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Author Biography

The author is a lecturer at Curtin University and currently a PhD candidate for the program 'PhD Higher Education: Research, Engagement and Enhancement' at the University of Lancaster (UK).

Abstract

This paper critically examines the prevalence of elitism in higher education and the complex challenge it posits for graduate employability. Several sections of this paper explore the concept of elitism through the lens of positional conflict theory and narrow it down to the relative graduate employability challenges that are experienced due to various factors. The current paper contributes to knowledge since the existing pool of literature does not tackle, in isolation, the function of elitism in posing employment challenges for recent graduates and is not expressed in the current conceptualisations selected in this paper. The paper ends with a call for a collective commitment to dismantle elitist structures and empower graduates by fostering a more dynamic educational ecosystem, which is concretised by some recommendations that higher education institutions can implement.

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