Sectors complain of ‘functionally illiterate’ new graduates as unemployment spikes
Thousands of South African graduates are struggling to find jobs.
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CapeTalk’s Clarence Ford speaks with Dr Linda Meyer from IIE Rosebank College.
Listen below:
Our unemployment crisis is deepening, and graduates are among those suffering.
South Africa’s graduate unemployment rate has risen from 8.7% to 11.7%.
This raises concerns about the disconnect between higher education and employment.
Meyer believes one of the major causes for this is that the curriculums are not properly suited to what jobs require in the modern world.
“You still see graduates coming out and they are unable to work basic Microsoft programmes. For an employer that is a basic requirement.”
- Dr Linda Meyer, IIE Rosebank College
She believes higher education institutions need to work closely with companies to ensure their programmes are preparing students to join the workforce.
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She adds that companies currently report that it can take 12 to 24 months to teach a graduate the basic skills they need to do their jobs after they are hired.
“The key complaint we get from all sectors is that graduates are functionally illiterate.”
- Dr Linda Meyer, IIE Rosebank College
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