Exploring differences in South African graduate outcomes

Abstract

Interest in graduate employability tends to centre on the role of graduates in the workplace and the capacity of higher education to prepare them for the labour market (Tomlinson, 2012). Graduate employability has been argued to be a result of a combination of personal qualities, skills of various kinds and subject understanding (Yorke, 2001). These graduate skills are often referred to as 'employable skills', 'graduate attributes' or 'generic skills' (Barrie, 2006; Shivoro, Shalyefu, & Kadhila, 2018). Moreau and Leathwood (2006) introduce another layer of complexity, relating to the nature of the labour market and related policies. They argue that the transition from university to employment is not a direct function of formal credentials, which are increasingly becoming a less reliable guide to success in the adaptable and changing labour market.