Graduate Employability.
Employers’ Perception Survey Report.

Keywords  graduate employability; employers’ perception; soft skills; academia-industry linkages; higher education; skills development; Pakistan; NEESDF

Introduction

1.1 Employment and Labor Force in Pakistan

The World Bank sums the total number of labor force in Pakistan to be around 69.9 million¹ for the year 2017. Pakistan Bureau of Statistics reports decreased labor force participation rate i.e. 45% for the year 2014-15 as compared to the previous years.²

Responding to Challenges

Pakistan remains to be the 10th largest labor force in the world and continues to face challenges in providing equitable work opportunities to a rapidly increasing population. The scenario calls for urgent policy measures to meet these challenges appropriately. Furthermore, in order to harness the potential of youth, which constitutes around 65% of the population, our recommendations will cut across all levels of skills and labor categories.

The HEC can play an instrumental role in boosting economic growth by equipping youth with up-to-date knowledge and skills acquisition, resulting in improved employability and overall quality of life. The impact is far reaching not just in university graduates but for social cohesion as well. It also enhances programs such as ICT4D and social welfare reforms.

Role of NEESDF

The proposed National Employability & Enterprise Skills Development Framework (NEESDF) and delivery model is scalable and will support the findings of this report. It will drive enhanced economic growth and prosperity and is cross cutting across the private and public sector.

1.2 Higher Education Landscape in Pakistan

Total Number of Universities & Affiliated Colleges

Total Number of Enrolments in Universities & Affiliated Colleges

1.3 Future of Work

The future of work is changing rapidly. It is worth noting that to respond to these changes, we need graduates to be ready with the skills which drive adaptability and innovation.

Technological, Social & Emotional, and Higher Cognitive Skills are placed among top three skills in demand by the year 2030³. These traits and skills have been incorporated in the NEESDF.

The Age of Services

Jack Ma, Founder of Alibaba, at the World Economic Forum in 2017, said, “Only by changing education, can our children compete with machines. We cannot teach our kids to compete with machines. Teachers must stop teaching knowledge. We have to teach something unique, and so a machine can never catch up with us.” He continued, “Education is a big challenge now. If we don’t change the way we teach, we will be in big trouble in 30 years from now. Because the ways we teach, the things we teach our kids, are the things from the past 200 years; it is knowledge based. We need to be teaching our children values, believing, independent thinking, teamwork, care for others... These are the soft parts. The knowledge will not teach you that. That’s why I think we should teach our kids sports, music, painting, and art. Everything we teach should be different from machines.”⁴

Futurist Kevin Kelly wrote in his book “The Inevitable: Understanding the 12 Technological Forces That Will Shape our Future” that artificial intelligence and robotics would make our society vastly different. The artificial intelligence embedded in these machines will be augmenting human performance and freeing us to concentrate on activities where humans are better than machines - activities requiring creativity, strategic thinking, empathy, and other “soft skills”.⁵ The crux of the argument clearly presents inherent human qualities as the foundation of new jobs.

Communication Skills and Customer Services Topping the Charts in the Freelancing Industry!

In the Freelancing Industry, Pakistan is currently ranked at 4th position worldwide⁶ for having 9% (approximately over 1.3 million freelancers) of the total freelancers’ population of the world.

It is riveting to know that most of them are students. At present, freelancers are contributing US$0.5 billion annually into Pakistan’s economy⁷. It is a popular belief that freelancing demands more than 80% of effective communication skills (communicating with clients for winning a project and customer services after a bid is won), and merely 15-20% of technical skills (delivery of the project/assignment/task) are required. Hence, the involvement of the right behaviour and attitude is playing an important role in getting them work. If Pakistan wishes to grow in this area, freelancers would need to have better written communication skills and effective customer services skills in order to compete with freelancers from other parts of the world to sustain and build on the above numbers.

1.4 National Education Policy Framework 2018

The National Education Policy Framework 2018⁸, published by the Ministry of Education and Professional Training summarizes education challenges in Pakistan as depicted in the chart below:

The above framework highlights various challenges that need to be addressed including a lack of coherence and weak industry linkages. NEESDF addresses all those needs.

1.5 Academia-Industry Linkages in Pakistan

Although, there is a mismatch between the demand and supply of human capital, this gap can be closed efficiently through enhanced collaboration amongst all stakeholders.

HEC along with the World Bank initiated a Tertiary Education Support Program (TESP) under Government’s Higher Education Development Program, as a part of 2nd Medium Term Development Framework for Higher Education (MTDF-HE II, 2011-2015)⁹. MTDF HE I (2005-10) focused on internal development of Institutes of Higher Learning and the purpose of MTDF-HE II was to link this development to the society and industry as per Vision 2030 which intended to meet the contemporary and future challenges through accumulation of knowledge and collective competence¹⁰.

According to Planning Commission of Pakistan (2011) Pakistan was ranked 92 out of 133 countries in a university-industry linkages index, much lower than China and India, which were ranked 23 and 46, respectively¹¹. HEC initiated setting up of ORICs (Office of Research, Innovation, and Commercialization) at universities in 2010 with an aim to empower HEIs as a powerhouse of sustainable research and high growth innovation¹². HEC’s website states that since then 66 universities have notified setting up of ORICs.

Our findings reveals that majority (80%) of the organizations participated in this survey have never been contacted by HEIs or HEC for any sort of linkages.

ORICs may form part of the multi stakeholder group as proposed earlier. There is an opportunity to understand the challenges faced by industries, and provide enhanced information to graduates at the heart of greater academia-industry linkages.

Background and Review of Literature

2.1 The Challenge

Pakistan’s progress in the area of education continues to encounter challenges in providing a relevant supply of skilled graduates, in line with corporate demand. To fix this, different interventions are required, which can’t work in isolation.

