Nexus Between Entrepreneurship Education and Employability Skills of Tertiary Institution Students in Ilorin Metropolis

This study examines nexus between entrepreneurship education and employability skills of tertiary institution students in Ilorin metropolis. To establish this, two research questions were raised for the study. The target population for the study comprised students of Kwara state College of Education, Ilorin. One hundred and eighty students were randomly selected. A structured questionnaire was designed as the instrument for data collection. Regression analysis statistical method at 0.05 level of significance was used to test the formulated hypotheses. The study revealed that entrepreneurship curriculum contents contain information on how students can identify and shape opportunities, new business concepts and bring through entrepreneurship among students of tertiary institution in Ilorin Metropolis. This study concluded that entrepreneurship education is a good policy on employability skills acquisition among students which makes them to be self-sustenance after graduation. The study recommended among others that entrepreneurship lecturers should introduce and use innovative/modern methods in teaching students of higher institutions the art and practice of entrepreneurship. This can be achieved by ensuring that right facilities are in place and the lecturers must be qualified and equipped with adequate and updated knowledge and skills. Keywords: Curriculum, Entrepreneurship, Education, Employability skills, Ilorin

Business employability for late millennials: exploring the perceptions of generation Z students and generation X faculty

Purpose The paper aims to explore employability in business as perceived by Generation Z (late millennials) business students and faculty. It focuses on perceptions regarding necessary employability skills from the diverse standpoints of two different groups of stakeholders within one Higher Education Institution. Design/methodology/approach The paper uses a Mixed Qualitative Design approach including a core and a supplementary component; Generation Z student perceptions are initially identified through a thematic analysis of students’ research reports on employability. These perceptions are then further contextualized through findings from a series of personal interviews conducted with Generation X academics in the same institution. Findings The findings support the two basic dimensions of perceived employability, work readiness and employability skills, for which students and educators hold similar notions. Both stakeholders distinguish between “hard” and “soft” skills, but filter their relative importance through a generational lens. An emerging finding was the link between personality traits and perceived employability skills. Originality/value The paper examines the much-debated issue of perceived employability through the eyes of Generation Z students; research on employability perceptions of Generation Z is, to date, limited. The topic is timely, as Generation Z is the newest generation entering the business job market. In addition, the paper adds to the emerging contemporary stream of literature exploring employability in the field of business education.

Level of Perceived Employability of Engineering Students in Kathmandu Valley

The discourse of employability revolves around the mitigation of mismatch between educational outcomes and the job market demand. This discourse is pertinent in engineering education as it is dedicated to producing human resources with the required employability skills. In this context, the students - to whom employability is transformed - are in the central focus. Their perceptions about their abilities in demonstrating and performing in the world of work require attention to connect education and their work. Considering this, the level of perceived employability of the engineering students studying in their final year was measured by using a self-constructed scale in a representative sample of 314 students of Kathmandu valley. The finding shows that the graduating students’ perceived employability was not consolidated and optimised to reflect on their behaviour and practices. It is at the level of ‘emergence’ and ‘presence’, which is thus not enough to see in their abilities to perform better. Therefore, the students were not able to perform as per the expectation of the market. The key implication of this study is that the gap of work-study transition stipulated to be minimised for the employability of the graduates with their exposure in the world of work.

Are Pakistani Business Schools Fulfilling the Requirements of Pakistan’s Growing IT Industry?

Even with its expanding nature, IT industry in Pakistan has been neglected by the researchers and no research has been conducted to understand the needs of this industry with regards to the required employability skills in business school graduates. This is research conducted to understand the extent to which business schools are satisfying the needs of the IT industry for which 15 IT firm HR managers were interviewed. It can be concluded that the most important and sought after employability skills by IT firm HR managers are interpersonal communication skills and lifelong learning skills. It was surprising to note that even though IT firms realized the high standard of foreign universities they felt that graduates from high ranking Pakistani universities were a better option for them as they understood the dynamics of Pakistani market. Even though all firms were dissatisfied by low ranking business schools, there were still those that gave equal opportunity to all business school graduates and gauged them in isolation regardless of their business school. The paper at the end provides recommendations for Pakistani business schools that would help them to place themselves among world’s top ranking business schools.

