3. Electronic Theses and Dissertations (ETDs) - All submissions
Permanent URI for this communityhttps://wiredspace.wits.ac.za/handle/10539/45
Browse
2 results
Search Results
Item Factors that influence the employability of Technical Vocational Education and Training (TVET) graduates. A comparative study of two TVET colleges in the Gauteng Province.(2019) Adams, Wendy CharityTechnical and Vocational Education Training Colleges in South Africa have undergone major transformation since the advent of democracy. The White Paper for Post School Education and Training (PSET) speaks to the need of creating partnerships between TVET colleges and employers, in order to secure workplace-based training opportunities for TVET students which could in turn create employment opportunities for TVET graduates (DHET, 2013). The White Paper on PSET (DHET, 2013:11) states that, “Colleges should be rooted in their communities, serving its community as well as regional and national needs. They should primarily provide education and training to members of their own and nearby communities and develop skills for local industry”. The above explains the objective of this research report which is to assess the effectiveness of the TVET colleges in its immediate communities and the country. The research study examined the factors that influence the employability of TVET graduates, doing a comparative study of two TVET colleges in the Gauteng province. The TVET colleges have been criticised by skills development experts, researchers and the business sector that they are not fulfilling their responsibilities and should do more in order to be responsive to the needs of the industry. In response to these critiques, the government has invested huge financial resources in the TVET sector. Over the years, the funds allocated to the TVET colleges has been increasing. In 2018, the Department of Higher Education and Training (DHET) allocated R10.7 billion of its higher-education budget to the TVET colleges (Pandor, 2018). The research study was carried out in the Gauteng Province at two TVET colleges and four local businesses. The data was collected by means of interviews with staff members from the TVET Colleges, local businesses and the DHET, using qualitative data collection methods. The research analysis chapter was divided into four main themes. The first theme is titled, curriculum challenges and it discusses the misalignment that exists as a result of the outdated curriculum and equipment. This theme found that some of the curriculum used at the TVET colleges have not been updated in decades and this affects the alignment and responsive of the TVET colleges to the needs of its immediate community. The second theme focused on the workplace-based training programmes and the type of skills obtained by the TVET students during these training programmes. The readiness of students for the workplace was presented in the third theme, demonstrating that colleges need to improve its training programmes in 2 order to prepare students for the transition from college to the workplace. Finally, the fourth theme was the employability of TVET graduates by local businesses which discussed some of the factors that influence student’s employability, such as delayed certificates and unqualified lecturers. In conclusion, the research report found that the TVET colleges were perceived by business as not being aligned and responsive to the skills needs of local businesses. The findings illustrate that TVET colleges are inundated with challenges which if addressed with urgency could improve the quality of graduates they produce. The employability of graduates to a large extent is a reflection of the quality and functionality of the TVET colleges.Item Soon-to-be-graduates’ perceptions of their employment prospects(2018) Colman, MeganAn increase in demand for tertiary education, high student fees, and a lack of appropriate graduate jobs has shifted the relationship between higher education qualifications and labour market returns (Finch, Peacock, Levallet, & Foster, 2016; Tomlinson, 2008). Consequently, students are beginning to perceive the utility of developing skills and accumulating experiences and achievements outside their formal education in order to gain a positional advantage in the labour market (Tomlinson, 2008). Given these changes, this study qualitatively examined how a sample of South African soon-to-be-graduates perceived and managed their employability in the context of higher education and labour market change (Tomlinson, 2008). Further, it explored their perceptions of the utility of their degree, and its anticipated role in relation to their future employability. The study also analysed their perceptions of other factors that they felt contributed towards their employment prospects and their expectations of potential future employers. Sixteen final-year undergraduate students completing Bachelor of Art degrees who were majoring in Psychology and who were registered with the Humanities faculty at the University of the Witwatersrand were interviewed with regards to their perceptions of their employment prospects. The data collection method used was face-to-face semi-structured interviews based on an interview schedule developed by the researcher. The findings indicated that the participants perceived the potential currency of their higher education qualifications in the labour market, as per the human capital theory (cf. Becker, 1962; Schultz, 1961), however they also expressed a need to acquire additional credentials in order to gain a positional advantage in the oversaturated, highly competitive labour market. Further, the participants perceived both internal and external factors to influence their employability. These included work experience, field of study, postgraduate credentials, extra-curricular activities, personal characteristics, attributes, behaviour, knowledge, and skills, demographics, job searching behaviour, social media presence, performance at university, and the reputational capital of the university attended. Moreover it was found that the participants valued an organisation’s growth and development opportunities, culture, and values, as well as additional benefits, job security, and the potential to pursue their passion as factors in their decision to work for an organisation. Working hours and workload, social responsibility, as well as location, travelling, and workspace, were indicated as important to some participants whilst irrelevant to others. Salary appeared to be characterised as desirable, yet not as influential as other factors in the context of job selection. This research is important as it established factors that shape self-perceived employability for this sample of participants, which may assist universities to develop conditions that support and facilitate the employability of graduates. Consequently, this may help to prepare highly-qualified workers who are able to contribute to the human capital of the country (Karli, 2016; Qenani, MacDougall, & Sexton, 2014). In addition, the results of this study may contribute to a knowledge base that can be used to assist South African organisations to better attract and retain top-quality graduates.