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Abstract

Many graduates upon graduation from college or university find it difficult to get the job they planned to enter after they leave school. Employers are claiming that the new graduates are not equipped with the necessary skills required to work for them. Hence, they are not hirable. Obviously, it is easy to shift blame on academic for failing to prepare students with the necessary skills to be gainfully employed upon graduation. However, this is an issue that needs to be addressed jointly by all stakeholders involved in educating these potential college graduates while in school. This article addresses what skills gap is, some of its causes, and what to be done by students, educators and the industry to limit its effect on the future college graduates.
Ejiwale, J.A. (2014). Limiting Skills Gap Effect on Future College Graduates.
Journal of Education and Learning. Vol.8 (3) pp. 209-216.
Limiting Skills Gap Effect on Future College Graduates
James A. Ejiwale
*
Jackson State University
Abstract
Many graduates upon graduation from college or university find it difficult to get the job they planned to enter
after they leave school. Employers are claiming that the new graduates are not equipped with the necessary skills
required to work for them. Hence, they are not hirable. Obviously, it is easy to shift blame on academic for
failing to prepare students with the necessary skills to be gainfully employed upon graduation. However, this is
an issue that needs to be addressed jointly by all stakeholders involved in educating these potential college
graduates while in school. This article addresses what skills gap is, some of its causes, and what to be done by
students, educators and the industry to limit its effect on the future college graduates.
Keywords: Computational thinking, technical skills, Skills gap, Soft skills
*
James A. Ejiwale, Associate Professor, Jackson State University, College of Science, Engineering, &
Technology, Department of Technology, Jackson, MS 39217
E-mail: james.a.ejiwale@jsums.edu
210 Limiting Skills Gap Effect on Future College Graduates
Introduction
Education is a wise investment anyone can make. This amounts to one of the many reasons
why many people are getting college education. In addition, they want to be gainfully employed upon
graduation. Unfortunately, that story has changed. Sadly, getting college education in today’s world and
economy does not guarantee any job offer because “employers are skeptical of recent graduates”
(Yashchin, 2014). As a matter of fact, many college graduates upon graduation are just realizing that
they are not qualified to be hired by their potential employers owing to the fact that they do not possess
the required skills the employers are looking for in college graduates. Therefore, “an increasing number
of disillusioned grads are taking jobs decidedly below their level of education” (Yashchin, 2014). While
college grads have gone to school to be educated with degrees in their respective field of study, their
preparation is still short of what the potential employer is looking for before they are employed. This
situation is due to a “skills gap” effect (Schepp, 2013; Yashchin, 2014). This article will discuss what
skills gap is, its causes and what to be done by students, educators and the industry to reduce or
eliminate skills gap effect on the future college graduates.
What is skills gap?
Many authors have attempted to define skills gap from different perspectives. According to
Kanter (2013) it is defined as a “mismatch between open jobs and skills.” Spiegel (2013) asserted that
skills gap is “a mismatch between the education and skills that many Americans have and what
employers need.” According to ASTD (2012) a skills gap is defined as:
a significant gap between an organization’s current capabilities and the skills it needs to achieve its
goals. It is the point at which an organization can no longer grow or remain competitive because it
cannot fill critical jobs with employees who have the right knowledge, skills, and abilities.
The context for skills gap and economic restructuring
Many organizations and companies often complain about the difficulty of getting recent
college graduates with the required skills and adequate training for available jobs (Kanter, 2013). This
struggle by American industry to fill the open positions is said to be a mismatch between the education
and skills that many Americans have and what employers need (Spigel 2013). However, this shortage of
qualified workforce that has continued to impact industry’s productivity has the potential for negative
impact on the nation’s economy.
More importantly, this mismatch between open jobs and skills (Kanter, 2013) that is not
unique to the U.S. businesses and industries but global is consequential. Notably, the price is stiff when
communities, states, regions, and entire nations cannot find or equip workers with the right skills for
critical jobs. However, other nations and their businesses have discovered ways of addressing the issue
before it gets out of hands. Therefore it behooves all businesses and industries around the globe
particularly in the U.S. to identify what constitute the biggest gaps in workplace readiness and find
solutions to it. All hands must be on deck.
