The Correlational Study of the Quality of Students Enrolled in the University and Employability of Graduates from Selected Universities in South-Western Uganda

Abstract

The employability of university graduates is a concern for higher education stakeholders globally and Uganda is also concerned due to high unemployment rates post-graduation. Not much has been written about the relationship between quality of students enrolled in the university and their employability of graduates from selected Universities in South Western Uganda. This study aims to establish this relationship in selected universities in south western Uganda. A correlational study collected data from 512 participants, including graduates, employers, university lecturers, administrators, and officers from quality assurance directorate of national council for Higher Education. Data on students discipline, grades, performance and employability were collected. SPSS and Structural equation modelling (SEM) version 21 was used to analyse associations between predictor and outcome variables. The findings derived from conducting this research clearly demonstrate the presence of a significant statistical association between the quality of students enrolled in the university and employability of graduates at R= 0.589, R squared change 0.347, P =0.000 This suggests that by ensuring the quality of students enrolled in the University through discipline, students’ grades and performance increases the likelihood of producing graduates who are employable. It is very important that stakeholders in higher education make it a priority to keep a high standard of students and their moral fibre and this may facilitate their integration into the workforce.