Enterprise Education and Employability Skills: adapting the DOTS Model to enhance career development – evidence from a Scottish International MBA Programme

Harte, Patrick; Fonseca, Ana Paula; Hill, Emma; Hosanoo, Zuberia Aminah

Abstract

This chapter uses theory and application to discuss the importance of enterprise education and employability skills in the MBA curriculum. Edinburgh Napier Business School academics and career development consultants collaborate to develop a theory/praxis bridge. This bridge utilises the DOTS career model comprising four stages: Decision learning; Opportunity awareness; Transition learning, and Self-awareness, which can ease a successful transition to the employment marketplace. The existing DOTS model does not give space for evaluation and reflection, essential for effective career and/or enterprise planning. Without reflection and critical evaluation, where DOTS + ER = SORTED, the original DOTS may leave students and graduates unable to transition successfully from university to entrepreneurship and/or employment opportunities. Our findings from five student focus groups providing their perceptions of DOTS to SORTED suggest that the SORTED model, now including the external evaluation and individual student reflection, has core implications for the MBA curriculum. These findings are also transferable to the broader tertiary education sector, enterprise education, and career development professionals. The proposed SORTED model can inform educators and career professionals in curriculum design and structured enterprise education interventions to guide students towards their intended careers and prepare them for the fast-evolving world of work.

Citation

Harte, P., Fonseca, A. P., Hill, E., & Hosanoo, Z. A. (2024). Enterprise Education and Employability Skills: adapting the DOTS Model to enhance career development – evidence from a Scottish International MBA Programme. In R. J. Crammond, & D. Hyams-Ssekasi (Eds.), Entrepreneurship Education and Internationalisation: Cases, Collaborations, and Contexts (65-85). Routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781003378570-7

• Acceptance Date: Jul 10, 2023
• Online Publication Date: Mar 28, 2024
• Publication Date: 2024
• Deposit Date: Jul 11, 2023
• Publisher: Routledge
• Pages: 65-85
• Series Title: Routledge Advances in Management and Business Studies
• Book Title: Entrepreneurship Education and Internationalisation: Cases, Collaborations, and Contexts
• ISBN: 9781032457567, 9781032457604
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.4324/9781003378570-7
• Public URL: http://researchrepository.napier.ac.uk/Output/3143622
• Publisher URL: https://www.taylorfrancis.com/books/edit/10.4324/9781003378570/entrepreneurship-education-internationalisation-robert-james-crammond-denis-hyams-ssekasi