In recent years, several national and European strategic documents have recognized the need for closer cooperation among education, businesses and other stakeholders in order to ensure better graduate employability. In this context, it is important to consider not only the quality of study programmes, but also an integrated system for providing support to students within higher education institutions (HEIs). The main goal of this research was to explore how different elements of student support systems are currently organized at European universities and to develop a strategic framework for supporting higher education graduates’ early careers within HEIs, as well as to propose a maturity model focused on study programmes in the field of information and communication technologies (ICT). The research was carried out in several steps involving predominantly qualitative and, to a lesser extent, quantitative research methods, following a five-step methodology for maturity model development based on the design science research paradigm. The final scientific contribution of this thesis is a comprehensive and reliable maturity model for supporting graduates’ early careers within HEIs, based on the strategic framework which fulfils the requirements for both relevance and rigor in design science research. This final maturity model was tested at four HEIs in Croatia and demonstrates significant social contributions in the form of guidelines and recommendations for enhancing the maturity of the HEIs in Croatia for study programmes in the field of ICT. In a broad sense, the results of this research affect relevant stakeholders, including students, alumni, employers and HEIs, which can use the research results not only as tools for the problem-solving of issues related to graduates’ employment, but also as guidelines for creating stimulating policies on the individual, institutional and national levels. In recent years, several national and European strategic documents have recognized the need for closer cooperation among education, businesses and other stakeholders in order to ensure better graduate employability. In this context, it is important to consider not only the quality of study programmes, but also an integrated system for providing support to students within higher education institutions (HEIs). The main goal of this research was to explore how different elements of student support systems are currently organized at European universities and to develop a strategic framework for supporting higher education graduates’ early careers within HEIs, as well as to propose a maturity model focused on study programmes in the field of information and communication technologies (ICT). The research was carried out in several steps involving predominantly qualitative and, to a lesser extent, quantitative research methods, following a five-step methodology for maturity model development based on the design science research paradigm. The final scientific contribution of this thesis is a comprehensive and reliable maturity model for supporting graduates’ early careers within HEIs, based on the strategic framework which fulfils the requirements for both relevance and rigor in design science research. This final maturity model was tested at four HEIs in Croatia and demonstrates significant social contributions in the form of guidelines and recommendations for enhancing the maturity of the HEIs in Croatia for study programmes in the field of ICT. In a broad sense, the results of this research affect relevant stakeholders, including students, alumni, employers and HEIs, which can use the research results not only as tools for the problem-solving of issues related to graduates’ employment, but also as guidelines for creating stimulating policies on the individual, institutional and national levels. Posljednjih godina nekoliko europskih i nacionalnih strateških dokumenata ističe potrebu za boljim povezivanjem obrazovnog sustava s gospodarskim sektorom i ostalim interesnim dionicima, kako bi se osigurala bolja zapošljivost diplomanata. U tom kontekstu važno je uzeti u obzir, ne samo kvalitetu studijskih programa, već cjelokupan integrirani sustav pružanja podrške studentima u okviru visokih učilišta (VU). Glavni cilj ovog istraživanja bio je istražiti način na koji su različiti elementi sustava pružanja podrške studentima u ranom razvoju karijera organizirani na europskim sveučilištima te razviti strateški okvir za pružanje podrške diplomantima u ranom razvoju karijera u okviru VU, uz prijedlog pripadajućeg model zrelosti usmjerenog na studijske programe u području informacijsko-komunikacijskih tehnologija (IKT). Istraživanje je provedeno kroz nekoliko koraka koji uključuju prvenstveno kvalitativne istraživačke metode te u manjoj mjeri kvantitativne metode, a slijede metodologiju za izgradnju modela zrelosti u pet koraka temeljenu na principima istraživačke paradigme znanosti o dizajniranju. Konačan znanstveni doprinos ove disertacije je sveobuhvatan i pouzdan model zrelosti za pružanje podrške diplomantima u ranom razvoju karijera u okviru VU temeljen na strateškom okviru koji zadovoljava zahtjeve relevantnosti i rigoroznosti znanosti o dizajniranju. Konačan model zrelosti testiran na četiri VU u Republici Hrvatskoj (RH) te pokazuje značajan društveni doprinos u obliku smjernica i preporuka za povećanje razine zrelosti VU u RH, za studijske programe u području IKT-a. U širem kontekstu ovo istraživanje ima utjecaj na relevantne dionike, uključujući studente, alumnije, poslodavce i VU koji mogu koristiti rezultate istraživanja kao alat za djelomično rješavanje problema zapošljivosti diplomanata, ali također i kao smjernice za kreiranje poticajnih politika na individualnoj, institucionalnoj i nacionalnoj razini.