Developing employability capitals through overseas higher education: an autoethnographic research

Employability has been a prominent topic in higher education worldwide in recent years. Existing literature indicates that overseas higher education contributes positively to the development of diverse employability-related skills and competences. This autoethnographic research explores how international students develop employability skills through their experiences in higher education abroad. The study employs Tomlinson’s graduate capital model as a theoretical framework, which encompasses human, social, cultural, identity, and psychological capitals. Guided by the Five Foci framework, this autoethnographic research analyses the first author’s personal overseas higher education experiences as an international student in Australia, with the last author serving as a critical friend. The findings reveal that the authors gradually built employability-related competencies while studying abroad and later applied them in different contexts. Therefore, this study contributes a practical reference for other international students navigating similar paths, as well as laying the foundation for future research in this area. We frame ‘skills’ or ‘competencies’ as components within employability capitals.