The employability of human resources management graduates from a selected university of technology in the Western Cape, South Africa

Abstract

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to provide an insight into the need to provide an industry-relevant curricula to higher learning institutions,which addresses the needs of the industries so that unemployment is addressed. Design/methodology/approach – The researcher sought to look for a cause and consequence relationship, which resulted in the usage of a mixed - methods approach where by both qualitative and quantitative research methods were used. Correspondingly, the study was conducted in two phases, literature analysis and experimental study, including field work. Findings – The paper provides experiential visions about how institutions of higher learning can provide industry-relevant education. It proposes that for graduates to be employable, there should be synergy between what industries want and what the institutions of higher learning are providing, hence the need to redesign the curricula. Research limitations/implications – The research focused exclusively on Cape Peninsula University of Technology HR graduates from 2014 to 2017 instead of considering all graduates of HR in the workplaces in Cape Metropolis. Practical implications – Tertiary institutions as the custodians of knowledge will have to go out to the customers (recipients of their products) and inquire for relevant operational requirements. Social implications – HR graduates will be properly empowered through proper industry-relevant curriculum which enables them to be employable or to create employment instead of waiting to be employed. Originality/value – This paper fulfills a recognized need to study how the curriculum offered by universities contributes to the employability of human resources management graduates