Utilizing the Kaleidoscope

Targets set by UNDP in Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) 2015 and indicators of the Sustainable Development Goals targets (SDGs) for 2030 all interlink to build capacity and have a far ranging impact on economic growth, social cohesion, innovation, civic, and welfare engagement; all components support national and government transformation.

Global Innovation Index & Pakistan’s Compromised Ranking

The Global Innovation Index (GII) analyzes countries on the basis of their innovative outputs. They may be affecting a series of factors including energy efficiency, human resource, technological innovations and outputs, and institutional environments. They might be demonstrating creativity in solving social problems or researching innovations: the idea is that everything should be conducive to sustainable growth¹³.

Pakistan was ranked 109 in 2018 out of 126 countries (113 in 2017) in the area of Innovation by GII¹⁴. From South Asia and Central Asia, the top performers in the Innovation Index remain India, Kazakhstan, and Iran. Pakistan has been placed into low-middle income group with a high population growth, but low GDP per capita i.e. US$5358.3. On the other hand, China rises in the Global Innovation Index¹⁵.

Pakistan’s Alarming Ranking on Global Competitiveness Index

Pakistan ranks a staggering low 115th on the Global Competitiveness Index 2017-2018 amongst 137 economies! This is far behind other South Asian economies such as India (40th position), Iran (69th), and Nepal (88th).¹⁶

Pakistan faces significant skills shortages and mismatches. There is a growing gap as the demands by industry are not being adequately met by market-relevant, job-specific skilled individuals, produced by either the higher education or any other sector. In this context, the Government of Pakistan called for initiatives that would develop and improve higher education sector. As part of Government’s agenda for higher education development under second Medium-Term Development Framework for Higher Education 2011-2015, HEC was mandated with some seriously urgent and important tasks. That included improving the conditions of teaching, learning, quality of research, access, and the relevance of these to the technical needs of economic growth. The program was carried out with support of World Bank under Tertiary Education Support Program (TESP)¹⁷. In this regard, NEESDF’s recommendations are in sync with what the Government of Pakistan wishes to impart, and we will support existing efforts and conscientiously improvise new frontiers of development.

2.2 Literature Review

Defining Employability

With the changing structure of the future of work, it has now become even more difficult to define ‘employability’ and to date there is no common definition available.

• CEO of Naqeebz Consulting, Muhammad Moazam Shahbaz, defines employability as, “An individual’s ability to acquire and retain employment or self-employment, with the ability to grow in a career or business on the basis of knowledge, traits, technical/professional skills, enterprise, and soft skills.”

Other popular definitions of employability are:

• A set of achievements (skills, understandings, and personal attributes), that makes individuals more likely to gain employment, and be successful in their chosen occupations. This benefits themselves, the workforce, community, and economy. (Yorke and Knight, 2006)
• Employability is the possession by an individual of the qualities and competencies required to meet the changing needs of employers and customers and thereby help to realise his or her aspirations and potential in work. (CBI, 1999, p. 1)
• Employability means the development of skills and adaptable workforces in which all those capable of work are encouraged to develop the skills, knowledge, technology, and adaptability to enable them to enter and remain in employment throughout their working lives. (HM Treasury, 1997, p. 1)
• Employability is the relative capacity of an individual to achieve meaningful employment given the interaction of personal circumstances and the labour market. (Canadian Labour Force Development Board, 1994, p. viii)
• Employability is the capability to move into and within labour markets and to realise potential through sustainable and accessible employment. For individuals, employability depends on: the knowledge and skills they possess and their attitude, the way personal attributes are presented in the labour market, the environmental and social context within which work is sought, and the economic context within which work is sought. (DHFETE, 2002, p. 7)

Graduate Employability Attributes & A Need for Revision

In recent decades, universities have come under increased pressure to produce graduates who are equipped with the skills, training, and qualifications that meet market demands i.e. graduates who demonstrate high employable skills. However, there is a greater emphasis on understanding the attributes that result in greater employability among students who enter the higher education status.

Bridgstock (2009)¹⁸ argues that as countries are turning to dynamic ‘information and knowledge intensive’ economies, there is a trend to revisit the most desired traits/employability skills by employers. Therefore, the generic skills possessed or listed by graduates in the past may not be relevant today.

Bowden (2000)¹⁹ describes graduate attributes as, “The qualities, skills, and understandings a university community agrees its students would desirably develop during their time at the institution and, consequently, shape the contribution towards their profession and as a citizen”. However, Bridgstock contends that graduate employability attributes refer to the skills set and dispositions that will align an individual with the requirements of most of the employers and increase the opportunities (might be short-term and immediate) of employment.²⁰

The Kirby Report (2000) by the Australian Department of Education, Employment, and Training and International Labor Organization (ILO) (2000) presents a rather broad definition of graduate ‘employability’ as an idea that, “Involve[s] self-belief and an ability to secure and retain employment. It also means being able to improve [the worker’s] productivity and income-earning prospects. This often requires competing effectively in the job market and being able to move between occupations as necessary. It requires ‘learning to learn’ for new job opportunities.”²¹

This definition describes that the alignment of skills with market demands, in combination with self-career management and higher education, brings better job prospects. Furthermore, optimal social and economic growths are dependent upon competition in the job market, and adaptation of the graduate professionals according to the dynamics of the market.

2.3 A Conceptual Framework of Graduate Employability

Bailly’s Model of Employers’ Beliefs

Bailly’s Model of Employers’ Beliefs (2008) describes three stages of employers’ beliefs when evaluating the graduate employability skills and characteristics at the time of recruitment and during the work span²².

According to this model, at preliminary stages employers have no experience or knowledge about graduates with certain qualifications when hiring them.

Initial Signals. Firstly, the employers make decisions about recruitment based on their initial beliefs and anticipated levels of productivity as estimated through the credentials presented on the graduate’s profile. This information can be termed as Initial Signals.

