THE ROLE OF THE PROFESSIONAL ASSOCIATION IN IMPROVING EDUCATION FOR THE EMPLOYABILITY OF SOCIOLOGISTS

Abstract

One of the problems facing the sociological profession is the limited employment opportunities. The professional roles and responsibilities of sociologists in various fields (business, public services, government, civil sector) are insufficiently defined, except in relation to education and research activities. Therefore, it is difficult to answer the question of what skills, methods and procedures should be part of sociological education, and which sociologists can present to an employer during a job interview. The focus of this paper is the activities of the American Sociological Association (ASA), which seeks to expand employment opportunities for sociologists and support the application of sociological expertise in professional contexts. After outlining the key concepts, the results of a survey of sociologist employment in the USA, the activities carried out by the ASA, and recommendations on how to structure sociological education and professional practice in order to increase the employability of sociology graduates will be presented. Finally, this paper explores the potential application of the ASA’s experiences and initiatives to improve the employment prospects of sociologists across various fields of Serbian society.