TVET-industry Collaboration Mechanisms Enhancing Employability Skills of Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) Graduates: Evidence from Selected Institutions in Uganda

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to explore the influence of TVET-Industry collaboration in curriculum development, industry participation in practical training, sharing of training resources and training opportunities on employability skills of TVET graduates. This study considered more factors that influence graduate employability skills in addition to curriculum development as has been studied by many scholars. This study utilized cross sectional survey data collected from 217 trainers & heads of department. The data was analyzed using correlation, stepwise OLS multiple regression to study the relationships among the study variables using the Stata 17.0 (Stata-Corp College Station, TX, USA) software. The study findings showed that curriculum development (β=0.619, p<0.05), industry involvement in practical training (β=0.169, p<0.05), sharing of training resources (β=1.107, p<0.05), and training opportunities for trainers (β=0.446, p<0.05), have significant positive effects on the employability skills of the TVET graduates. These results implied that employability skills of graduates rely heavily on the nature of curriculum studied, transfer of practical skills by industry experts to the learners through industrial training, availability of training resources that facilitate learning as swell as level of knowledge possessed by the trainers. The findings suggested establishment of joint curriculum design and review committees, the promotion of continuous professional development and research activities, and the creation of dedicated liaison offices. This research provided a great contribution towards the knowledge pool of key determinants of the employability skills of TVET graduates as well as establishing the need to formalize, strengthen and coordinate collaborations between the TVET institutions and the industry.