Preface

The Employability Agenda is a core driving force for tertiary education and will remain so for as long as higher and vocational education are seen to be avenues for shaping the transition of post-secondary and mature learners to work and further learning. There are several key points to consider here. First, the term tertiary education means post-secondary and includes both university or higher education and vocational education conducted through private and technical post-secondary educational institutions. Second, the split between university (higher) education and vocational education has blurred considerably over recent decades with the latter offering more degree programs and the former marketing much of their education to students (school leavers and mature age) seeking employment. With the massification of higher education students today are pursuing university studies for the sake of learning and a very high percentage are enrolling in tertiary studies for the sake of employment whether this is initial or future employment or whether the studies relate to an occupation or the acquisition and development of collections of skills and knowledge development in the form of co-curricular and self-advancement or employability-enhancement learning.