Employers’ Initial Beliefs on Educational Output

The second stage commences after the recruitment of the graduates. The employers acquire an experience of understanding the educational credentials and the graduates’ productivity is visible and measurable (Figure 4). This experience allows them to form realistic beliefs. At this stage, the Initial Signals become less influential upon an employers’ understanding, as Initial Beliefs take center stage according to the quality of work and employees’ performance.

Decision Making on Recruitment

The third stage begins when an equilibrium is achieved between successive recruitments and employers’ understanding of the best recruits based on their skills, attributes, and educational qualifications (Figure 5).

Bailly’s Model as the Conceptual Framework

Bailly’s model of employers’ beliefs may form the basis of studies that aims to determine the employers’ perception of employability skills among graduates passing out of universities.

In the present study, Business and Human Resource leaders from organizations in SMEs, MNCs, and Public Sector responded to the questions regarding their perceptions towards employability skills of the graduates. As these executives have years of experience of recruiting graduates and managing workforces, they have gained an understanding of the productivity and efficiency of the graduates demonstrating certain skills and attributes.

Therefore, Bailly’s model of employers’ beliefs forms the conceptual framework of the present study and is relevant to our recommendations.

Harvey’s Model of Graduate Employability Development

Harvey (2000) believed that there are external factors required for employability in addition to personal attributes. Therefore, the difference exists between the perception of individual and the actual employment. Harvey elaborated this in his “Magic Bullet” model of employability, linking the graduate attributes with the attainment of employment. Proceeding on this model, Harvey (2003) contended that there are other factors (subject areas, employability development opportunities, and extra-curricular experiences) required for employability apart from the graduate attributes: these factors are driven by the process of engagement, pedagogy, reflection, and articulation. The employment model depends on three key factors - HEIs, graduates, and employers (Figure 6). These key indicators will ultimately lead to employment.

Naqeebz Consulting devised a framework,²³ deriving the employability attributes from Harvey’s Model, with certain employability competencies. These competencies are based on the findings of the surveys conducted in 2016 and 2018, respectively. (Refer to Section 6.7 for NEESDF.)

2.4 Skills and Attainment of Jobs

Employability refers much more than acquiring a first job. The International Labor Organization describes employability as equipping the individuals with skills that help them attain and secure a long-term work opportunity: one that ensures them a lifelong career. However, according to ILO, young graduates across the world do not possess the competencies and skills that are required for the attainment and securing of a long-term work opportunity. There is a strong consensus (Cole and Tibby, 2013) that employability is more than obtaining employment, and that HEPs should not focus simply on supporting the graduates in getting their first jobs. Instead, the need of the hour is to support the graduates to building positive and meaningful careers and to participate meaningfully in the society.

The ILO terms these skills as ‘21st Century Workplace Skills’²⁴ that include the following 4 Cs: 1. Communication, 2. Creativity, 3. Cooperation, 4. Critical Thinking.

Moreover, employers from across the world, place emphasis on varied skills, aptitude, and attributes of university graduates. Here again, these skills are the same as those highlighted amongst respondents of this report.

Examining different frameworks in the 187 papers, Higher Education Academy (HEA) has provided an extensive list of graduate attributes:²⁵ Aspiration; Autonomy; Career Management; Communication Skills; Creativity; Critical Thinking Skills; Customer Awareness; Digital Literacy; Efficiency; Emotional Intelligence; Enterprise and Entrepreneurship; Ethics; Flexibility and Adaptability; Giving and Receiving Feedback; Independent Thinking; Initiative and Self-Direction; Inter-Personal Skills; Language Skills (Particularly 2nd Language Skills); Multi-Tasking; Numeracy; Opportunity Awareness; Positive Attitude; Presentation Skills; Problem Solving; Professional Knowledge; Research Skills; Resilience; Self-Management; Social Intelligence; Team-Working; Time Management; Willingness (and Capability) to Learn; Work Ethic; Writing Skills.

2.5 Embedding Employability in Higher Education

Employability cannot be taught as a standalone subject. The employability and enterprise skills highlighted in this report and other national and international reports need to be embedded in every subject taught at HEIs, Colleges, TVET institutes, and schools. Faculty members and teachers need to be made aware of these skills, and they should have a common framework to refer to. Teaching pedagogies and assessment methods have to be changed accordingly as well.

In an attempt to resolve this, Higher Education Academy (HEA) in 2016 developed a framework for embedding employability (Figure 7) in higher education.

HEA views embedding employability as providing the opportunities to develop knowledge, skills, experiences, behaviors, attributes, achievements, and attitudes to enable graduates to make successful transitions and contributions - employability that benefits the graduates, economies, and their communities. Employability is relevant to all students at all levels of education, hence, includes both undergraduate and postgraduate provision.²⁶

Methodology

3.1 Planning the Survey/Study

The Graduate Employability: Employers’ Perception Survey Report 2018 is an initiative of Naqeebz Consulting. It is a 2nd report of the 2016 report that was conducted by Naqeebz Consulting’s in-house team. The sampling and work plan was reviewed and vetted by field experts.

3.2 Objectives of the Study

The study aimed to investigate the gap between academia and industry, employers’ views on quality of education imparted to university/college students, and its relevance to the demands of the industry.

The questions asked from respondents included:

• Are employers satisfied with the quality of graduates?
• What are the reasons of satisfaction or a lack of it?
• What factors do employers consider important when recruiting fresh graduates?
• Which soft-skills are considered important when hiring fresh graduates?
• Have employers ever been contacted by HEC, Provincial HECs, and universities to have consultation or collaboration on curriculum development and other affairs concerning liaison between academia and industry?
• Were employers willing to participate if HECs and/or universities approach them for liaison or collaboration?
• What are the areas where most jobs will be created and what will be the most demanded/sought after skills among graduates by the industry in next five years?
• Are they satisfied with the quality of CVs of fresh graduates?
• Which type of information is required on the CV of a fresh graduate/graduate professional?

