ERIC Number: EJ1307014
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2021
Pages: 17
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-1838-3815
EISSN: N/A
Available Date: N/A
Relevance of Selected Social Science Degree Programs on Skills Development and Graduate Employability in Zambia
Journal of Teaching and Learning for Graduate Employability, v12 n1 p131-147 2021
A pragmatic approach was used to explore the extent to which four selected social science degree programs were relevant for the skill needs of the job market in Zambia. Both qualitative and quantitative data were collected from 162 participants using interviews and questionnaires. The SPSS version 24 and Atlas. Ti Version 8 were used to analyse and interpret data within the framework of the Capability Approach. The findings reveal that the relevance of each of the four social science degree programs depend on how key stakeholders in higher education and the labour market perceive them and that graduate employability was affected by factors such as the need and importance of social sciences to the labour market; employer and student perceptions of employability skills in the degree programs; demand for the programs; graduate work readiness, and the availability of graduate job prospects. It could be concluded that although all four social science degree programs were important, their relevance to the needs of Zambia's labour market varied from program to program.
Descriptors: Social Sciences, Bachelors Degrees, College Seniors, College Graduates, Student Attitudes, Teacher Attitudes, Employer Attitudes, Stakeholders, Employment Potential, Job Skills, 21st Century Skills, Career Readiness, Education Work Relationship, Relevance (Education), Labor Needs, Labor Market, Skill Development, Foreign Countries
Journal of Teaching and Learning for Graduate Employability. Deakin University, 221 Burwood Highway, Burwood, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia 3125. Web site: https://ojs.deakin.edu.au/index.php/jtlge/
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: Higher Education; Postsecondary Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Location: Zambia
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A
Author Affiliations: N/A