Document Type
Article
Source of Publication
Cogent Education
Publication Date
8-5-2026
Abstract
This study examines how undergraduate students navigate employability within an AI-driven labor market, highlighting the role of digital social capital, personal branding, and multicultural identity management in a rapidly modernizing, culturally diverse setting. Employing a constructivist grounded theory approach, semi-structured interviews were conducted with 12 undergraduates across STEM and humanities disciplines. Data were coded iteratively using constant comparative methods until theoretical saturation. Five major categories emerged: experiential learning, professional networking, digital self-promotion, cultural identity tensions, and technological adaptability. The study proposes an ‘AI-Driven Employability Framework’ that integrates Human, Social, and Cultural Capital theories and develops two context-specific extensions: digital social capital, referring to the platform-mediated conversion of professional visibility and relationships into career opportunities, and multicultural capital, referring to the capacity to navigate global professional demands while maintaining and strategically mobilizing cultural and linguistic identity. The findings recommend that higher education institutions integrate digital branding and intercultural competence training into their curricula, align career services with AI literacy goals, and support bilingual identity development to enhance graduate readiness for AI-mediated careers.
DOI Link
ISSN
Publisher
Informa UK Limited
Volume
13
Issue
1
Disciplines
Education
Keywords
AI-driven employability, Employability skills, grounded theory, higher education, human capital theory, social capital theory
Scopus ID
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
Recommended Citation
Baroudi, Sandra; Davison, Christina; and Juma, Maryam, "From curriculum to career: a grounded theory of AI-driven employability in higher education" (2026). All Works. 8153.
https://zuscholars.zu.ac.ae/works/8153
Indexed in Scopus
yes
Open Access
yes
Open Access Type
Gold: This publication is openly available in an open access journal/series