Some causes of skills gap and what should be done to limit its effect
“If an organization is to become successful it must operate efficiently and effectively by
identifying the skill gaps that exist with employees (Richardson, n.d.). There is a skills gap and it is
necessary to fix this problem. The knowledge of its causes is important so as to be able to diagnose the
right solutions. Some of the causes are:
Poor preparation of students in elementary and high schools
Many repots have cited poor preparation of the students in high school before entering colleges
as one of the main causes of the mismatch between open jobs and skills (Kanter, 2013). Erickson (2013)
observed that this “problem starts with learning standards that are too often not aligned with college and
career needs and the reality that many students are moving from grade to grade without meeting even
those misaligned standards.”
Definitely when the educational foundation is bad, whatever is built upon such foundation will
not hold very well. More importantly, good teacher education should be fostered to enhance effective
teaching and learning. Since high school students are the future workforce, it is essential that they get
strong educational background. While in school, they should be prepared to successfully engage in an
academic experience that will help prepare them for their future career.
Ejiwale, J. (2014). Journal of Education and Learning. Vol.8 (2) pp. 209-216. 211
Lack of STEM education and diversity in STEM industry
In some communities, STEM education and training are not offered in their schools. These
minorities in underserved or struggling school districts are at risk of being left behind if care is not
taken. “Unlike their more affluent counterparts, students who live in underserved communities typically
lack access to what are now considered STEM basics: up-to-date laboratories, laptop or tablet
computers and access to the Internet” (Williams 2014). There should be equal educational opportunities
for all and no community should be marginalized.
Williams (2014) observed that black and Latino students make up less than 20 percent of those
studying in science- or math-based disciplines in colleges. In addition, the 2012 statistics from the U.S.
Department of Labor, indicates that minorities make up less than 5 percent of the STEM-based
workforce on the job. This population constitute the minority groups in our society. More importantly,
there should be concerted effort to increase diversity in STEM industries to ensure that the underserved
communities are reached. One way to do this could be through the provision of a rigorous Summer
STEM education program and Saturday Academy for these unreached students in low-income areas.
Lack of employers’ involvement in curriculum development
For education to lead to jobs, employers should be involved (Kanter, 2013). For companies to
make an impact, partnerships with universities to help prepare graduates for the workplace should be
established (Freeman, 2013). Employers’ should be involved in curriculum development so that all
necessary competencies are jointly identified and implemented in the curriculum. “Businesses can
communicate their immediate and anticipated needs so that educational institutions can develop
programs to train students for the necessary skills” (Spiegel 2013). In addition, case studies that are at
the heart of many business schools syllabi must evolve to include real time "live" dialogue on real
business issues both inside the classroom with company executives, and outside the classroom through
consulting assignments, research projects, case competitions and internships (Freeman 2013).
Poor communication skills by college graduates
Poor communication skills by college graduate is said to be one of the biggest gaps in their
workplace readiness. Definitely in the present day and time, it is a problem if you come out of school
with great technical skills, but you can't write well or do a cogent presentation (Nolop, 2013). Many
students upon graduation from the university lack effective writing skills because many schools are not
placing sufficient emphasis on writing and grammar as it used to be in the past. As such students
entering the workforce upon graduation with poor communication skills will not be able to write
effective memos, letters, and technical reports (Nolop 2013). More importantly, the syllabus on business
communication course should be revamped by increasing the learning methods in areas like writing
essays and research papers (Nolop 2013). In addition, specialized courses in business communications
should be offered.
Lack of learning how to learn skills by students
Learning how to learn on the job is an essential skill for a fresh college graduate.
