Mimi He

Bio

My PhD title:

Graduates' employability in the creative industry in China: What competencies, qualities, and skills Chinese graduates with an undergraduate degree in Fine Art need for employment in China.

My PhD summary:

With the evolving effect of globalisation, the employment challenges of Chinese graduates has become highly complex and increasingly uncertain. China has witnessed a rapid expansion in its higher education sector in recent decades, with a concomitant increase in graduates. This has severely affected the availability of relevant jobs to the extent that we are witnessing a saturation of the graduate job market. In addition, various industrial restructures and repositioning of productivity has created further challenges in the job market.

This emerging imbalance between job availability and graduates has become a matter of concern, not only for those seeking professional employment but for employers, the government and universities. This research addresses the specific concerns regarding the employment of Fine Art graduates in China. Statistics indicate that, across all higher education disciplines, the employment rate for Fine Art graduates, six months after graduation, has severely declined for four consecutive years. This implies that existing pedagogical approaches and education policies in China have not successfully projected or responded to the changing job market and have not positively impacted the employment levels of Fine Art graduates.

My research argues that the current traditional skills-based approach to Fine Art education in China does not meet the needs of students in terms of their professional job prospects in the context of the fast-developing, globalised creative industries. Furthermore, I make recommendations, based on a thorough analysis of original, current, and primary data, for Fine Art higher education programmes towards curriculum development and delivery that meets the expectations of graduates and employers of the creative industries of China.