Enhancing graduate employability: Why do higher education institutions have problems with teaching generic skills?

Abstract

One debate among business owners and policymakers' centre on whether higher education institutions (HEIs) are failing to transform the young generation by reorienting education to develop higher competencies, skills, values and behaviours. While previous studies have considered the importance of skills development and its assessment in many contexts, there appears to have been limited scholarly research on employability issues within the Higher education system (HES) in Nigeria. In seeking to address this, it is vital to understand how HEIs in Nigeria conceptualize generic skills and why HEIs have problems with teaching generic skills in its graduate programmes. By adopting a qualitative approach, based on interviews with senior academics, industry executives and final year undergraduates, this study finds that many of HEIs do not facilitate the teaching of high-level generic skills in their programmes. Some of the factors attributed to this include poor learning environment, lack of staff with industry experience and over-dependence on 'theoretical content' teaching. The findings are significant for re-orienting HE curriculum to align with the needs of the industry and society. Regarding, implications for policy, we recommend that enterprise education be mandatory in the curriculum for primary, secondary and tertiary education in Nigeria. Finally, we advocate more inclusive and interpretive research for greater understanding of the issues to offer useful data for policymaking and decision-making on the perspectives of preparing graduates for work.

What can be done to improve higher education quality and graduate employability in Nigeria? A stakeholder approach

“…A review of previous studies reveals that HEIs lack the capacity and capability to develop and pursue the goals outlined in the Nigerian education framework (see e.g. Okolie et al, 2019a; Okunuga and Ajeyalemi, 2018; Pitan 2016, 2017). Therefore, stakeholders’ roles provide an appropriate starting point from which to explore studies on HE quality and graduate employability.…”

“…Employability depends on knowledge, skills and attitudes that an individual possesses to carry out their role to the best of their ability. Therefore, employability skills can be defined as the transferable skills needed by graduates to make them employable (Okolie et al, 2019a). The Commonwealth of Australia (2007) identified eight employability skills required by graduates: communication, teamwork, problem-solving, self-management, planning and organizing, technology, lifelong learning and initiative and enterprise.…”

“…Of course, obtaining a range of demonstrable skills improves graduates’ chances of securing employment and enhances confidence and capability levels in general (Christie, 2016). Arguably, HEIs in Nigeria and many other developing countries have inadequate and ineffective policies aimed at directing changes in knowledge, skills, behaviour or cognitive processes (Okolieet al, 2019a, 2019d).…”

“…In Nigeria, for example, the higher education (HE) system is bedevilled by challenges relating to the general welfare of lecturers, the brain drains, a rapid increase in the number of students, low-quality courses and problems in governance structures (Iruonagbe et al, 2015). Some studies claim that knowledge exchange in Nigeria and some other African countries have been decreasing (Asongu and Tchamyou, 2016; Filmer and Fox, 2014; Igwe et al, 2019a; Okolie et al, 2019a, 2019d).…”

“…In Nigerian HE curricula, most attention has been paid to the theoretical content, with the practice of holistic and competency education often ignored (Okolie et al, 2019a; Saint et al, 2003). Nigeria has around 170 universities and the government is the major stakeholder and funder of the HE system.…”