Analysis of the recruitment process and employment challenges of Information Science and Knowledge Studies students, In order to provide policy solutions to meet the needs of the higher education system and society

The present study aimed to analyze the recruitment process and employment challenges of Information Science and Knowledge Studies students in order to provide policy solutions to meet the needs of the higher education system.

This research is an applied research and its method is a qualitative method in the interviews section and descriptive-analytical in the documents and statistics section. In order to study the process of attracting students of Information Science and Knowledge Studies, statistical data of the Institute of Research and Planning of Higher Education during the years 2011-12 to 2017-18 were used. In order to collect information from the qualitative department, a purposeful semi-structured interview was conducted with 14 graduate and doctoral students in the field of Information Science and Knowledge Studies. Descriptive analysis method has been used to analyze the data of the statistics section and thematic analysis has been used as a research strategy to analyze the semi-structured interviews section.

The findings of the research in the statistical review section showed that the highest number of enrollees in the field of Information Science and Knowledge Studies in the doctoral program in the academic year 2016-2017, in the master's degree program in the academic year 2016-2017, and in the undergraduate program in 2011-2012. In terms of gender, in all the years studied, the total number of female enrollees was more than the number of male enrollees. Findings indicated that the highest number of enrollments in the field of Information Science and Knowledge Studies was related to the academic year 2011-2012. Then the enrollment has taken a downward trend in the academic year 2014-2015 with a slight, there has been an increase.

To address the employment challenges of graduates in the field of Information Science and Knowledge Studies, three steps should be considered before the student and during the student recruitment process, during the student and post-student. Before attracting and admitting students, it is necessary to pay attention to their basic practical skills and competencies and their motivation and interest in this field. During their student time, it is necessary to find employment courses for students in this field to get acquainted with various jobs related to their expertise should be held and while identifying the needs and skills required by jobs, society and industry by the university and policy-making institutions and their application in university content and topics, carding skills, communication skills, scientific research skills, knowledge and practical skills of students. This field should be strengthened in the university. Also, the titles of dissertations and doctoral dissertations in this field should be selected based on the needs assessment of the labor market and society and the demand-oriented approach.