The respondents’ data was also clustered to respondents’ designation and industry.

3.3 Data Sources

The primary research in this study was backed by a secondary research that constituted reviewing major reports and literature available on the subject. Primarily, the reports included UK Education and Skills Survey 2017, Employability: A review of the literature 2012 to 2016: Higher Education Academy 2016, Annual Report of Confederation of British Industry 2013, and Report by Global Innovation Index and Employers’ Perception Survey submitted to Higher Education Commission in May 2016. Moreover, various models and theoretical perspectives were studied to reach the conceptual framework of the study.

The review of literature was conducted on available research studies and briefs in Pakistani context. This review also included various questionnaires and surveys already employed in the field with more or less similar objectives. Secondary research helped clarify the objectives and framing questions for the survey. In addition, secondary research also provided with theoretical background necessary for the study. The survey/questionnaire was identified as a main tool of data collection to conduct the study.

3.4 Sampling

Sampling was done following multi-staged stratified random sampling techniques, surveying professionals only, who were directly involved in the decision making during the recruitment process.

Therefore, the survey was administered to senior officials, heads of the organizations, executives, and HR managers from organizations belonging to a wide range of industrial sectors such as Manufacturing, Information Technology, Education, Health, Banking, and Engineering. In order to ensure considerable representation from each sector, the executives were sampled on the basis of their designations/profiles, years of relevant experience, size of the organization, nature of business, and corresponding industry. The size of the organization was also a measure of number of graduates employed from the labor market. It was assumed that larger organizations with larger workforce would have employed more university graduates. Lists of 200+ companies were prepared with targeted executives/senior officials. In order to ensure the reliability of the responses, the respondents of the survey were carefully selected. Moreover, the internal validity of the research was ensured by designing a questionnaire that would specifically pertain to quality of education, skills, and attributes of the professionals required in the industry, and major obstacles in finding and hiring such suitable candidates for placement in the industry.

3.5 Development of the Tool

The survey consisted of 18 contextually relevant questions requesting details on:

• Demographic information
• Organizational details
• Employers’ perceptions towards quality of education
• Reasons for satisfaction/dissatisfaction
• Factors and skills to consider during recruitment of professionals
• Contact or communication by HEIs with business organizations regarding education reform process by the universities

The survey also sought answers on employers’ perceptions based on the changing trends of business and different industries.

3.6 Survey Administration

The survey was designed and administered via an online tool, Survey Monkey (www.surveymonkey.com).

Responses were obtained from 212 individuals. Survey Monkey also provided an opportunity for online data collection without compromising integrity and authenticity. Each of the respondents could enter responses once only as IP restrictions applied. The potential respondents were contacted via LinkedIn, Email, Telecon, and WhatsApp to seek their permission for participation in the survey and the link of online survey was shared with them. The respondents were also informed about the objectives and purposes of the study.

The list of the organizations that participated in the survey is listed in Appendix B. Distribution of the organizations across corresponding industries and representation as in the sample can be found in Figure 8.

3.7 Data Collection, Analysis, and Reporting

Before analysis, the data was reviewed for any inconsistencies such as incomplete or erratic responses. Valid data sets were analyzed to determine the frequency distributions against various strata given in the questionnaire. The data was then exported to MS Excel for record and graphical presentation.

Limitations

Since this survey was conducted online and was shared directly with the targeted prospective respondents, hence, there has been less response from the public sector organizations, print & electronic media/entertainment industry, and organizations from the agriculture sector.

Results and Findings

Through our research, employers from diverse industrial sectors have presented their views on the shortcomings or the lack of qualities in graduates coming through the current education system. There is a considerable supply - demand lag.

4.1 Respondents’ Profiles

By Industry

The results indicated that executives and senior officials from 25 different industries responded to the survey. However, for the sake of understanding, respondents (businesses) with related industries have been clustered under 13 closely related business sectors.

By Designation

Out of total respondents to the survey, the designation wise division constituted: C-Level Executives 27%; VP/Director/Head 25%; HR Managers/Recruitment Specialists 44%; Non-HR Director(s)/Non-HR Manager(s) 4%. The data above adds to the reliability of the responses obtained in the survey.

By Employees Size Base of the Company

By Regional Operations of the Companies

In order to obtain a holistic knowledge, organizations of the respondents were also analyzed on the basis of their scope of operations. The following ratio wise location based analysis helped solidify the holistic knowledge that is promised. The results indicated the following preferred province wise operations of these organizations:

The diversity in the locations/areas of operations not only demonstrated the scope of the organizations in terms of services, but also showed employers’ experience with candidates or professionals across provinces.

4.2 Employers’ Satisfaction with the Quality of Graduates

• The results indicated that an alarmingly high number i.e. 78% of 212 employers are dissatisfied with the quality of skills and qualifications of graduates in Pakistan!
• Only 22% of the employers feel satisfied with the quality of available skills sets of the graduates in the market.

In comparison to the results of a similar survey on employers’ perceptions conducted by CAAS (now Naqeebz Consulting) in 2016, the dissatisfaction level has now risen by more than 2 points i.e. 76% employers (of 171 respondents) were dissatisfied earlier in 2016 with the quality of skill sets of graduates. The increase in dissatisfaction is significant, keeping in view the increased and diversified sampling represented in the survey. The results above also indicate a widening gap between the available skill sets and changing demands of the industry.

4.3 Level of Employers’ Satisfaction by Designation

Employers’ Dissatisfaction at CEO/Deputy CEO/CHRO Level

Results indicate that around 89% of the C-level executives (CEOs/Deputy CEOs/CHROs) are dissatisfied with the quality of graduates: factors include qualifications, skills, and employability.

