Area of Specialisations: is expressed as an academic subject aimed at limiting the freedom of individuals and as a way of constraining discourses (Bridges, 2006). There is more to the discipline than the subject taught in an academic setting. Bridges (2006) enumerated a whole list of criteria and characteristics which indicate whether a subject is indeed a distinct discipline or not. Thus: disciplines
(a) have a particular object of studies (Law, Society, Politics, Education, Management and so forth);
(b) have a body of amassed specialist knowledge relating to their object of studies which is specific to them and not generally shared with another discipline;
(c) have theories and ideas that can organise the accumulated specialist knowledge successfully;
(d) use unique terminologies or a specific technical language adjusted to their specific research requirements and
(e) must have some institutional manifestation in the form of subjects taught at universities or colleges, respective academic departments and professional associations connected to it (p. 268).
Academic disciplines can be dealt with as a specific form of the division of labour and as a vital component of the overall professionalisation of technological know-how. Professionalising academic discipline enables academics to gain the liberty of following their own pursuits and expert intellects (Whitley, 2000). Therefore, academic disciplines have all the main characteristics of other professions: for instance, they have collegiate autonomy over professional training and certification of professional competence; they have a distinct set of knowledge and skills that is institutionalised in a curriculum; they have distinct professional ethics and there is a community of professionals that cultivates a distinct professional habitus (Beck & Young, 2005).
Division of labour is an imperative factor of modern society, and specialising in one occupation is an essential function of the labour market experience. However, in many professional and highly skilled occupations, specialisation occurs prior to getting into the labour marketplace when an individual chooses a primary discipline in a university. The timing of such academic specialisation varies extensively across different systems of higher education. In some systems, students are required to select a field of study early, but in others students may postpone this decision until much later.
Work Experience: Work experience and qualifications are usually seen as a proxy for employability skills (Finnie & Meng, 2007). Experience requirements are stated in terms of competencies and skills rather than years. Employers of labour force are not only interested in those having higher education but also practical skills appropriate for job fulfillment (Abiodun, 2010).
Scraptetta, Sonnet, Livanos, Nunez, Riddell and Song (2012) reiterated that a number of countries have expanded recently to encourage the acquisition of work experience: as much as paid or unpaid internships can help to increase the employability skills of young people, their quality is often not secured. According to them, such issues put young people are in danger of being exploited as a cheap labour for employers.
Although, the years of work-related experience bring about efficiency and productivity but the issue of stretching years of experience and age limit by the employers as criteria for employment has narrowed chances for employment. A 31-year-old unemployed graduate of Economics lamented thus; I wonder where some of these people want us to get the experience if we were not given the opportunity to even start. In most cases, employers insist on a 25-year age limit and five years’ work experience. But with the challenges people are faced before graduating in this country, how do you expect a 25-year-old to have acquired a five-year experience? (Asaju, Arome & Anyio, 2014:24).
However, work experiences are obtained with the aid of transient employment in lots of European countries such as United Kingdom, Ireland, Belgium, France, Finland, Italy and Spain among others and can be seen as stepping stones into permanent employment. The probability of young people getting a permanent job one year after working at a temporary job is higher than after being unemployed. This probability, however, is much more stringent for higher education graduates than for those with lower levels of education (Scrapetta, Sonnet, Livanos, Nunez, Riddell, & Song, 2012).
On the contrary, Yorke (2004) counseled that it is a mistake to assume that the provision of experience, whether or not higher education, is a sufficient condition for better employability. As a result, one could say that to have work experience does no longer of itself make sure that the student develops (further) the various conditions (cognitive, social, practical, and so on) for success in employment. The same argument applies to the entire curricula.
