Competence - Based Learning in the Romanian Higher Education: Perceptions from the Inside

Abstract

This study aims to address the problem of competencies offered by the Romanian universities, from the perspective of the players interested in them and present on the labor market: post-university graduates and employers, as competencies’ beneficiaries. We started from the premise that postgraduate studies can make a difference in a changing labor market, and the Master specializations offered by the Romanian universities can provide the competencies required by the employers, particularly in the business world. Our exploratory research aimed mainly to clarify the following aspects: the perception of post-university graduates on the competencies acquired and the perceived level of these competencies; if there is a link between the postgraduate programme and the job currently held by the graduate; if graduates are satisfied /dissatisfied with their job and what is the main reason for satisfaction / dissatisfaction; if the competencies provided by the university coincide with the competencies required by the employer. The results of the research showed that there are categories of competencies perceived to be deficient, both by graduates and employers. However, the graduates declare that, broadly, they are satisfied with their jobs, the reasons not being linked, in most cases, with their level of competence.