From classroom to workplace: how entrepreneurship education influences university students’ employability

Research on improving graduates’ employability is of great significance for higher education reform, providing a scientific basis for innovation in educational content, teaching methods, and assessment mechanisms, thereby cultivating high-quality employment talents adapted to future social needs. Based on Social Cognitive Career Theory and Student Retention Theory, this study uses Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) to analyze data from 2808 graduating undergraduate students from 63 “Double First-Class” universities in China. The aim is to explore the influence mechanism of entrepreneurship education on graduates’ employability. The results show that entrepreneurship courses, competitions, and policies have significant positive effects on graduates’ employability, while emphasizing the crucial mediating role of entrepreneurship education quality in this process. Although the direct impact of entrepreneurship faculty on employability is not significant, it still exerts a significant positive influence on employability through the mediating variable of entrepreneurship education quality. These findings provide important evidence for theoretical research and practical reform of entrepreneurship education in universities. Based on the results, this paper proposes three practical implications to guide universities in optimizing their entrepreneurship education systems and enhancing graduates’ employability.