Enhancing University’s and Industry’s Employability-Collaboration among Nigeria Graduates in the Labor Market

Abstract

This study aimed to contribute towards building a common understanding of the shared collaboration and enhancement between the industry, university, graduates and human resource development unite that strive to serve both in organizational learning, career development and training efforts to ensure that university education enhances quality education. Qualitative research design seems appropriate for this study because it entails the dynamic process and decision making to take process proceeds in problem identification, research questions, data collection, and research method, interpretation and presentation of findings. Phenomenological case was used as the most suitable of the study and purposive sampling was applied, while participants of the study consist of thirty (30) all together. The graduate employability capacities and self-esteem are not only promotes their employability skills, but enable the industry to obtain and sustain a competitive advantage in the dynamic world of work. Therefore, universities should critical evaluate their learning transfer, if it is aligned with industrial need to make graduates more viable. The findings indicate that in transfer of knowledge and learning, teaching is based on theory than practical which directly affects the transfer of the knowledge in the labor market. The study reports that there is "skills mismatch" because the application of what they have learnt in the universities is not applicable in the labor market. Therefore, the study recommends that university should engage in employment or open employment center within the university in collaboration with the industrial management. The university education should coordinate and promote academic activities; review their curriculum and other relevant academic matters with stakeholders and affiliating industries.

Population growth and human resource utilization nexus in Nigeria

“…The increasing unemployment situation has been worrisome (5.31% in 2015, 6.03% in 2018) while industrial output has been on the decline (Adeomola and Badiru, 2016;Adelowokan et al, 2019). The quality of university graduates has been called to questioning as employers say they are not workplace ready (Longe, 2017;Aloysius et al, 2018) even as their numbers continue to increase every year. The infrastructure deficiency such as epileptic electricity, bad roads and heavy traffic has furthermore contributed to the productivity and human capital output challenges (Ajide and Ridwan, 2018;Afolayan et al, 2019) Rural-urban migration has also tilted the population growth in favour of urban centres with villages left to an ageing population and short of able-bodied people to farm.…”

Globalization and Curriculum in the 21st Century: A Case for Flexible and Dynamic Curriculum

“…Given that employability is about skills and competencies, there is a need for preparation through training. Indeed, educational institutions are the agencies to facilitate communities to achieve their needs (Aloysius, Ismail, Suandi, & Arshad, 2018). There is a high call to make the training received from universities more relevant to fit with the job market requirements.…”

A Qualitative Case Study on Experiences of Universities and Industries Linkages in Nigeria

“…Sual, Lakewood and David (2015) stipulated that talent development has increased in terms of training of human resource development, improved performance, innovation, learning and development, workplace learning and performance has integrated into talent development sustainable management skills to foster graduates or individual team and industrial development. According to Aloysius, Ismail, Suandi, and Arshad, (2018) university provide professional development courses to improve core competencies, enhance job performance, and encourage personal growth for university graduates and their employers.…”