Educational implications in generic skills improvement from participation in overseas working programs

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to reveal generic skills improvement from participation in overseas working programs using Taiwanese young adults taking an Australian working holiday program as an example. Design/methodology/approach In this study, respondents needed to be those who had participated in an Australian working holiday program and had stayed in Australia for at least six months so that their experiences would be extensive enough to enable answering questions in the questionnaire. There were a total of 122 respondents. After eliminating incomplete observations, there were a total of 95 valid observations. Findings The average number of jobs held per person was 2.77, and farm and factory jobs seemed to be popular. Thinking skills and learning skills were significantly improved, especially for highly motivated respondents. An unfamiliar working environment in foreign countries reinforces personal characteristics. Students who participate in overseas working programs need to interact with local people to improve communication skills, especially for those who are less motivated. Although the natural environment is the main attraction for students who participate in overseas working programs, improvement in generic skills is actually the core factor for students to benefit from the experiences. Originality/value The results of this study would be useful for working holiday participants to understand what they can expect to experience in improving generic skills and further to form a baseline for future studies as well as guidelines for promoting Australian working holiday programs.