Unfortunately, not many schools teach students this skill. According to Freeman (2013) as technology
develops rapidly, the life span of any body of "knowledge" reduces. In addition, as information
technology automates more, many professions and traditional jobs are destroyed in the industries. This
should be an eye opener for all stakeholders in the education business. Students should realize that in
today’s world, to be successful, they must be flexible and creative. “The new world rewards diversity,
not uniformity. And being different, apart from possessing hard knowledge, requires "soft skills" and
personality traits that are not taught in most of today's universities; such as social intelligence, passion,
curiosity, optimism and, especially, common sense” (Freeman 2013).
No employer is willing to hire a college graduate with no potential of adding value to the
success or productivity of that organization. Therefore, it is now a necessity for students to make effort
to become a valuable employee to their potential employers. “Blaming institutions, faculty or political
leaders for the failure of a student who simply doesn't make the effort necessary to be a valuable
employee is not helping that student. Instead, it is better for the students to know “that there always has
and always will be a direct correlation between effort and results” (Kerrey, 2013).
Poor marketing of available job
Poor marketability of the jobs available could be blamed for industry inability to fill critical
jobs with employees who have the right qualifications and skills. When nobody speaks about a job that
is available, there will be no perception of it. Definitely there will be no aspiration by the potential
212 Limiting Skills Gap Effect on Future College Graduates
employee. When there is marketing or perception problem, there will be scarcity of the qualified
workforce. Therefore, this situation is attributable to a national or individual relationship with work and
not necessarily due to a skills gap. On the other hand, an interest or a will gap could be the reasons if the
jobs that are available are available primarily because people don’t want them. If certain jobs are
marginalized as jobs with no future or career possibility, potential employees may not want these jobs.
When a better case is made for other vocations when it’s about time to go to college, students may
gravitate to this stigma or stereotype and in the end decline to pursue educational programs with
potential for better careers. As such poor advertisement of job’s availability could lead to lack of
perception.
Companies don't want to invest in training new employees
The purpose of college education is to provide students with some skills set to navigate
through life. However, upon graduation when gainfully employed, there is need for some training for a
new hire straight out of school. Unfortunately, companies don't want to train people fresh from college
any more. Instead, they prefer to hire trained or “certified” people for the jobs. This could be a trade
school graduate that is narrowly trained in whatever they need – graduates without discernible skills.
The problem here is twofold: On the one hand, employers do not want to take on the expense to invest
in and train graduates who will leave right afterwards and on the other, they do not want to pay fair
American wages for experienced hires.
Spiegel (2013) attributed the problem that led to mismatch between open jobs and skills to be a
training gap and not skills gap. Therefore, employers should offer the opportunity for student training
through apprenticeship, internship and cooperative educational experiences. This will reduce the effect
of students gaining worthless certificates through dodgey courses that lack training as basic as handling
tools. More importantly, apprenticeships will benefit both the employee and the employers. While it can
offer an opportunity for workers to get the exact skills they need, it can as well offer a precise match
between the skills employers want and the training workers receive (Weber, 2014).
Poor estimation of STEM worker demand
It has been observed that inaccurate estimation of the STEM worker demand is a challenge
(Kim, 2014). According to the Government Accountability Office (GAO) report, the author partly
blamed the demand for STEM workers on the economic conditions that fluctuates. As a result, it has
been difficult to tell whether the nation has enough workers in science, technology, engineering and
mathematics and related careers. In the same report, statistics on students seeking STEM degrees do not
translate to STEM workforce numbers because many graduates take jobs outside their majors.” As an
example from the GAO report, only 38 percent of people in 2012 with STEM bachelor’s degrees
worked in a STEM job while sixty-two percent worked in non-STEM jobs. Due to these reasons, it may
be difficult to conclude that skills gap has resulted from poor preparation of the college students upon
graduation but due to poor estimation error.
