Strategies for Implementing a “Service Learning Program” in Higher Education Institutions (HEIs): Learning Strategies to Improve Employability

Abstract

The question of improving employability, and employer and graduate stu dents’ satisfaction is still pending whether or not we rely on direct internships of students into businesses or their impregnation in a so-called “service learning program (SLP)”. Recall that SLP involves Higher Education Institutions (HEIs), Businesses and Communities as partners with the ultimate goal to improve the welfare of the communities. There are missing elements that HEIs and their lecturers should take care off. Teaching “declarative knowledge” to students and the ways in which such an input must be transformed into “procedural knowledge” or “know-how” is the key to improv ing employability and employer and graduate students’ satisfaction. That is the rationale why this paper is suggesting settling down at the forefront of the learning strategies before building a service-learning program. The lesson to be learned is that a service learning program engaging several groups of actors can deliverunpredictable results; but what should remain a constant must be employability, and employer and students’ satisfaction.