VP HR/Director HR’s Dissatisfaction!

Results indicate that a whopping 78% of the employers at VP HR/Director HR/Head level are dissatisfied with the existing skills of the graduate workforce.

Employers’ Dissatisfaction at Manager HR Level & Below

Keeping up with the earlier trends emerging from the results, 71% employers at Manager HR level and below showed dissatisfaction with the quality of graduates available.

4.4 Reasons for Dissatisfaction

The respondents to this survey were presented with an array of options on skills related to collaboration, communication, presentation, knowledge, and attitude towards work that may potentially be the cause of their dissatisfaction. The responses from the employers in this section are particularly important for academia to prioritize and focus on the areas where increased attention is direly needed (refer to Figure 16).

Incorrect Reflection of Knowledge

Around 60% of the respondents have marked, “Knowledge, skills & abilities of individuals failing to reflect the high grades they have achieved” as a leading reason for dissatisfaction. This highlights the gap between actual learning achievement and grades obtained through rote learning or cramming.

Disparity in Rights & Responsibilities

Likewise, around 56% and 55% of the employers chose “lack of commercial awareness” and “high salary expectations” as second and third highest reasons of dissatisfaction. Lack of knowledge on mechanics of commercial markets and a demand of an inversely proportional salary structure doesn’t work. It again demonstrates wide gaps and weak linkages between academia and industry.

The Process that Leads to Dissatisfaction

It is like so many people are working really hard, but sadly, in the wrong direction. This dissatisfaction of the employer is not only a consequence of absence of industrial exposure to the students during degree programs, but also the fact that schools do not provide adequate information on industrial demand of the discipline. The institution should educate the student on the required skills, possible job roles, and expected salary when they enroll in different academic programs.

Moreover, around 40% to 46% employers indicated dissatisfaction with communication, soft skills, and presentation skills of the graduates. These trends are major pointers for academia.

4.5 Reasons for Satisfaction

Just like there are two sides to every story, a number of areas were highlighted by the employers that presented strengths and potentials of the graduates passing out of universities. The information in this section is useful in terms of determining the strengths that must be developed in skilled areas (refer to Figure 17).

• More than 52% of the employers highlighted that fresh graduates demonstrate a good knowledge of the basic IT skills, willingness and ability to learn new things, and express their ideas and thoughts without conditioned inhibition.
• 50% of the employers responded that graduates have a positive attitude and demonstrate adaptability.

In combination, these skills and abilities promise immense potential for Pakistani university graduates to acquire greater knowledge and enhance their skills, given they are strengthened with the right opportunities and a focused medium of instruction. On the other hand, adaptability and ability to learn new things on the part of the graduates may help them in quickly learning the competitive and complex business environments, making them good workers and eventually industry leaders.

4.6 Factors in Consideration while Employers Recruit Fresh Graduates

Factors Influencing the Recruitment

In universities, students are led to believe that only good grades will secure them good jobs, however, employers have a different perspective. A number of factors influence the recruitment of graduates according to the following info (see Figure 18):

• 79% of employers prefer ‘Technical Skills/Professional Knowledge’ to ‘High Grades’ when recruiting fresh graduates
• About 76% of the employers encourage ‘Relevant Qualification’ when hiring
• 70% of the next highly demanded skill includes ‘Soft Skills’
• ‘Personal Presentation’ comprised (68%)
• Only 58% of the recruiters gave weightage to the performance in organization tests and/or assessments

Technical Skills vs Branded Degrees

Furthermore, it is evident that in the industry, technical skills and knowledge are more valued than the type or cadre of the university attended by the candidate. Qualities of soft skills and enterprise positively influence the candidate’s chances of being hired.

4.7 Top-Ten Soft Skills Required by Employers

Employers speak at length about the soft skills that they like to see among graduates during interview and on-job, once they are hired. Amongst the most demanded soft skills, the ones that top the list are as follows: Positive Attitude 85%, Confidence 70%, Verbal Communication 66%, Team Work 64%.

‘Integrity’, ‘analytical skills’, ‘time management’, and ‘critical thinking skills’ along with ‘planning and organizing’ follow the above skills.

Once again, the onus is placed on developing soft skills along with knowledge development and good academic performance. Aligning with that, university education must also include preparing the learners for professional challenges along with imparting them conventional education.

4.8 Academia-Industry Linkages

Employers Contacted by HEC and/or Universities for Curriculum Development

A spectrum of issues represented above in employability skills, relevant qualification, and lack of soft skills can be addressed by reflecting on the strengths of cohesion and value exchange between academia and industry. The disconnection between academia and industry could be because of HEIs focus on imparting theoretical knowledge and focus on descriptive research. In such a scenario, the opportunities for graduates to learn practical aspects greatly reduce. Side by side, the development and implementation of the employability and enterprise skills framework will reduce the current gap.

Have you ever been approached by HEC or any university to participate or nominate someone from your organization to help them in curriculum development or share input?

Through this survey, 80% of the employers reported that they were never contacted by academia or HEIs for their inputs into curriculum development, or designing modules for skill development among university graduates.

Only 12% of the respondents mentioned that they were frequently called for their inputs on curriculum development by universities.

Industry’s Willingness to Channelize Solutions

Collectively, an extremely promising 96% of business leaders from the industry exhibited a strong inclination to assist universities, including the HEC, in the curriculum development process and capacity building program (Figure 21).

The Career Services Offices and ORICs in universities are good platforms to actively engage with the industry for curriculum development, industrial research, knowledge of latest trends, job placement of students, and for other popular activities like inviting guest speakers from industry and running recruitment drives.

However, there is a need to move beyond this!

