Hmems80
GRADUATE EMPLOYABILITY: A CASE STUDY OF NESLON MANDELA METROPOLITAN UNIVERSITY
Prof Heather Nel and Dr Annemarie Barnard
Strategic and Institutional Planning
PURPOSE OF STUDY
The purpose of this study was to analyse perceptions of NMMU graduates & employers with respect to: o Knowledge, skills & attributes contributing to graduate employability o Extent to which NMMU qualifications/programmes equip graduates with required knowledge, attributes & skills o Suggestions to enhance the employability of NMMU graduates
A systems perspective of employability
students
efficiency
graduates
graduate employability educational attainment of population national & regional development/ economic growth
staff
student progress (credits) attrition
research outputs
funding (public & private) services
service & outreach
student/ staff satisfaction
LITERATURE REVIEW
Employability is not the same as employment o Capacity of the graduate to function effectively in a job & it should not be confused with the acquisition of a job – too many extraneous political, economic & social factors impacting on employment
Employability as a curricular process o Curricula design should support the development of intellectual & critical thinking skills that enable a graduate to fulfil a role – not merely possessing the task‐related skills that enable a graduate to do a specific job (Cox & King, 2006) HEIs are not always successful in preparing learners for the complexity of advanced knowledge economies – “symbolic analysts” (Reich, 2002)
o
RESEARCH METHODOLOGY o Graduate survey 2005‐2008 NMMU graduates: 2841 in total Non‐probability convenience & snowball sampling methods Sampling frame = all graduates on NMMU alumni database o Employer interviews Semi‐structured, in‐depth interviews with selected employers in E & S Cape Sampling frame = all employers on
Prof Heather Nel and Dr Annemarie Barnard
Strategic and Institutional Planning
PURPOSE OF STUDY
The purpose of this study was to analyse perceptions of NMMU graduates & employers with respect to: o Knowledge, skills & attributes contributing to graduate employability o Extent to which NMMU qualifications/programmes equip graduates with required knowledge, attributes & skills o Suggestions to enhance the employability of NMMU graduates
A systems perspective of employability
students
efficiency
graduates
graduate employability educational attainment of population national & regional development/ economic growth
staff
student progress (credits) attrition
research outputs
funding (public & private) services
service & outreach
student/ staff satisfaction
LITERATURE REVIEW
Employability is not the same as employment o Capacity of the graduate to function effectively in a job & it should not be confused with the acquisition of a job – too many extraneous political, economic & social factors impacting on employment
Employability as a curricular process o Curricula design should support the development of intellectual & critical thinking skills that enable a graduate to fulfil a role – not merely possessing the task‐related skills that enable a graduate to do a specific job (Cox & King, 2006) HEIs are not always successful in preparing learners for the complexity of advanced knowledge economies – “symbolic analysts” (Reich, 2002)
o
RESEARCH METHODOLOGY o Graduate survey 2005‐2008 NMMU graduates: 2841 in total Non‐probability convenience & snowball sampling methods Sampling frame = all graduates on NMMU alumni database o Employer interviews Semi‐structured, in‐depth interviews with selected employers in E & S Cape Sampling frame = all employers on