Analysis of Perception Gap between Employers and Fresh Engineering Graduates about Employability Skills: A Case Study of Pakistan

The present study aims to investigate possible perception gap between fresh engineering graduates and their employers about essential skills required for getting a job. Data were collected from 129 industrial employers and 812 final year engineering students from all over Pakistan with the help of a questionnaire adapted from Secretary's Commission on Achieving Necessary Skills (SCANS) comprising 36 questions categorized into eight broader areas. Data analysis reveals that wide gap exists between the perceptions of both, as employers give more importance to skills like creativity, communication, interpersonal, decision making and problem solving, while engineering graduates perceive that their technical skills would play a major role in getting them jobs. Strong correlation is observed between students' ranking of skills and their competence level in respective skills. Consequently, students' un-employment time increases causing concern among students, parents and the students' academic institutions. This situation becomes more alarming in a developing country like Pakistan, where unemployment has already touched 8.3%, the highest in last 13 years. Findings of this study can guide the management of engineering universities to better align their engineering programs with employer's requirements and create awareness among students about the importance of soft skills in their professional career.