Lack of clarity on the skills employers need
Despite many discussions about skills gap and possible solutions, it still remain unclear which
skills Americans are lacking. However, Schepp (2013) sums up employers claim that “today's
workforce lacks a combination of skills.” While each company looks for a different mix of skills and
experience based on the nature of the business (Lorenz, 2014), potential college graduate looking for
job in today’s economy should be well prepared in both technical and interpersonal (soft skills). More
importantly, it is a fact that hiring managers are also looking for soft skills. This is “a cluster of personal
qualities, habits, attitudes and social graces that make someone a good employee and compatible to
work with” (Lorenz, 2014; Schepp, 2013).
Lack of on the job training by professors.
Technology develops rapidly (Freeman, 2013), thus the life span of any body of "knowledge"
has become shorter than ever before. More importantly, information technology automates more.
Educators should be aware of this impact and the need to strive hard to catch up as quickly as possible.
Skills gap has caught educators off guard. Students should realize that in today’s world, to be
successful, they must be flexible and creative. For educators to keep up, it would be necessary for
professors to alternate between instruction and their own 'OJT' in private industry - one year working,
one year teaching (Newman 2013). In addition, three to five years industrial and hands-on experience
should be required of a potential college professor before he or she is hired to teach in technology or
engineering field. Influx of fresh college graduates with doctorate degrees in disciplines that requires
Ejiwale, J. (2014). Journal of Education and Learning. Vol.8 (2) pp. 209-216. 213
hands-on experience without industrial experience will constitute a disservice to the students that will
become the future workforce.
Implication for students, educators and the industry
There is sense of urgency in creating the workforce needed to increase economic growth by the
United States so as to be able to produce large quantity of the world’s global output. Simply put, while
the onus should be on those that train and not on those who need to be trained, it is imperative that all
stakeholders (students, educators, and the industry) in the matter should brace up.
Students
“Gone are the days when one could graduate college, knowing that rewarding work was
available in one’s field of study” (Yashchin, 2014). The fact is that you need to learn more skills after
spending four years in college to secure a well-paid position in the workforce. Maintaining the status
quo will not help because your higher education return on investment will be far lower than you might
have been led to believe while entering the college. However, there is still hope for better things to
come and it starts with you. According to Kerrey (2013) in his article titled “Students: Closing the skills
gap has to begin with you,” the author suggested the following three things that need to happen to get
companies the skilled graduates they need. They are:
The first is to recognize that this problem of employers not finding graduates with the right skills is
more likely to solve itself from the bottom up rather than yielding to new demands from the top.
The college choices of millions of students are going to be affected by the availability of new
information about which degrees and institutions are most successful in preparing graduates for
employment. Faculty and university administrators who want their students to succeed, as well as
businesses that are making it increasingly clear what they need, are already responding to this
challenge.
Second, we must insist that community colleges, which are on the front lines of workforce
development, use available research to ensure that their remedial education efforts are directed at
helping students become workforce ready. Regional and state regulators must make it easier for
new entrants—especially those institutions that are using research to make clear what cognitive
skills employers need and what technologies will make it easier for students to gain access to those
skills.
Third, individual students should understand that they bear a significant responsibility for
understanding what employers want. The best way to get that understanding is on-the-job training.
Any student who does not work while they are going to school, or who waits until their last
semester to begin to plan for life after college, is in for a rude awakening.
Educators
As observed by Erickson (2013) “elementary- and secondary-school learning standards are not
well aligned with college expectations, neither are college curricula fully aligned with workforce
needs.” The problem of the learning standards that are too often not aligned with college and career
needs to be addressed. It is a disservice to the students and the nation as a whole when many students
are allowed to move from grade to the other grade without meeting even those misaligned standards.
“Our high schools must produce graduates who can meet the demands of the global economy” (Murray,
2011). This means ensuring that all students are graduating with the college-level academic preparation
and the real-world skills demanded by our colleges, universities, and employers.
In addition, colleges and universities should partner with local community colleges and high
schools to help develop a pipeline of qualified, enthusiastic college ready technology and engineering
students. Industrial and engineering departments should work with high school teachers to help develop
curriculums that will prepare students to study industrial technology and engineering at the college
level. This way, we can balance the need for direct contact with students and working together with
teachers to ensure they have the tools necessary to prepare students.
