Proches, Cecile Naomi Gerwel.Osman, Khalid.2023-01-262023-01-2620192019https://researchspace.ukzn.ac.za/handle/10413/21287Masters Degree. University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban.Since the dawn of democracy in South Africa in 1994, numerous changes have occurred at tertiary institutions to enable greater access for people of all backgrounds and increased graduate throughput to fulfil the needs of the labour market for engineers. Widespread changes in the size and composition of successive undergraduate engineering cohorts have occurred. Simultaneously, the needs of industry have undergone significant changes due to the information age, globalisation and the rapid increase in technological advances and access to technology. This study attempted to assess the alignment between the expectations of students who have graduated in engineering, the expectations of engineering employers and reality. A mixed methodology was developed. The study firstly surveyed engineering graduates at the University of KwaZulu-Natal (UKZN) using a questionnaire developed for quantitative analysis. Convenience sampling and a positivist approach were used. Graduates’ needs, study approaches, employment and workplace expectations were determined, analysed and interpreted through the lens of three frameworks, namely Biggs’ study motives and strategies, Bloom’s taxonomy and Boundaryless and Protean careers. Secondly, the study surveyed all engineering discipline academic leaders at UKZN by qualitative, semi-structured interview within an interpretivist paradigm and using deductive thematic semantic analysis. Academic leaders were used as a proxy for obtaining industry opinion and expectations and questioned on a number of themes including graduate and employer expectations, positive or negative trends, graduate training programmes, further training and postgraduate study, exit-level outcomes (ELOs) and graduate attributes, the reality of mis-alignment and what UKZN can do to limit it. Responses were collated and compared quantitatively and qualitatively where appropriate. A number of issues and mis-alignments was identified together with causes of mis-alignment. Mis-alignment was identified in salary, growth and guidance expectations, confidence, software and niche proficiencies and innovation expectations. Key causes included language barriers, lack of engineering hobbyist backgrounds, workload and study strategies, assessment changes and personal responsibility. Findings were discussed within the three theoretical frameworks mentioned above and summarised in light of the objectives of this study. Recommendations for UKZN to play a role in mitigating many of the issues and misalignment were provided, along with recommendations for any possible future research in this area.enEngineering students--Workplace--Readiness.Engineering--Employment--South Africa--KwaZulu-Natal.Engineering students--KwaZulu-Natal--Attitudes.Engineering firms--KwaZulu-Natal--Durban.Engineering graduates--KwaZulu-Natal.Thesis