Does higher education equip graduate students with the employability skills employers require? The perceptions of employers in Ghana

ABSTRACT

Recent changes in the labour market and higher education sector have placed graduates’ employability on the agenda of researchers, policymakers and employers in both advanced and developing economies. Yet, the question of whether higher education equips graduate students with the employability skills employers require remains under-studied particularly in a developing country like Ghana. Using survey data and employing a paired t-test analyses, our findings reveal that whilst the employers perceive graduate students to possess various critical skills which match industry demands, the graduate students fall short in these critical skills. The differences were statistically significant indicating that there are still gaps between what higher education is offering its students and what industry requires from graduates at the entry-level. Based on the findings, implications for theory, policy, and practice are discussed.

KEYWORDS:

• Employability skills
• gap analysis
• employers perception
• Ghana

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Obi Berko Obeng Damoah

Dr Obi Berko Obeng Damoah is a senior lecturer in the Department of Organisation and Human Resource Management at the University of Ghana Business School.

Augustine Awuah Peprah

Dr Augustine Awuah Peprah is a lecturer in the Department of Business Administration at the University of Professional Studies, Accra.

Kwabena Osei Brefo

Kwabena Osei Brefo graduated from the Department of Economics, the University of Ghana with Mphil economics degree.