More importantly, educators, administrators and policy makers should understand that STEM
education should be allowed to find students and not vice versa. It should be allowed to happen and not
forced. When the kids are reached and encouraged to do the activities they want to do, and you don’t
force it, they will be willing to take interest. Simply put, give students the opportunities to fall in love
with STEM in K-12.
There should be partnership between higher institutions of learning and the industry on
curriculum development, syllabi review, training of potential workforce products and the determination
of the required competency. "Competency" consists of the skills and knowledge required by employees
214 Limiting Skills Gap Effect on Future College Graduates
to effectively perform their jobs or specific tasks that you assign to them from time to time. It can
include talent or natural skill (Strategic-Human-Resources.com). This collaboration is necessary to
share information on how to better prepare college or university student upon graduation so as to
become a productive workforce. Industry personnel should be co-opted into the program’s advisory
board membership. Meetings should be held on curriculum development and course syllabus review
and laboratory set up. Employers should have a say in the type of equipment to be procures more so that
it is the same that the potential employee will use upon graduation when employed.
Industry
Companies often complain they are not getting graduates with the skills they need (Kerrey,
2013). More importantly, “If an organization is to become successful it must operate efficiently and
effectively by identifying the skill gaps that exist with employees (Richardson, n.d.). Limiting the skills
gap effects on the future college graduates is a shared responsibility among students, educators and the
industry. While there are many proffered solutions to this problem, the fact still remains of the need to
identify and close the skills gap. There are several techniques and different types of skill gap analysis
materials that are available to help identify these gaps depending on the needs of the individual
company or organization (Richardson, n.d; Parker, n.d.). However, for skill gap analysis to be effective,
it must be performed regularly (O’Farrell, n.d.).
More importantly, determining employees’ competency gap to facilitate training and talent
management is essential. The awareness of “the disparity or difference between the existing abilities
and skills of your employees and what are expected of them in achieving the objectives that you want
them to achieve” (Strategic-Human-Resources.com) will be the basis of the information passed on to
the educators through partnership for efficient curriculum development. This will help in finding
solutions to the skills and knowledge gap problems. Since it is necessary to determine the skills and
knowledge gaps of employees, it is necessary to determine the following:
the types of competencies required to perform the job well,
the required competencies level required of the employee
industry competency standard for each of the position in the organization (Strategic-Human-
Resources.com).
Conclusion
Employers, Students, educators, employers, and government should continue in their efforts to
close the skills gap. There is need for paradigm shift across the board. Students should cultivate the
habit of getting prepared to become a valuable employee to their employers. Point blank, no employer
will hire a college graduate with no guarantee of adding value to the productivity of the organization
they work. Simply put, it is a waste. As a self starter on a job if fortunate to be hired, the employee
should hit the ground with the ability of learning to learn while on the job.
More importantly, students should be well prepared with both the technical and interpersonal
skills. Preparation in one of it alone is not what the employers are after. More importantly, students
should remember always that “whether you are applying for a service position or a technical job, it's
your combination of core and soft skills that will set you apart from the crowd” (Lorenz, 2014). In
addition, learn to sell your potentials very well when job hunting. It is imperative to focus on the skills
most likely to interest the prospective employer and learn to demonstrate these skills through your
resume, during an interview or during career fairs.
Companies value soft skills because research suggests and experience shows that they can be
just as important an indicator of job performance as hard skills” (Lorenz, 2014). The implication for
educators is to revise their curriculum to include information on strong work ethics path to success on
the job. More importantly, each course objective should be written in measurable terms so as to verify if
their students have mastered each skill set.
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... The notion of the future skills gap relates to the potential mismatch between the skills desired by companies and those possessed by the future workforce, which can significantly affect economic competitiveness, business productivity, and individual career advancement (Ejiwale, 2014;Cappelli, 2015). Recognizing and effectively tackling the future skills gap is not merely a matter of academic concern but a vital requirement for current business needs. ...
