Evidence suggests that undergraduates often fail to secure employment due to the lack of the possession of employability skills. Since employability of entry-level graduates is a challenge, higher education institutes must produce graduates equipped with employability skills and reasonable expectations. The objectives of this study are (1) to investigate employability skills required by employers, value addition imparted by the university lecturers and value brought by entry-level graduates in information technology (IT) sector in Sri Lanka, (2) to compare differences of expectations of employability skills among employers, university lecturers and final-year undergraduates, and (3) to identify strategies deployed by employers, university lecturers and final-year undergraduates to minimize the differences. The literature identifies mainly three types of employability skills, i.e., cognitive, intrapersonal, and relational, on which this study is built on. Three representative samples were taken from employer, university lecturer and final-year undergraduate populations, and data were collected using three self-administered survey questionnaires. The findings show significant differences in the priorities given for each skill category by the three groups. The university lecturers have given a high emphasis to cognitive skills which significantly exceeds employer expectation. Undergraduates’ intra- and interpersonal skills are below employer expected levels. There are some key strategies used by each party to enhance employability skills during the university tenure and after graduation. The findings led to highlight the importance of graduates marketing themselves effectively to meet employment requirements. Overall, undergraduates must have a clear view of how to secure an employment, maintain the employment and survive on the job.
Puwakgahawela et al. (Sun,) studied this question.