Given the increasing private and public cost of university education, households and nations are getting more interested in that type of education which has high potential for employment. This study explores how the expansion of the university sector in Uganda is related to graduates' employability. The study was guided by three objectives, namely: To find out whether expansion of the university sector in Uganda is related to available options of employment for graduates; To establish whether the expansion of the university sector in Uganda is related to adequacy of skills which graduates need in the world of work; To examine whether the expansion of the university sector in Uganda is related to the duration which graduates take before getting employed after graduation. Mainly relying on the constructivist research paradigm, the study used a cross sectional and correlational research design. Both qualitative and quantitative approaches were used in data collection and data analysis. Using a questionnaire and interviews, data were collected from 244 university lecturers, 9 Deans of Faculty, 18 Heads of Department, and 9 Human Resource Managers who represented employers. The study found out that expansion of the university sector in Uganda has a relationship with options for employment of graduates in the world of work. The expansion of the university sector in Uganda is associated with adequacy of skills for employment which are acquired by university graduates. These findings also show that expansion of the university sector in Uganda is related to the duration which graduates take to get employment after graduation.

This study investigated the relationship between the rapid and continuous growth of the Higher Education Sector and graduate productivity in the Ugandan Labor Market. The study was guided by three objectives, namely; to find out how rapid transformation of the HE sector is related to graduates’ confidence at their places of work; to establish how rapid transformation of the HE sector is related to graduates’ timely accomplishment of tasks and to examine how rapid transformation of the HE sector in Uganda is related to graduates ability to work in a team. The study employed a correlational cross-sectional survey design; both quantitative and qualitative approaches were adopted for data collection and analysis from the targeted sample of 90 university lecturers, 6 deans of faculties and schools, 12 heads of departments as well as 3 HR managers. Results revealed a positive significant correlation between rapid transformation of the HE sector and graduates productivity. The study also established that universities are greatly lacking in the quality of training resources. The study concludes that improving the quality of university facilities will improve teaching and learning efficiency which in turn will enhance the quality of university graduates.

This study investigated the effect of lecturer competence on the quality of university graduates in Uganda. Quality of university graduates was measured by satisfaction of students with their current university experience and their labour market expectations. Competency of university lecturers was measured by their content knowledge competency, methods competence, professional competence and techniques that they use to assess students' work. A correlational, cross-sectional survey design was used with quantitative approaches to collect data from a sample of 300 university students of the graduating class and qualitative approaches were used to collect data from 12 university heads of academic departments and 12 human resource managers of selected employers. The study found a positive significant correlation between lecturer attributes and the quality of university education in Uganda. The study recommends that increasing the numbers of staff with higher qualification will improve efficiency not only in teaching but also in research engagement and supervision which in the long run should improve the quality university graduates.

Access to university education is one of the fundamental educational questions in contemporary educational debates. This is because university education is seen as having an array of benefits to individuals, their households, and their nations. However, the challenge of inequality in terms of gender, income, location, and socio-economic status has constrained some individuals and households to access quality university education. In 2005 the government of Uganda introduced the District Quota Scheme to address the social inequalities in accessing university education. This study examined how the District Quota Scheme is addressing the rural-urban divide in access to university; how the District Quota Scheme has increased access to university education for children with parents who have low levels of education; and whether the District Quota Scheme is improving access to university education for children from low-income families. Following the social constructivist research paradigm and integrating both quantitative and qualitative research methods, the study found a change in access to university education by students from rural areas, students whose parents have lower levels of education, and those from low-income families as a result of introducing the District Quota Scheme. The study recommends that the government of Uganda and other stakeholders in the higher education sector should address the structural challenges to ensure that mainly the socially disadvantaged students take the biggest advantage of this scheme.