Analyzing Skill Gap between Higher Education and Employability

Students usually enroll in higher education institutes for earning an academic qualification or degree, gain appropriate skills and to step into the corporate world via employment opportunities. The purpose of the study is to find out student’s perceptions about which skills are important to attain for job while they are studying. Also, to find employer’s perceptions about most important skills required in the future employees. The study findings reveal that skill gap exist between employers and students’ perceptions of the skills and traits critical for securing employment. Based on literature review, skills important for employment were identified and grouped under three categories namely technical skills, non-technical skills and behavioral skills. Through the use of structures questionnaires, both students and HR Executives were asked to rate all the skills on a Likert scale of 1(least important) to 5(most important). Based on the mean scores of the ratings, a ranking order was established to ascertain the skill gap. Another major finding of the study was to determine which skills are more important for employers so as to on which students should focus on acquiring to be better prepared for the job market. The study also provides recommendations to close the gap between the skill gaps identified in the study. These steps must be taken simultaneously by all the stakeholders involved in the higher education i.e. Students, higher education institutions and corporate employers.