Abstract
Graduate work readiness (GWR) has become increasingly important as countries capitalise on skilled workers’ contribution to economic growth. The GWR discourse has matured; however, the literature highlights a need for more conceptual clarity to develop skills and sound measurement tools. This study aimed to devise a new GWR scale to address this discrepancy. It defines a theoretical model as a foundation for developing a GWR scale and uses an exploratory sequential mixed methods design to investigate its underlying factor structure. Phase 1 drew from extant literature to establish a coherent theoretical model with comprehensive definitions. Phase 2, the scale development, started with an extensive item pool development, which labour market stakeholders (n = 17) reviewed. A Bayesian Exploratory Factor Analysis with observations (n = 101) from an employer survey revealed four underlying latent constructs: cognitive, metacognition, interpersonal, and intrapersonal skills. Reliability tests indicate good instrument internal consistency. This paper provides initial evidence of a multidimensional GWR scale and its psychometric properties. For reproducibility and generalisability, further studies can determine the validity of this hypothetical factor structure and investigate the relationships between factors.