Internationalization and Employability: Assessing the Effects of Study Abroad Programs on Participants’ Employability

Abstract

In spite of the great popularity of short term study abroad programs, relatively a few studies have been conducted to explore their outcomes. The study abroad literature indicates that even though there has been increasing research on the outcomes of these programs, there is not any clear and assessable agreement on what critical competencies are vital for students to get accepted in today’s labor market. However, a number of studies outside the field of study abroad programs define the essential skills that may contribute to employment and career development in the global workforce. Using data on 180 American college students, this paper scrutinizes the extent to which taking part in short term study abroad programs during university studies affects subsequent employment likelihood. It examines the competencies and skills that are offered by these overseas experiences and valued by prospective recruiters. Respondents surveyed in this study took part in short study abroad programs in Morocco and graduated over the last ten years. Findings of this study show that these learning experiences in Morocco had significant positive impacts on respondents. The majority of participants stated their sojourn in Morocco provided them with a good opportunity to develop their intercultural communicative competence. Moreover, this experience helped a great number of participants to gain a better understanding of both the target culture and their own. Many respondents stated that their sojourn in Morocco boosted their marketable skills (e.g. global-mindedness, self-confidence, self-awareness, international knowledge, second language skills, communicating with others, relationships with others, and confidence/self-esteems). Therefore, it can be concluded that short-term study abroad programs in Morocco help students to enhance their employability by developing skills that are required for professional careers after graduating from university.