentos, Presupuestos y
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Further reading 69
Ministerio de Trabajo y Asuntos Sociales (2005), Anuario de estadı́sticas laborales y de asuntos
sociales, available at: www.mtas.es/estadisticas/anuario2005/welcome.htm

Corresponding author
Mercedes Marzo-Navarro can be contacted at: mmarzo@unizar.es
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