4.9 Information Employers Seek on a Fresh Graduate’s Resume

Quality of CV/Resume

This study revealed that fresh graduates are unable to produce a professional resume while spending considerable time studying for degrees in HEIs. They are also not aware of the fact that CVs are the first impressions through which decisions are made. In this study, employers have expressed their opinion on the quality of the CVs and information presented in them by the graduates.

• 77% of the employers were not satisfied with the overall quality, presentation, and presented information.
• 97% of the employers prefer a simple format with clear and concise information in a logical sequence emulating the learnt and applied skills/knowledge to any fancy formats.

Survey Revelations

1. Employers are weary of the ‘Career Objectives’ on CVs. They feel that mostly the statements provided sound cliché and ‘not unique’ to the candidate.

2. As per the employers’ feedback, every 2 out of 4 candidates are found to have vague or confusing details about their education, IT skills, and job/internship/s experience on their CV.

Furthermore, through this study, employers were asked to elaborate on their responses and give a detailed perspective on the required elements of a fresh graduate’s CV. A list of elements arranged on the basis of priority is available for the candidates to learn from.

62% - 68% of employers prioritized information on Bachelors/Master’s degree obtained by the candidates, skills learned through internships and experience, and details on Final Year Project as most important (Figure 23).

Next in line, the employers gauged and placed highest importance to the acquisition of soft skills, basic IT skills, and communication skills of graduates applying for jobs in their organizations.

The priorities of the employers listed in this section of the study are a reminder to what industry is seeking from the universities and the graduates.

Again, the results suggest commercial awareness and a need to inculcate soft skills amongst our graduates. When graduates are more aware of the industry, they would tend to acquire knowledge and skills that are aligned with demands of the corporate sector. This will eventually reflect on their CVs as well.

4.10 5 Years Analysis: Top Ten Jobs Forecast in Pakistan (2018-2022)

Next Five Years - Jobs Demand in Pakistan (2018-2022)

The knowledge on the employability skills among university graduates and need for technical knowledge and soft skills would be incomplete without knowing which sectors of industry will be demanding professionals in the next few years. At the same time, universities and students need to know the areas where highest specialization is required.

In this context, employers were given more than 250 functional areas/skills/job titles to choose from, in which they will have job openings in their own organizations in the next five years (2018 - 2022).

• More than 55% of the employers shared that they would need Business Development Professionals in their organizations across diverse sectors (Figure 24).
• This is followed by more than 40% of the organizations that will be looking for HR Professionals and Digital Marketing Experts.

Interestingly, all of the three functional areas require excellent communication and critical thinking skills with persuasive presentation strategies.

Jobs in IT/Telecoms/BPO/Call Centers

In IT/Telecom/BPO/Call Center Industry, most of the hiring will be of Business Development, Software Engineering, Digital Marketing, Mobile App Development, and IT Security Professionals. Business Development Professionals (62%) will be in most demand in this sector.

Jobs in FMCGs/Manufacturing Industry

In FMCG/Manufacturing industry, most of the hiring will be of Human Resource Management (62%), Business Development (59%), Marketing (45%), Supply Chain Management (45%), Accounting (41%), and Distribution and Logistics professionals (41%) in the next five years (2018-2022).

Jobs in Retail/Fashion/Hospitality/Food Industry

In Retail/Fashion/Hospitality/Food Industry, the jobs highest in demand will be of Business Analysts, Brand Managers, HR Managers, Digital Marketing Experts, Retail Operation Managers, and Business Development Experts.

Reflections

The information provided in this section is very useful for academia, as clear demands have been put forward by the industry. It is time for the academia to respond to them.

In order to boost Pakistan’s economy, it is high time that industry be supported with innovative solutions, modern techniques, and more sophistication in managing HR.

The future is about both knowledge and skills. Only individuals with relevant industry skills and technical knowledge will be able to launch themselves successfully in the corporate sector.

Conclusion

The review of various literatures and our findings accentuates the need and significance of industry-academia linkages. The linkages will fundamentally enhance the understanding of the employers’ perception, and how to cope with the changing dynamics of market. As discussed earlier the conceptual framework of Bailly’s model of employers’ beliefs suggests improving the quality of education, relevance of research, and professional training of the graduates by HEIs. They will, resultantly, influence employability in national and international markets.

Definition of Employability has continuously been evolving yet all definitions, available to date, converge to the point that it is the combination of technical and soft skills that is imperative to employability. ILO clearly stated that only individuals who have soft skills would be able to enjoy career growth and life long career opportunities. Confederation of British Industry identified that employers look beyond good grades and qualifications, as right attitude and aptitude was accounted as the most significant attribute for employability.

“Employability: A Review of the Literature 2012 - 2016” by HEA reaffirms the fact that employability skills cannot be taught as a standalone subject. Rather, employability & enterprise skills need to be embedded in every subject taught at HEIs, colleges, TVET institutes and schools. Faculty members and teachers need to be made aware of these skills and should have a common framework to refer to. Teaching pedagogies and assessment methods have to be modified as per the change in need.

The inputs from experienced business and HR leaders will enhance the delivery system of skills and should be part of the HEI’s reform program but not limited to surveys and reports. They should be embedded in curriculum development, instructional methods, and training priorities.

It could also be inferred that the cost of training for employers is higher when employability skills are weak; the knock-on effect impacts productivity and economic sustainability of businesses. Employability and Enterprise skills are not limited to graduates. They also reflect on those under vocational routes and alternate employment entry pathways. In other words, employability and enterprise skills have wider scopes and the economic and transformational impact is multi-dimensional.

Capacity development is a process through which individuals, organizations, and societies manage to obtain, strengthen, and maintain the competences to achieve their own developmental objectives. It reflects one of the key principles to sharpen skills and develop a human-rights-based approach: an approach that advocates gender equality, environmental sustainability, and results-based management as key forces. Because of its centrality to the development process, “collaboration” among all stakeholders is one of the core priorities of capacity development, which we have incorporated into our recommendations.