Survey of Employability Skills Possessed by Undergraduates in Kwara State, Nigeria

Graduate unemployment has been a continual challenge in Nigerian society due to graduates’ inability to meet up with the current expectations of the labour market. These worries have been given serious attention in the present labour market. The employers, school authorities and policymakers continue to emphasize the importance of ‘employability skills’ in order for graduates to be fully equipped in meeting the challenges of an increasingly flexible labour market as these skills are rarely taught in the school. This study surveyed the employability skills possessed by undergraduates in Kwara state, Nigeria while the target population was undergraduates at the University of Ilorin, Kwara State, Nigeria. Specifically, the study investigated the level of employability skills, the perceived factors influencing the employability of undergraduates, the extent of self-development skills and job searching techniques as well as the interview skills possessed by undergraduates. Descriptive research based on survey design was employed. A sample of 353 students were drawn from a population of 4,362 students who participated as respondents. The Survey of Employability Skills of Undergraduates Questionnaire (SESUQ) was used as an instrument for data collection and the instrument's reliability coefficient of 0.82, 0.84, 0.86 and 0.76 were obtained via Cronbach Alpha. Frequency, percentage, mean and standard deviation were employed for analysis. The results obtained signify that the employability level of undergraduates at the University of Ilorin was at an average level. Among others, a recommendation was made that the University management should, as a matter of urgency, create a graduate employability programme that includes such employability techniques as interview skills, job searching skills, entrepreneurial skills and self-development skills.

Visibilization of Graduating Student Employability Skills via ePortfolio Practices

Embedding employability skills into the core of higher education is a priority worldwide to reduce the skills gap and better equip graduates for entering or progressing in the workplace. This chapter presents an innovative solution based on high impact e-portfolio practices developed within the H2020 EPICA project oriented towards making employability skills visible. It also reports on the implementation of a new methodology for assessing and micro-credentialing employability skills tested in three East African universities. The pilot carried out in a variety of study programs is described along with the measures taken to address the spread of COVID-19. Lessons learnt, transfer possibilities, and organizational implications are also reported as a final note on the experience. This high impact learning experience aims to inspire academic institutions to innovate by integrating e-portfolio and micro-credentials along with fresh pedagogical practices and strategies that better align the future workforce with societal and economic demands.

Employability of job applicants in skilful jobs: commonality in employer and employee perspectives

Purpose The purpose of this research is to explore the employer and employee perspectives about the employability skills of skilful jobs. The research is conducted in a developing country (Palestine) which has a high percentage of university graduates, high unemployment rate and intense job competition. This paper defines skilful jobs as those that require employees who have attended a college or university and have completed a two-year diploma or a four-year degree.Design/methodology/approach This research integrates the components of discussion with local experts in the skilled labour market, primary data from employers (N = 415) and primary data from employees (N = 880). Binary logistic regression is used to measure the relationship between the dependent variable (likelihood of hire or not hire) and independent variables (job applicants' hard and soft skills).Findings The results from both employer and employee data revealed that the previous work experience, computer skills, professional certifications and high grade point average have significant impact on hiring and recruitment in the skilful jobs. In addition to these, the employers seek applicants who have communication skills. However, the employees consider personal relationship with employers to be a highly significant factor in accepting job offers.Practical implications To increase their likelihood of obtaining a skilful job, and then sustaining it, the job seekers should hone their soft skills and acquire professional certifications. The universities should adapt their curriculum to match these skills and move their focus from disciplinary knowledge to competencies. The public policy makers should design awareness and capacity building programmes that will facilitate the recent graduates' integration into the labour market. The empirical model in this study shows that previous work experience is the most important recruitment factor for employers – accordingly, creating internships and apprenticeship opportunities would be its clear policy implication.Originality/value The study contributes to the literature by providing a parsimonious employability model of skilful jobs, which fits as much as possible the perspectives of the employers and employees about the employability skills in a developing country.

Bridging the employability skills gap: going beyond classroom walls

Purpose Employability skills are critical for success in the workplace, even more so in this era of globalisation of economies and advancement in technologies. However, there is ample evidence of the gap between the skills acquired by graduates at universities and the skills expected by employers in the workplace. Applying the modes of grasping and transforming the experience embodied in Kolb’s experiential learning theory (ELT) (1976, 1984), the purpose of this paper is to examine the development of employability skills of accountancy students through their involvement in two extracurricular activities: community accounting and an accountancy club. Design/methodology/approach Underpinned by Kolb’s (1976, 1984) four modes of ELT and work-integrated learning to develop professional competencies required for future work, an online survey of accounting students was conducted to assess their reflections on involvement in these two aforementioned extracurricular activities over a two-year period. Findings The findings indicate that the students had developed useful cognitive and behavioural skills from their participation in these extracurricular activities. These findings are consistent with the literature on internships and service-learning, both of which have been associated with transferable skills development. Originality/value Prior studies focused on in-classroom learning activities or internships to help students develop various essential skills required in the workplace. However, extracurricular activities have received little attention in the accounting education literature. This study provides insights into skills accounting students can gain from extracurricular participation in community accounting and an accountancy club.