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Employers' and senior psychologists' expectations of the educational coverage and skills of four-year educated psychologists

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  12 February 2016

John Franklin*
Affiliation:
Macquarie University, New South Wales
Joan Gissing
Affiliation:
Macquarie University, New South Wales
Helen Holubinskyj
Affiliation:
Macquarie University, New South Wales
*
Psychology Department, School of Behavioural Sciences, Macquarie University, Sydney NSW 2109
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Extract

Recent political and labour market changes have focused attention on the need to specify the competencies of four-year educated psychologists. This study surveyed 53 employers and 71 senior practising psychologists in the state of New South Wales concerning the educational content, skills and work experience they expected of new four-year educated psychology graduates in order that they be effective, competitive and employable. The results revealed substantially similar expectations by both employers and the profession, and suggest the need to include more employment-relevant skills in the first four years of education. The implications are discussed in terms of the apparent discrepancy between these expectations and the graduating skills of current four-year graduates, and the need to review the content of the first four years of psychology education.

Type
Professional Issues
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 1995

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