The review of literature enabled us to realize that the need to incorporate soft skills within the curriculum and instructional design is direly needed. Knowledge, skills, and abilities of the graduates must reflect the high grades they have obtained. The only way forward is by bridging the gap between industry and academia and industry. NEESDF can address this challenge as far as imparting soft skills in learners is concerned, which will not only update HEI’s institutions but the results will be far reaching on individual performance and economic growth.

The Way Forward: Recommendations

Higher Education Commission may introduce policy-level reforms in higher education sector to create an enabling environment for development of capacity building in favor of change, and acknowledge the importance of employability and enterprise skills as core competency requirements.

6.1 Academia Industry Linkages

• Reform and realign higher education curriculum in conjunction with the industrial and business trends by pro-actively engaging business leaders and experts from the industry.
• Encouragement by HEC to HEIs for giving equal importance to Professor of Practice as compared to conditioned faculty members.
• Create an enabling teaching environment that works alongside industry and develops a collaborative research and commercialization of projects with the industry. This would solve practical problems of the industry.

6.2 Teaching Pedagogy & Assessment Methods

• Discourage rote memorization by changing assessment methods and techniques that encourages learners in developing greater comprehension skills, critical thinking, and analytical skills.
• Lecture based teaching to be replaced with experiential instructional methodology in an environment where teachers manifest themselves more as facilitators & mentors than as teachers.
• Local case studies to be developed and taught to make learners more commercially aware of the local market.

6.3 Employability & Enterprise Skills Development

• Make teachers aware of the industry expectations in terms of both technical and soft skills.
• Nationwide train-the-trainer workshops may be organized to train teachers how to facilitate learners to improve employability and enterprise skills.
• NEESDF may be adopted by HEC as a national framework for enterprise and employability skills development.
• Create central, regional, and city-based centers of excellence initiatives that are monitored and evaluated by multiple stakeholders.

6.4 Revamping Career Services Offices of HEIs

• National certification may be introduced to train staff involved in facilitating students at career services offices. There is a need for career services staff to be more commercially aware and be able to use technological methods for providing career counseling to students.
• Make NEESDF part of the orientation for new students so that they understand the importance of developing employability and enterprise skills apart from getting good grades.
• Rewarding students for their involvement in co & extra-curricular activities.
• Community and social work projects may be introduced on a point based system.
• Staff should keep record of learners’ progress on employability and enterprise skills development from the first semester till they exit their university.
• Career services staff should also be able to provide mentoring and guidance to budding entrepreneurs alongside helping job-seekers find the right job.

6.5 Kill Fixed Roadmaps

• Except professional degrees like those of Medical and Engineering it is strongly advised that universities should stop making students follow fixed roadmaps. Students should be given liberty to study various Social Sciences or even STEM subjects of their own choice, before declaring their majors anytime before the start of 3rd or 4th semester of their undergraduate degree program.
• Student entering a university should be enrolled in the university rather than being enrolled for a specific degree program (likewise Liberal Arts Education in USA). It might be difficult for private universities to practice this, but large public sector universities may try.

6.6 Using Technology to Improve Quality in Affiliated Colleges

• HEC may shortlist country’s top professors from different universities and develop online courses for each subject taught at HEIs in Pakistan.
• The online courses should be available free of charge for the students. Affiliated colleges may use them for classroom teaching as well. These lectures would also help indigenous teachers polish their teaching skills.
• Online courses may also be introduced for teachers training under HEC’s faculty development institute.

6.7 The Proposed National Employability & Enterprise Skills Development Framework

This section focuses on how Pakistan can establish capacity building systems to develop a capacity to learn 21st century skills with the help of academia.

Naqeebz Consulting is the major catalyst and front line agency to lay out the framework and has made an effort to support the development and proposed Pakistan’s first National Employability & Enterprise Skills Development Framework (NEESDF). It emphasizes on strengthening policy frameworks, service delivery & protection systems, and aligning partner institutions.

The NEESDF will focus on designing and implementing Employability and Enterprise Skills Development across all sectors, and will work alongside the HEC, Provincial HECs, and HEIs in developing training modules which address the skills shortage.

NEESDF consists of 9 Core Competencies that have been developed considering the findings of this survey, HEA’s Framework, University of Kent’s Employability Skills Development Framework, and PCRN’s National Employability Skills Framework (CTE - US Govt.).

The framework cuts across different segments - graduates, industry, and the government.

This framework will help:

Learners develop better understanding about the importance of employability skills right from the beginning of academic year in universities. They can self-evaluate the level of each competency/skill possessed by them, and design their own improvements.

Higher Education Institutions would benefit from revamping curriculums, assessment methods, and teaching methodologies to support a better skills development.

Faculty Members would benefit from refresher programs, which incorporate various activities that will help them shift their instructional techniques from pure rote memorization to competency development of learners.

Teachers’ Training by providing a lucrative teacher training to ‘on job teachers’ about the content delivery and students’ engagement, to get the better results. This training program would also help teachers get acquainted with the content and to enhance their pedagogical skills.

Employers require a constant flow of interns and MTOs to help learners understand and focus on the areas that need improvement.

Government ministries are undergoing reforms and projects and transformational efforts require personnel who are equipped to make a difference. The Ministry of Federal Education and Professional Training has published National Education Policy Framework (NEPF) 2018. The report has indicated the challenges in general and in technical education system that can be highlighted as follows:

• Poor quality and relevance of teaching and research conditions
• Weak linkages with industry

The NEESDF competencies are aligned with the framework by the government. Both aim to strengthen linkages between the academia and industry, while bringing the higher education sector, corporate requirements, and capacity building programs under one umbrella. This will effortlessly culminate towards an industrial/corporate Pakistan that truly reflects the productive manpower of our country.

