Are companies getting the kind of graduates they need and are universities training graduates able to respond to development needs including achieving the vision 2030 agenda?

With the dynamic requirements by industry in terms of innovation and value proposition, there is need for creation of frameworks and building of capacity of students. Universities have to be willing to address requirements of industry and therefore, partnership is called for. The Industry must inform the requirements of research capacities by universities. Together with universities, industry need to create the right frameworks and structures to promote organized research. Technical vocational training is also vital. The Private sector has potential due to its diversity to support universities in addressing aspects of innovation through the implementation of the vision 2030 strategy and the Big 4 agenda.

It has been reported that the students universities are churning out lack soft skills. They do not know how to communicate both orally and verbally, lack a positive attitude, do not look presentable at interviews, are not willing to learn new things and cannot submit reports in time among other challenges reported by HR practitioners. In this 21st century, employers are now looking out for analytical, problem solvers and critical thinking individuals to hire.

Graduates are even having difficulties applying theories learnt in University. Some companies such as McKinsey have resolved to take their new employees through a two-year work exposure program and the employees turn out to perform really well. Some employers, however, are not able to retrain graduates who have gone through a four-year training for another two years because it is a lot of investment on time. Rockefeller Foundation for instance provides some stipend for internship training to enable graduates get a better understanding of what is required of them in the job market.

It was noted that candidates invited to interviews and internships fail particularly in exhibiting technical and soft skills. With the recent changes in technology with new areas emerging such as Blockchain Technology, Internet of Things (IOT) and Artificial Intelligence, there is dire need for graduates to have a grasp of these skills.

The world is changing and Universities must, therefore, change their approach. Unfortunately, most institutions of higher learning are still rigid and do not seem to accommodate changes around them. The field of Artificial Intelligence for instance requires new training for students to fit in most of the new jobs in the market.