Required and Possessed University Graduate Employability Skills: Perceptions of the Nigerian Employers

Abstract

University is a place where skilled labour is produced for societal and global consumption. This is premised on thefact that education provided at this level enhances human capital development which widens employmentopportunities. However, there seems to be disparity over the skills required and those possessed by graduates fromNigerian universities. As a result, many university graduates are either underemployed or unemployed. The studyadopted descriptive survey research design. Using stratified and simple random sampling techniques, a total of 300employers of labour drawn from the manufacturing, banking and finance, education, and telecommunicationindustries in Lagos State constituted the sample frame. A Skill Assessment Questionnaire (SKAQ) was designed toelicit information from the participants. The results obtained showed that skills required of university graduates asperceived by employers were analytic and problem solving (98%), decision – making (98.3%), risk management(96.7%), leadership (98%), information and communication (97.7%), team-work (99%), official communication(97.7), and English proficiency and literacy skills (97%) while skills possessed by university graduates were Englishproficiency and literacy (58%) and information and communication skills (53%). These results showed disparity inboth the employers required skills and those possessed by the university graduates. The study, therefore,recommends that Nigerian university curriculum should be revised to reflect courses that will teach the required skillby employers.