Addressing Graduate Unemployment: Aligning Higher Education Curricula with Labour Market Demands

DOI

10.2991/978-94-6463-630-7_5How to use a DOI?

Keywords

Graduate unemployment; Curriculum structure; Skills mismatch; Experiential learning; Career services; Universities of Technology

Abstract

Graduate unemployment is a pressing issue that significantly impacts both individuals and the broader economy. While various initiatives attempt to address this problem, particularly from Universities of Technology, many of these efforts, such as entrepreneurial and Work Integrated Learning (WIL) programs, are not directly linked to the curricula of various disciplines. This study proposes an innovative approach that embeds career services and experiential learning opportunities within all disciplines to mitigate the skills mismatch between graduates’ qualifications and industry demands. The primary objective of this study is to analyse the underlying factors contributing to persistent graduate unemployment, with a particular focus on curriculum structure within different disciplines. The study aims to determine the extent to which the current curricula create conditions that align graduates’ qualifications with industry demands. The guiding research question is: What factors are responsible for graduate unemployment from Universities of Technology? To address this question, the study will employ strategic intelligence, and business process management concepts to analyse the disconnect between graduates’ qualifications and industry needs in the 21st century. The research will use a qualitative approach, specifically conducting interviews with graduates and university staff members from a Universities of Technology. By examining the curriculum structures, the study seeks to uncover how higher education institutions can better align their programs with labor market demands. Additionally, it will explore the roles of career services and experiential learning opportunities in reducing unemployment rates. The research will also investigate how collaboration between higher education institutions and policymakers can address the skills mismatch between graduates and employer expectations. This study’s findings are expected to provide valuable insights into how educational institutions can reform their curricula and enhance their career services to better prepare graduates for the workforce. Ultimately, the research aims to contribute to reducing graduate unemployment by fostering stronger connections between higher education and industry, ensuring that graduates possess the skills and knowledge required to meet current and future labor market needs.

Copyright

© 2024 The Author(s)

Open Access

Open Access This chapter is licensed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/), which permits any noncommercial use, sharing, adaptation, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, as long as you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons license and indicate if changes were made.

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TY  - CONF
AU  - Nondumiso Shabangu
AU  - Nkosinathi Emmanuel Madondo
PY  - 2024
DA  - 2024/12/31
TI  - Addressing Graduate Unemployment: Aligning Higher Education Curricula with Labour Market Demands
BT  - Proceedings of the Focus Conference (TFC 2024)
PB  - Atlantis Press
SP  - 74
EP  - 87
SN  - 2667-128X
UR  - https://doi.org/10.2991/978-94-6463-630-7_5
DO  - 10.2991/978-94-6463-630-7_5
ID  - Shabangu2024
ER  -