Employer concerns with the quality of the skills and knowledge of recently employed graduates in South Africa: Description, analysis and implications for tertiary education, public policy and practice

Abstract

This qualitative study examined the nature and significance of current employer concerns with the quality of the skills and knowledge of their recently employed graduates. Employers require graduates who are able to perform the tasks expected of them in the workplace. However, the study found that most employed graduates in South Africa lack the ability to perform tasks due to universities struggling to suitably equip them for workplaces. The study focused on how graduates transfer their university acquired skills and knowledge to the workplace to establish whether employers considered graduates workplace ready.