Graduates' Employability Skills in East Africa

Autor/inn/en	Guàrdia, Lourdes; Mancini, Federica; Jacobetty, Pedro; Maina, Marcelo
Titel	Graduates' Employability Skills in East Africa
Quelle	In: Journal of Teaching and Learning for Graduate Employability, 12 (2021) 2, S.169-184 (16 Seiten)Infoseite zur Zeitschrift PDF als Volltext kostenfreie Datei Verfügbarkeit
Sprache	englisch
Dokumenttyp	gedruckt; online; Zeitschriftenaufsatz
ISSN	1838-3815
Schlagwörter	College Graduates; Employment Potential; Education Work Relationship; Career Readiness; Skill Development; Job Skills; Thinking Skills; Soft Skills; Competence; Labor Market; Knowledge Economy; Leadership; Foreign Countries; Stakeholders; Uganda; Tanzania; Kenya + Suchen Sie Ihr Suchwort? Hochschulabsolvent; Hochschulabsolventin; Arbeitsmarktbezogene Qualifikation; Beschäftigungsfähigkeit; Kompetenzentwicklung; Qualifikationsentwicklung; Produktive Fertigkeit; Denkfähigkeit; Kompetenz; Labour market; Arbeitsmarkt; Knowledge society; Economy; Wissensgesellschaft; Wirtschaft; Führung; Führungsposition; Ausland; Tansania; Kenia
Abstract	This paper reports a study about the perceptions of the academic community, employers and civil servants regarding graduates' employability skills in East Africa. Specifically, it focuses on the mismatch between skills acquired in Higher Education (HE) and those in demand by employers, and explores factors influencing the situation. A mixed method approach was implemented including a survey and a set of focus groups. The questionnaire on employability skills was distributed among regional stakeholders attending the Open Day events organised by three East African HE Institutions. A Principal Components Analysis was applied for the categorisation of the most in-demand skills and the identification of four major workplace skill sets. To gain further insights into the stakeholders' perceptions of the graduate employability skills gap, 11 focus groups were organised at the same universities. The general results showed that employability skills were mostly perceived as insufficiently developed during the students' progress in their programs. The final results enabled a better understanding of the nuanced relationship between labour market valuation and graduates' acquisition of each skill set. It also allowed us to identify problems and barriers, and suggest possible solutions to overcome the shortcomings experienced by the sub-Saharan HE system. (As Provided).
Anmerkungen	Journal of Teaching and Learning for Graduate Employability. Deakin University, 221 Burwood Highway, Burwood, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia 3125. Web site: https://ojs.deakin.edu.au/index.php/jtlge/
Erfasst von	ERIC (Education Resources Information Center), Washington, DC
Update	2024/1/01