... Addressing this issue requires collaboration between education and industry. Both students and companies must participate in closing the skills gap (Ejiwale, 2014;Besler et al., 2024), highlighting the necessity for ongoing communication. This dialogue aims to educate stakeholders about the problem and motivate them to act. ...
... This dialogue aims to educate stakeholders about the problem and motivate them to act. Although employees anticipate educational support from their companies, firms frequently expect accountability from their staff (Ejiwale, 2014). Companies should enhance their partnerships with educational institutions to communicate their evolving needs effectively and ensure curricula align with future industry requirements (Rahman et al., 2024). ...
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Over the past few years, numerous future skills frameworks have emerged. These frameworks aim to increase awareness regarding workforce expectations in the coming years, ensuring that economic demands are fulfilled. Still, it has been noticed that the upcoming workforce has different expectations regarding which skills will be required in the near future and what will be expected from them. This phenomenon is described as the future skills gap. An exploratory mixed method design was applied to gain insights into how German companies’ expectations of the skills that will be required in the following 3-5 years align with the expectations of those entering the workforce in the future. The research was conducted via four focus group discussions (n=15) and one online survey (n=194). For the analysis, we divided the sample into three subsamples: tech students, non-tech students, and company representatives. The results indicate that there is, in fact, a significant future skills gap between the expectations of students and company representatives. Most notably, company representatives had higher expectations for Self-determination, Resilience, and Leadership than students. On the other hand, tech students had higher expectations of Mathematical skills, while non-tech students showed a gap through a high focus on Interpersonal skills. This gap poses multiple threats to the economy, and the results of the current study underline the need to take action to ensure that the workforce matches the requirements of the companies in five years’ time.
... They are not reoriented to see all jobs as important while in school to prepare them for work. Definitely, when the educational foundation is bad, whatever is built upon such a foundation will not hold very well (Ejiwale, 2014). As Erickson (2013) notes, this "problem starts with learning standards that are too often not aligned with college and career needs and the reality that many students are moving from grade to grade without meeting even those misaligned standards." ...
... As Erickson (2013) notes, this "problem starts with learning standards that are too often not aligned with college and career needs and the reality that many students are moving from grade to grade without meeting even those misaligned standards." This led to poor preparation for students at the elementary, secondary, and tertiary education levels (Ejiwale, 2014). It is clearly observed that there is a skill gap among engineering graduates in Ethiopia (Jote, 2017). ...
... Definitely, when the educational foundation is bad, whatever is built upon it will not hold very well. This result in inadequate preparation for students' transition from education to work (Ejiwale, 2014). The traditional method of delivery led to a skill shortage (Aleed, 2016). ...
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This study examines an in-depth and systematic review of the effect of education on macroeconomic variables in Ethiopia, taking into account the effect of education systems on the skill gap and unemployment of graduates. Education economies in the literature show the effect of education on economic growth, as well as the effects of education on learner skill and knowledge, as well as unemployment and underemployment. The inclusion of human capital in the growth accounting claimed that people with more education typically have high skills and open the gate of employment, which in turn provides higher production capacity and growth. The capacity and skills that students acquire while in school is a critical factor in the school-to-work transition and increasing productivity. Moreover, the education system is vital to determining the capability of learners and economic development. Meanwhile, Ethiopia did not realize the learning promise due to the increasing crisis of learning systems and its effect on educated unemployment. The incidence of skill gaps and unemployment among the educated undermines economic growth, which widens income inequality and poverty. Furthermore, low enrolment in vocational courses, poor method of delivery, low input availability and accessibility, low-skilled teachers, and poor school-industry linkage were the main contributors to the skill gap, resulting in undesirable outcomes for education. In addition, the new educational development roadmap of Ethiopia did not review the relevant parts of the education system. Therefore, the ministry of education should revisit the new educational development roadmap in line with the learning outcome.
