This research project seeks to establish the general communication skills required in businesses, and the industry-specific communication skills preferred by employers of new graduates.

Our purpose is to assess current and future trends against course content and development. Have the skill requirements changed as much, or multiplied as quickly, as different communication platforms? Or are the core skill expectations still the same? What are the communication skills of the future?

As a vocationally-based institute, Wintec (Waikato Institute of Technology) needs to ensure that its graduates have the skills required to perform successfully in their chosen careers. In a multi-disciplinary approach across the School of Media Arts and the Centre for Business, Information Technology, and Enterprise, this research aims to identify similarities in general communication skills required by employers across several disciplines – from accountancy, business, arts, design, and beyond.