The Human Sciences Research Council (HSRC) says there’s an urgent need to improve educational curricula to match industry requirements, to better guarantee that graduates have the necessary skills for the labour market in the country.
Researchers say graduates struggle to obtain jobs after graduation because of discrepancies between the expectations of the labour market and their educational background.
This, as SABC news focuses on the story of Momelezi Sifumba, who has seized an opportunity that catapulted him to success, despite facing numerous rejections.
From a roadside plea to career triumph, Momelezi Sifumba’s sign, pleading for employment, went viral after a stranger shared it on LinkedIn.
This led to a life-changing opportunity after it was noticed by an electrification company employer, propelling him from job seeker to associate project engineer.
“It has not been an easy journey but his idea to fully come out as a job seeker has yielded results he never anticipated,” Sifumba says.
A Human Sciences Research Council (HSRC) survey found that about 31% of South African companies cited graduates’ lack of skills as a major deterrent to hiring them.
The increasing trend of graduates turning to entrepreneurship also underscores the evolving job landscape.
HSRC’s Shirin Motala says, “There is a serious mismatch of the skills that are required by industries and those that are generated through higher education institutions.”
Some graduates are left with no option but to do volunteer work in companies.
“Volunteering can open doors for you. We all know that most companies want experience and not only one year’s experience but 2 or 3 years experience,” laments one graduate.
“I’ve volunteered for job experiences – I still volunteer in my area in the automotive company. We’ll need apprenticeship internships – probably govt career development opportunities or any subsidies to better myself as an engineer in this field,” adds another one.
The HSRC says colleges and universities need to work with industry partners to identify the new skills that are needed and add them to the curriculums to solve the skills problem.