... However, is it just up to a specific program or higher education institution to better prepare students for the workforce? Ejiwale (2014) indicates that all stakeholders, including students, educators, and the hiring industry need to take part in addressing the skills gap issue. ...
... Industry should be included as a part of the higher education curriculum development. Industry must define to those in higher education what their specific needs are in a given field (Ejiwale, 2014). This employer emphasis reaffirms the importance in outcomes assessment criteria and the need to have all stakeholders be fully vested in the process (Duff, 2004). ...
... The same researchers argued that Home Economics teachers' competence in Clothing and Textiles is important as teachers' competence influence the students' learning outcomes. Ejiwale (2014) argued that good teacher education should be fostered to enhance effective teaching and learning, as it is essential for high school students to get strong educational background by engaging them in academic experiences that will help prepare them for their future careers. Forster et al. (2017) also argued that teachers should be competent enough to enable them teach the right skills to the students. ...
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The study appraised the adequacy of University Clothing and Textiles curriculum in equipping students with the requisite skills for the teaching profession. Two research questions and two hypotheses guided the study. The study was a descriptive survey. Ex-post facto research design was used, as there was no manipulation of the variables. The population for the study was drawn from Federal and State Universities in Southern Nigeria, offering Clothing and Textiles in Home Economics Education. The population comprised of 162 final year students and 19 Clothing and Textiles lecturers, giving a total of 181 persons. There was no sampling due to the small size. The entire population took part in the study. A structured questionnaire on a 4-point scale was used to collect data. The data collected were analyzed using mean () and standard deviation, to answer the research questions. The hypotheses were tested using ANOVA and t-test at 0.05 level of significance. The findings of the study indicated that the Clothing and Textiles curriculum in Home Economics Education met the National Universities Commission (NUC) specified learning outcomes of the programme to a great extent. The result also indicated that the curriculum equipped the students with the occupational (vocational and generic) skills for teaching Clothing and Textiles to a great extent. However, there is still need to improve on the methods of delivery of the curriculum to enable students (teacher-trainees) have a better knowledge of the concepts covered in the programme, especially the practical lessons. Recommendations include: assigning students (teacher-trainees) to schools for teaching practice instead of only microteaching classes, as well as industrial attachment in clothing industry for meaningful mastery of the requisite skills in Clothing and Textiles for the teaching profession.
... In the end, a hospitality career is not easy, and graduates have to realize that without having the needed soft skills, it will be hard to be accepted for good employment in the hospitality labor market. Therefore, students have to improve their skills to earn value that looking by employers, to achieve their dreams (Ejiwale, 2014). ...
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Technology is invading the world. It changes what we are used to doing into a digital format. This transition influences the hospitality industry, leading to changes in its requirements, particularly the skills required for employment. These changes have been understood as generic, but over time they have been recognized at the departmental level as well, which has to be addressed when designing higher education curricula to help graduates smoothly apply for hotel jobs. The research aims to identify the most required skills across departments in the Egyptian hotel sector, as well as the minimum level of skills needed to create employable graduates. The research found that soft skills and personal attitudes play a crucial role when recruiting entry-level employees. Also, it revealed deficiencies in graduates' skills, such as technical skills, numeracy, planning, and organizing skills. Therefore, the researchers recommended collaboration between higher education and the hospitality industry to redesign hotel curricula based on recent industry requirements. Keywords: employability skills, fresh graduates, hotel operators, soft skills, and skill gaps.
... Moreover research studies consistently report that higher education graduates are increasingly unable to perform work duties effectively (Tran, 2018). According to Ejiwale (2014) the lack of required competencies might hinder in finding a workplace, which contributes to the fact that a significant number of graduates cannot find a position appropriate to their qualification (Jackson, 2013(Jackson, , 2016. The high level of unemployment can be associated with the inadequacy of the education system in developing employability skills of graduates and thereby their workplace competitiveness (Fajaryati et al., 2020). ...
