Due to its great importance, the employability of university graduates (and the workforce in general ) is a subject of much interest to researchers, policymakers, and curriculum planners around the world.
Although the literature on graduate employability is informative and illuminating, the role of university practices in fostering graduate employability in sub-Saharan Africa, and Tanzania in particular, has been little studied.
Hence year after year, numerous graduates leave the university but remain unemployed.
“This is why we have set up the Daraja La Ajira Expo,” explained Peter John (PBDT) CEO of the expo slotted for 26 through to the 29 of August in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania.
‘Daraja La Ajira’, which literally translates to ‘Employment Bridge’ is the leading live event that offers on spot learning on current and prospecting career opportunities for professionals in Tanzania.
It is also a B2B marketing event that connects the most proactive marketing professionals with the tools, techniques, and innovations they need to be at the forefront of the ever-changing marketing world.
“This is where professionals can build strategic alliances…it is designed to support, grow and connect professionals, it opens doors to career opportunities and business networking,” the CEO detailed.
The outcome of the event is expected to boost the development of professional careers in Tanzania. It is also expected to enhance professional networking and connections as well as increase awareness of various career opportunities to the professionals in Tanzania.
The Daraja La Ajira Expo is an annual event that brings together career experts from various fields including commerce, science and technology, media, engineering and medical sector to mention but a few as well as open up opportunities for graduates and B2B marketing.
Are You Employable?
A growing corpus of literature on graduates’ employability has identified barriers to employment ranging from skills mismatch to a lack of soft skills.
Higher education (HE) discourse has long been dominated by the
employability debate because the major aim is to generate graduates who are workplace ready.
Four critical universities best practices for fostering graduate employability are of interest: industry partnerships, aligning
university education with a country’s development plans, regular university curriculum reviews, and strengthening quality assurance systems.
However, while
universities work to better prepare graduates for the workforce, the government and the private sector must step in and increase the employability of graduates who are already in the workforce.
This is where events like the Daraja La Ajira Expo come in. In effect, the expo helps increase the employability of the graduates by giving them career seminars and more directly by bringing them under one roof with employers.
Socio-economic Effects of Unemployment
The effects of graduate unemployability range from poor economic development and psychological problems to social unrest in some countries. In Pakistan, for example, unemployment has been reported to trigger social unrest and psychological distress.
In Turkey, a study by Bilgiç and Yılmaz (2013) revealed a correlation between graduate unemployment and psychological health problems among the sampled graduates.
The same applies for Tanzania, with ever more graduates entering the workforce with no employment options the more we are seeing increased cases of non-communicable diseases and they are occurring at much younger ages than ever before.
Cases of crime, morals and ethics crumble are rampant from prostitution to drug abuse and crime.
“It is for this exact reason that we have set up the employment expo, the effects of employment to the individual, the family and the economy as a whole are devastating,” summed up Mr. John CEO of the Daraja La Ajira Expo.
