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Purpose Prompted by the enlarging skills gap between the university graduate and the desired employee in Mauritius, the Charles Telfair Institute embarked its students on the #NuKapav project for an authentic work integrated learning (WIL) experience which endeavours to fight for the societal inclusion of Persons with Disabilities. The purpose of this paper is to examine the impact of this service-learning project on the students from professional, civic engagement and social justice perspectives. Design/methodology/approach This research used a focus group methodology, allowing the 23 students who participated on the #NuKapav project to share their experiences. Findings This paper recommends that universities in Mauritius and other regional countries consider incorporating service-learning into their WIL programmes to reinforce graduate employability skills and encourage good citizenship through lasting allegiance to community causes. Research limitations/implications The higher education system in Mauritius operates within a broader context facing constant mutations influenced by socio-economic and political factors. As such, research on service-learning cannot be conducted in isolation but should instead include the perspective of various stakeholders on both the demand and supply side of community learning projects. The main limitation of this research relates to its focus on capturing student participants’ perspective alone. Further research is, therefore, recommended to examine how other stakeholders, including employees, employers and community service project supervisors, value service-learning for a more comprehensive view. Originality/value The main contribution of this paper is the examination of how service-learning can help equip graduates with crucial career skills, while bringing an enduring mind-set shift in the future workforce for sustained commitment to social change and inclusion.

Characterised by strong human capital dependency, Small Island Development States (SIDS) such as Mauritius depend largely on work-ready graduates to boost their economy. Yet, Graduate Work Readiness (GWR) and graduate unemployment feature prominently on the Mauritian government agenda. This paper investigates the previously unexplored issue of GWR in Mauritius through four key stakeholder lenses – those of the government, employers, universities, and undergraduates – before suggesting collaborative strategies to enhance graduate employability. The paper findings build on government and parastatal body interviews and qualitative survey responses from the Top 100 companies, higher education institution directors and final year undergraduates in Mauritius. Study results and recommendations are derived from a thematic content analysis of interview transcripts and qualitative survey data. Results indicate that there is a strong need to (1) strengthen stakeholder links, (2) enforce industry-centric university curricula, (4) improve graduate work experience, (4) hone graduate soft skills, and (5) their attitude to work.  A Graduate Work Readiness Integrated Stakeholder Framework (GWRISF) supported by a National Work Integrated Learning Committee (NWILC) is then recommended. It is envisaged that proposed strategies will not only assist Mauritian stakeholders in better joining forces for GWR improvement but can also be useful to other comparable SIDS.

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