Boitumelo Makhubele, Musawenkosi Donia Saurombe
Abstract
Traditionally, the academic profession has globally been characterised as being for more seasoned and mature professionals, who after acquiring practical expertise in their respective vocations, would enter the academic arena to disseminate the knowledge they acquired over the span of their careers. This is corroborated by how conventional academics were often perceived as fountains of knowledge and wisdom from which students would drink, as per the orthodox teaching philosophies. However, with the ageing academic workforce, there is growing pressure on higher education institutions to secure and create a highly talented cohort and pipeline of academics. Using a conceptual research methodology, this paper sought to explore effective ways of developing young career academics into the talent pool that South African higher education institutions need to ensure sustainability in the future. The main findings of this paper were that a reputable employer brand, an attractive EVP and a distinguishable employment experience is critical towards the effective career development of young academics. The paper contributes to the existing literature on the career development of young academics.