Abstract
The motive for the study came from the soaring unemployment rate among fresh graduates in the sultanate. On the contrary, there is the presence of unfilled vacancies, especially in the private sector. In spite of the incentives offered for recruiting Omani graduates, the industries were sourcing their talents from other countries, and this puts the employability of Omani fresh graduates in question.
Higher educational institutions have been constantly trying to enhance the employability of their graduates. The gap between the skills acquired in the HEI and those required in the industry is widening this study attempts to bridge the gap by identifying the employers’ perspective on the employability of Omani graduates. The study will also enlighten the HEI s to view their program contents in light of industry requirements.
Hence, it was decided to meet key employers at the location of HEIs from where the majority of Omanis graduate. Ten branches of the University of Technology and Applied Sciences were chosen for study. The branches are located in ten different regions of the Sultanate. This makes the study bring a cross-sectional view of the issue at hand and possible solutions.
The methodology adopted was to collect qualitative data using structured and semi-structured interviews with Employers, HR professionals, Recruiters, and higher educational institutions, the interviews were conducted in 2020,2021 and 2022 with different respondents on their availability at the designated locations suitable for them. Even Though there were, structured interviews the respondents were allowed to respond freely.
First stage Included a review of literature was carried out with the view to understand the current status of employability skill issues related to Omani fresh graduates. Based on past research on the similar topic interview schedule and survey questionnaire were created. These instruments were reviewed and finalized by an expert panel consisting of HR specialists, Academic experts, and representatives of the local administration. Stage one was completed with the survey-supported questionnaire. Stage two included in-depth interviews with representatives from employers and representatives from HEIs.
The employer interviews revealed that there is a gap between the job requirement skills in various jobs and learning outcomes and course contents offered in HEIs. Students often take up additional skill studies in external training institutions to gain employability skills.
The study found that wherever the course content and design were governed and guided by professional bodies such as ACCA, CISCO, and IEEE there the employability skills gaps were identified thin. The ACCA organization stated that they were aware of the needs of the employers and has a good idea of the learning requirements of the graduates Employers’ participation in HEI committees and council should not be superfluous but they should be permitted to facilitate meaningful inputs. Our study found that employers’ impact was limited because their contributions are not fully absorbed.
[1] University Of Technology and Applied Sciences- Nizwa
[2] University Of Technology and Applied Sciences- Nizwa
[3] University Of Technology and Applied Sciences- Nizwa
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