The Social Responsibility of Universities in Developing Students' Essential Competencies (Employability-Based Competency)

The issue of employability in higher education policies and the social responsibility of universities has recently become a central focus of research. This paper aims to examine the social responsibility of universities in developing the competencies required by students, particularly employability-related competencies. The study adopts a qualitative approach through a systematic review of articles published in the Web of Science and Scopus databases between 2023 and 2025. A total of 42 articles were purposefully selected and analyzed using thematic analysis. The findings revealed that the social responsibility of universities in enhancing employability-related skills among students includes knowledge and understanding, cognitive skills, practical skills, personal skills, entrepreneurship, and professional ethics. The paper provides recommendations for further research on employability skills and emphasizes the importance of considering the views of students, graduates, employers, and faculty members in future studies.