{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,4,3]],"date-time":"2026-04-03T14:02:03Z","timestamp":1775224923334,"version":"3.50.1"},"reference-count":52,"publisher":"MDPI AG","issue":"2","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2021,1,30]],"date-time":"2021-01-30T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1611964800000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"funder":[{"DOI":"10.13039\/501100001871","name":"Funda\u00e7\u00e3o para a Ci\u00eancia e a Tecnologia","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","award":["FCT - PTDC\/SOC-SOC\/30016\/2017"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["FCT - PTDC\/SOC-SOC\/30016\/2017"]}],"id":[{"id":"10.13039\/501100001871","id-type":"DOI","asserted-by":"publisher"}]}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["Education Sciences"],"abstract":"<jats:p>This research examines the barriers and facilitators to employers\u2019 engagement with higher education institutions. The data were collected through interviews with a set of employers (n = 19) in the Northern region of Portugal, V.N.de Famalic\u00e3o, in 2019. We begin by exploring employers\u2019 engagement activities as a potential solution to address local-level skill problems. Empirical evidence suggests that the engagement activities are mostly passive as firms use higher education largely as a recruitment channel. The differences in organizational goals and culture are the most cited barriers to the lack of more active engagement. Some efforts have recently been made to strengthen the ties between higher education and employers, notably through a local multi-stakeholder partnership as a potential broker. However, it will take time for this to bear fruit and contribute to reducing skill gaps and shortages. The data show that despite employers\u2019 apparent willingness, more effort must be made to encourage active engagement.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3390\/educsci11020051","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2021,1,30]],"date-time":"2021-01-30T06:22:20Z","timestamp":1611987740000},"page":"51","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/mdpi_crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":16,"title":["Higher Education and Employability Skills: Barriers and Facilitators of Employer Engagement at Local Level"],"prefix":"10.3390","volume":"11","author":[{"given":"F\u00e1tima","family":"Suleman","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Instituto Universit\u00e1rio de Lisboa (ISCTE-IUL) and DINAMIA\u2019CET, 1649-026 Lisboa, Portugal"}]},{"given":"Pedro","family":"Videira","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Instituto Universit\u00e1rio de Lisboa (ISCTE-IUL) and DINAMIA\u2019CET, 1649-026 Lisboa, Portugal"}]},{"given":"Em\u00edlia","family":"Ara\u00fajo","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"University of Minho, Instituto de Ci\u00eancias Sociais and CECS, 4710-057 Braga, Portugal"}]}],"member":"1968","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2021,1,30]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref_1","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"423","DOI":"10.1016\/j.respol.2012.09.007","article-title":"Academic engagement and commercialisation: A review of the literature on university\u2013industry relations","volume":"42","author":"Perkmann","year":"2013","journal-title":"Res. 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