Soft Skills Competence and Graduates Employability in Delta State, Nigeria

Abstract

Background: Unemployment has impacted the Nigerian economy and has raised genuine concerns among multiple stakeholders due to its related social and economic issues. The level of unemployment has been considered a valuable indicator of a nation's well-being over time, as it carries both social and economic consequences. Aims: This study examined Soft Skills Competence and Graduates Employability in Delta State, Nigeria. The study specifically determined communication, computer literacy, analytical skill competence and graduate employability.  The study was guided by three research questions and three null hypotheses. Methodology: The design of the study was a correlational research design. The population of the study comprised all top management staff in various institutions and organisations in Delta State. The target population for the study comprised universities, the Ministry of Education, SUBEC, tertiary institutions, banks and telecommunication firms. The sample size comprised 217 top management staff from universities, the Ministry of Education, SUBEC, tertiary institutions, banks and telecommunication firms in Delta State. The instrument used for this study was a researcher-developed questionnaire, titled: “Soft Skills Competence and Graduate Employability Questionnaire” (SSCAGEQ).  The instrument was subjected to face and content validation and the reliability of the instrument was ascertained through test re-test method. The reliability yielded a coefficient of 0.84. The data collected were analyzed using the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS). Pearson Product-Moment Correlation Coefficient was used to answer the research questions. Simple Regression was used to test the null hypotheses at a 0.05 level of significance. Results: There is a significant relationship between communication skill competence. It also showed that a significant relationship exists between basic computer skill competence and university graduates’ employability in Delta State, Nigeria. It equally concluded that there is a significant relationship between analytical skill competence and university graduates’ employability in Delta State, Nigeria.  Conclusion: The study concluded that there is a significant relationship between communication skill competence and graduates’ employability in Delta State, Nigeria. The study recommended that the government should establish computer skills acquisition centres in Universities for increase students’ computer literacy.