... Colleges and universities as education institutions are responsible for facilitating their students to develop their soft skills along with the development of their hard skills. Unfortunately, there is a gap between what students learn in their respective field of study and the skills needed by the employers [6]. Therefore, it is important that in the 21 st century, education institutions prepare their graduates to become productive workers and citizens who possess both, hard skills and soft skills. ...
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In the workplace, hard skills and soft skills are equally taken into account, especially in this 21st century, where people are required to have ‘global employability skills’ to secure a good job. This study aims to determine the benefits of international mobility programs have on the ability of soft skills, especially in the aspects of communication, social skills and flexibility—as parts of ‘global employability skills’--of students and alumni of a Vocational College within three years from 2017 to 2019. The research method used is by distributing questionnaires Google Form with Likert Scale format from strongly disagree to strongly agree scale 1-5. Research subjects were active students and graduates of Vocational College (Sekolah Vokasi) UGM who had participated in international mobility programs, both incoming and outgoing programs, organized by the OIA SV-UGM, in 2017-2019. The respondents were 60 people. The results showed that the developed soft skills were language and communication skills, interpersonal skills, teamwork, cultural understanding and adaptability and openness. Specifically for alumni, soft skills that are highly developed and helpful in the working world are adaptability and openness (82.9%), cultural understanding (74.3%), language and communication skills (71.4%), ability to work together (65.7%), and interpersonal skills (54.3%).
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The rapid pace of technological change is revolutionizing every sector of the economy, transforming how value is created and delivered to consumers through technologies like robotics, virtual reality, artificial intelligence, and the Internet of Things. This transformation underscores the need for a diverse workforce as the new skills valued and essential to employers are changing. In this context, community colleges are thrust into the national debate around the best options for educating skilled employees, given their historical role in preparing a significant portion of the national workforce and employers’ reliance on them as primary providers of middle‐skills training. A vital aspect behind this debate is elevating accountability calls from policymakers, parents, and students who question the value of a college degree and expect a return on investment in employment outcomes. Another aspect of this debate is the growing employers’ concerns about the readiness of graduates, which affects the ability of companies to implement new products, services, or business technologies. For many, there is a gap between the supply and demand of skilled workers and community colleges are not serving the needs of their students, employers, and communities. The article suggests two strategies to address the challenges associated with a skilled‐first economy and employee skills mismatch: (1) developing different approaches to credentialing by embracing lifelong learning, and (2) strengthening the collaboration between career services and employers to effectively support lifelong learning.
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The study examines the shape of business research supervision in institutions of higher learning. The study was based on the sensitivity that the quality of business research supervision in Ghanaian Technical Universities is abating as less attention seem to be paid to such academic exercise by these institutions. The study was guided by the interpretive theory of social constructivism. Document analysis, archival contents and interview techniques were used to explore the perceptions of 45 participants and 120 archival contents (supervised and approved bounded project reports) on the state of business research supervision. Four set of issues including; (a) definition of research supervision, (b) existence of institution-wide research supervision policy and procedures, (c) availability of resource for research supervision exercise and (d) the extent of influence of quality assurance directorates on research supervision steered the study. Respondents had a more traditional and limited definition and understanding of research supervision. There was absence of institution-wide policies to govern project work undertaking and supervision. Although departments admitted having personalised research supervision policies, they were not overtly communicated to both students and supervisors. Project supervision exercise was also inadequately resourced: a demotivation for supervisors. Quality assurance policies did not cover project work supervision. Per the framework used in the study, the problems identified above accounted for poor quality supervision and had a rippled negative implication on research outcomes. Among others, the study recommended the development of institution-wide policies that clearly defines and communicates responsibilities of supervisors and students as well as supervision expectations. Supervision exercise should be well-resourced (financial, material, human, information and processes), this will help motivate supervisors and students to tackle the exercise with utmost seriousness. Quality assurance policies must be broadened to include all aspects- pre and post project work supervision phases. This is the only way ethical standards and integrity can be built into the supervision process. If the above recommendations are put into perspective, it is believed that quality supervision can be assured and consequently research outcomes will be improved.
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