Document Type

Article

Publication Date

2026

DOI

10.1108/ET-08-2025-0597

Publication Title

Education and Training

Volume

68

Issue

10

Pages

156-181

Abstract

Purpose

The employability of postgraduate students remains a critical concern in higher education, as postgraduate programs, particularly at the doctoral level, traditionally focus on disciplinary and research competencies. This leads to a lack of adequate preparation for employment, especially for non-academic roles. This study examines the long-term impacts of an authentic service-learning program on trainees' professional lives, with a particular emphasis on academia. This addresses the need for insight into the long-term impacts of initiatives that enhance postgraduate programs with opportunities for students to acquire transferable competencies prior to entering employment.

Design/methodology/approach

We adopted a narrative inquiry approach to investigate the impacts of a sustained, authentic-learning-based outreach program (GK-12). To explore trainees' experiences, we used a qualitative questionnaire followed by in-depth narrative interviews. A six-step inductive thematic analysis generated over twenty initial themes across different narratives, subsequently refined into nine primary themes.

Findings

Authentic service-learning experiences in the GK-12 program produced profound and lasting impacts on postgraduate trainees' professional development and career trajectories. These included developing a lasting commitment to outreach and social responsibility, clarifying professional goals, enhancing cultural agility, and building portfolios and communication skills that gave them a competitive advantage in securing employment in academia and industry.

Originality/value

This study provides a novel, empirically grounded understanding of the long-term impact of authentic service learning on postgraduate professional development. It addresses a critical gap in the literature on postgraduate employability from the participants' perspectives and highlights that authentic learning environments are active ingredients in fostering relevant and transferable skills beyond traditional disciplinary knowledge.

Rights

© 2026 Mohan Yang, Jonathan Harbor, Belle Li and Jacqueline Nikiema.

This article is published under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0) License. Anyone may reproduce, distribute, translate and create derivative works of this article (for both commercial and non-commercial purposes), subject to full attribution to the original publication and authors.

ORCID

0000-0003-3841-288X (Nikiema)

Original Publication Citation

Yang, M., Harbor, J., Li, B., & Nikiema, J. (2026). Infusing authenticity into a service-learning program: Examining long-term impacts on professional development. Education and Training, 68(10), 156-181. https://doi.org/10.1108/ET-08-2025-0597 

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