The National Education Priorities listed in NEPF resolve to:

• Provide uniformity in educational standards
• Improve the quality of education
• Enhance access to relevant skills training

The NEESDF would help in achieving these priorities, and addressing the aforementioned challenges to contribute in the improvement of education standards by providing a common framework for employability and enterprise skills development.

As mentioned earlier NEESDF has been vetted in a focused group discussion held at HEC’s Regional Center, Lahore on 5th January 2019 by 35 business, HR, and academic leaders.

Notes

References

Acronyms

Companies that Participated in the Survey

Abacus Consulting Advans Pakistan MF Bank Aga Khan Health Service Pakistan Agritech Limited Agro Processors & Atmospheric Gases Alfalah Insurance Limited Ali Gohar & Company Allied Bank Limited Alpha Insurance Company Limited Alshaheer Corporation American Refugee Committee Arrowsol8 Asian food industries ASK Development Askari Cement Limited Wah Ayesha Knitwear Pvt LTD Bahria University Bandhani Group Bank Alfalah Beaconhouse School System Behbud Association Karachi Berger Paints Best Western Hotel Lahore Bling Drinking Water Company British Council Bulleyshah Cattle Market Management Company - Gujranwala Division Chawla Group ChenOne Stores Ltd Cherat Packaging Ltd Coca Cola Beverages Private Limited Coca Cola Icecek Coolpoint, Mah Plastic & Revive Coppergat Cables Cotton Web Limited Crescent Crewlogix technologies CubeXS Weatherly (Pvt) Ltd Daewoo Pakistan Dawood Family Takaful Limited Deloitte Pakistan Descon Engineering DevSol Managed Services DGS (TRG) DIN Media Group Dolmen Real Estate Eamas Private Limited ECC Corporate Solutions EFU Life Assurance Ltd Emenac Pvt Ltd Engro EPIC Consulting Group Ermine (Pvt.) Ltd. Exide Pakistan Limited EY Ford Rhodes Fatima Group Fauji Fresh N Freeze Fazleesons (Private) Limited FedEx Gerrys FINCA Microfinance Bank Ltd FML Fresenius Medical Care GMRIL - KFC Pakistan Gray Mackenzie Restaurants Intl Ltd Habib Bank AG Zurich Habib University Haier Haleeb Foods HANDS HASCOL Petroleum HG Markets (Pvt) Ltd

Himont Pharmaceuticals Pvt Ltd Honeywell Hotel One (Pvt) Limited HR Metrics HRPlus HTA i2c inc ICI Pakistan Idara Taleem-o-Aaghai Ideas By Gulahmed IGI Insurance Ignite - National Technology Fund INFOTECH Innovation World INOVEDIA TECHNOLOGIES Interwood Islamic Relief Worldwide Ittehad Life Sciences-ILS Jaans trading company JAZZ Jobs n Career Jotun Powder Coatings Pakistan Pvt Ltd K Electric Khushhalibank limited Khyber Tobbaco Company Lafrage Pakistan Landmark Group Pvt Ltd Lean Automation LMKR Pakistan (Private) Limited Macter International Limited MAF - Carrefour MAS Enterprises Maxfoster Global Mayfair Group Of Companies MCB MCB Islamic Bank Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) Medipak Limited Metro Cash and Carry Millat Tractors Limited Mindstorm Studios MoIT Mondelez Pakistan Ltd MSHG Consulting Mushawar Consulting NAFFCA Group NarejoHR National Logistics Cell Nayatel NDL Nes-pak Nestle NETSOL Technologies NIB Bank Limited Nishat Mills Ltd NorthBay Solutions (Pvt) Ltd Norwegian Church Aid NPPMCL NRS Internationals Ora-tech Systems Pvt Ltd Orient Electronics Ovex Technologies (Pvt.) Ltd. Packages Ltd Pak Elektron Limited PAK-ARAB REFINERY LIMITED Pakistan Society for T&D Pakistan Telecommunication Authority Panther Tyres PEF Pepsico Pharmagen Limited

Pioneer Cement Limited Private Power & Ifrastucture Board Professional Employers Private Ltd Pronto Promo Pvt Ltd PSDF PTCL Punjab Social Security Health Management Company Qmobile R&I Electrical Appliances (Pvt) Ltd RA Consultants (SMC-Pvt) Ltd Ramada Islamabad Recruiter 380 Reem Rice Mills Resource Linked Romaco Engineers Roshan Packages S&P Global Market Intelligence Samad Apparel Samad Rubber Works Pvt Ltd Samsung Electronics Samsung Mobile Sapphire Finishing Mills Sapphire Textile Mills Ltd Sefam Pvt Ltd Service Sales Corporation Servier Research & Pharmaceuticals Shakarganj Mills Limited Sharif Group Shell Pakistan Shezan International Silkbank Limited SNGPL Sports Star International Pvt. Ltd. Sufi Group of companies Systems Limited Systronic I.T Services Szaram HR Outsourcing & Consulting TEAMWORK PACKAGES TecnoMax International Telenor Terrabiz The Digital Ustaad The Dynamics - Research Consultants The HR Consultant The Kidney Centre Post Graduate Training Institute The University of Lahore Thermosole Industries Pvt.Ltd Lahore TkXel TNPTL Total Parco TPS Pakistan Pvt Ltd TRACON SERVICES PVT LTD Trade Optimize Trafco Logistics (Pvt) LTD. Treet Corporation TUSDEC U Microfinance Bank Ufone United Bank Limited United Snacks University of South Asia Uniworth (Shirt and Tie) US Apparel & Textile Vopium A/S Ltd YUM Group of Restaurant Zealcon Engineering Pvt Ltd Zong CMPAK ZOOM petroleum ZTE Pakistan