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The use of instructional web technology tools and applications in higher education systems (HES) has gained prominence in the education sector in recent decades. There is a realisation that traditional teaching and learning methods are not adequate to support students’ interactive learning engagements, which indirectly influences their academic performance. It is thus envisaged that incorporating and encouraging the use of instructional information and communication technologies (ICTs) in education may serve as an extra tool to support students’ academic goals as these technologies offer them platforms for diverse learning experiences and a better way to engage with their studies. The aim of this study was, therefore, to explore the usefulness of instructional web technologies in South Africa’s higher education system to support students’ academic success. The objectives were to explore how web technologies could play key roles in supporting students’ learning engagements, enhancing quality education delivery and improving students’ academic success. A quantitative method was appropriate for this research, and a questionnaire was employed to gather data from respondents at three selected South African universities. In total, 969 questionnaires were completed and returned. The findings revealed that instructional web technologies were useful and could have a positive impact in pedagogical settings, and that its use should be encouraged. The study indicated that human factors, security issues and a lack of ICT infrastructure hindered the use of instructional web technologies in HES, and that it was essential to consider these issues. The researchers concluded that instructional web technologies offered HES approaches to teaching and learning that were better than traditional methods and that the use of these technologies enhanced students’ academic success.

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There has been an ongoing debate on the subject of graduate unemployability in South Africa and the extent to which it has affected academic graduates. The growing consensus regarding intensifying levels of graduate employability distress today is explicitly supported theoretically in a number of research studies. This is despite the considerable efforts that have historically been made concerning the graduate labour force and their probable ramifications in the context of South Africa’s far-reaching labour market issues. A number of scholars both in the past and the present have identified several issues emerging from the heterogeneity of the quality of education, graduates’ capabilities and skills competencies, higher education institutions’ involvement in the industries and employers’ requirements for employment. This study aimed to explore the views that graduates conceive about employability and stress, reason for their unemployment and identify the factor that causes them to be unemployed and decisively suggest way to address these challenges. A quantitative approach and a questionnaire were used. A total of 195 questionnaires from graduates/students in the College of Business and Economics were recovered and usable. The findings reveal a paradox in the increased level of ICT graduate unemployment and skills mismatch and shortages. This has been attributed mostly to organisational changes which may have given rise to misalignment between the skills that graduates currently have and those that employers seek from graduates. Findings suggest that the kind of education obtained, graduates’ incapability to apply the skills received and work experience are factors hindering employability.