Enhancing Graduate Employability for Enhancing the Role of Higher Education in Poverty Reduction: A Gap Analysis Study with Particular Reference to Private Providers Operating in Ethiopia

Abstract

On the basis of relevant theories and the practice elsewhere, this paper argues that, unlike the old days, all higher education institutions operating in poor economies must and should raise their contribution to poverty reduction by enhancing the employability of their graduates from time to time. What private providers doing in Ethiopia and the associated macro environment was assessed with mixed approaches, using qualitative and quantitative data collection. Methods included: an extensive review of literature, examination of official documents and key informant interview at five private higher educational institutions selected for case study. Documentary sources show that since the second half of the 1990s, Ethiopia has been made to have national policies and strategies promoting and supporting the education for employment (E4E) agenda. Unfortunately, however, such provisions are not augmented by national graduate employability (GE) focused policy framework, vision, strategies, programs, guidelines and working group dealing with the matter. This made the existing macro intervention in the country far from complete. Regarding the situation at micro level, it was found that all the institutions covered in the study are well aware of the fact that graduate unemployment or underemployment problem has been manifesting in unprecedented way in present Ethiopia. Paradoxically, however, none of them managed to have a full-fledged system function dedicated to the enhancement of graduate employability. Unlike pre-program need assessment, the practice of conducting tracer studies and/or industry satisfaction surveys for identifying the employment situation of graduates and taking the necessary corrective measures with industry feedback and participation was found a rarity. In so far as interventions seeking to enhance graduate employability through curricular, co-curricular and extracurricular activities are concerned, much has not been done in all cases. In nutshell, the agenda of graduate employability has not been given serious attention at all levels: policy, strategy, curriculum & instruction, research and development. Changing such a scenario will definitely enable the case study institutions produce employable graduates capable of emancipating themselves and others from the yoke of poverty.