Stakeholders’ Perceptions of Employability and the Relevance of Skills - Towards a Systemic Design Framework

This study aimed to develop a systemic employability design framework to address the mismatch between stakeholders’ current views of employability and the relevance of skills. A qualitative approach using systems thinking was deployed, and participants from relevant government departments, the private sector, HEI, and graduate employees from two telecommunication organizations were selected through purposive sampling. A thematic approach was used to analyze the data from semi-structured interviews and focus groups. The data was captured using ATLAS.ti, and thematic analysis was conducted. Key factors contributing to the mismatch included the lack of an ecosystem, stakeholder collaboration, lack of understanding of the relevance of skills, employability skills as an asset, inadequate education systems reform, socio-economic factors, macroeconomic context, employability mindset, lack of a focused strategy and employability awareness. A framework is recommended for a sector-specific ecosystem design that could foster stakeholder collaboration, including a shared understanding of employability, shared objectives and ways of working and formalized partnerships for implementation and scalability. Relevant skills should be defined and career paths integrated at all levels of education, including bridging into other sectors or opportunities. Sector-specific focused strategies should be developed, including employability-defined outcomes that can be measured, evaluated, and reported holistically to ensure stakeholder accountability. A strategy should be developed to engage individuals on employability and create awareness of career paths enabled through face-to-face and digital guidance.