Employability of UKZN graduates: a public administration perspective.

Abstract

The main objective of this study was to establish the extent to which graduates produced at the University of KwaZulu-Natal (UKZN) in the Discipline of Public Governance, are capacitated enough and meet the requirements of the employer. The literature study reveals that graduates need to possess qualities that will assist them to take adaptive, proactive approaches in their careers, which involves managing their employability. Developing graduates attributes through effective communication between UKZN, School of Public Governance, and the employer requires commitment and support from management in order for the process to become successful. An empirical study was conducted which included the administration of questionnaires to UKZN academic staff, students/graduates, career development officer and employers within the public sector. The data was analysed using both descriptive and inferential statistics. The findings reveal that Discipline of Public Administration curricular is in line with the Employability Model, it further reveals that there are challenges that compromise the skills development of students/graduates. Findings also revealed that there is room for improvement in all variables that were posed during the study. The study further recommends that, the involvement of public sector employers input will enrich Public Administration curricular. The study also recommends that sufficient resources are necessary to achieve skills development of students/graduates in the Public Administration programme.