Graduate Work-Readiness in Mauritius: A multi-stakeholder approach

Abstract

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.

How to develop higher education curricula towards employability? A multi-stakeholder approach

“…The results of this study suggest a set of conclusions which agree with those that are currently being made in the debates about higher education and the employability of graduates. In fact, the results are similar to those of other analogous studies applied in other contexts and territories (Hardin-Ramanan et al, 2020;Mocanu et al, 2014).…”

“…On the one hand, both HEIs and the labour market players agree that the programmes have a substantial theoretical component, which means that HEIs remain very academic and very theoretical, while companies are very practical. Also Hardin-Ramanan et al(2020) found this constraint. This is in line with the findings of Matsouka and Mihail (2016), who found that most employers consider Higher education curricula for employability that graduates arrive in the job market poorly prepared and that there is a big gap between the knowledge that graduates have and their ability to apply them in real work contexts.…”

The expectations of employability skills in the Fourth Industrial Revolution of the communication and media industry in Malaysia

“…Based on our analysed interview findings, the challenges for higher education institutions include not only preparing a revised curriculum document annually in delivering "workready" or "industry-ready" graduates but also equipping them with the skills on how human and social capital can be strategically deployed (network with professionals) as well as strategies to assist them to become resilient to labour market challenges (Barkas et al, 2020;Hardin-Ramanan et al, 2020;Jamaludin et al, 2021;Tomlinson, 2017). In doing so, current university programs, however, do not need to oversell job prospects (Barkas et al, 2020) or forsake discipline expertise (Collet et al, 2015) because basic conceptual and technical knowledge remains the most important criterion for employers in these fields.…”

“…Human capital refers to the information and skills that graduates gain as a foundation for their future employment prospects (Tomlinson, 2017). In specific, this type of capital is concerned with what and how graduates may build links between their formal education and future employment outcomes in order to mobilise graduates' human capital and bring them closer to work opportunities (Clarke, 2018;Donald et al, 2017;Hardin-Ramanan et al, 2020;Tomlinson, 2017). Thus, situating this study within the perspective of human capital theory to employability skills within the Fourth Industrial Revolution will give graduates numerous chances to develop their human capital and encourage them to pursue a professional path.…”

“…In specific, this type of capital is concerned with what and how graduates may build links between their formal education and future employment outcomes in order to mobilise graduates' human capital and bring them closer to work opportunities (Clarke, 2018; Donald et al. , 2017; Hardin-Ramanan et al. , 2020; Tomlinson, 2017).…”