Abstract
This study examines assessments of employers and students about job skills leading to differences in skill, employability, and perception gaps based on surveys of 100 industrial employers and 151 final year students from universities in Gujrat-Sialkot-Gujranwala industrial cluster. Factor analysis grouped specific skills into three interpretable categories: communication and business specific skills, core employability skills, and professional skills. The results suggest gaps in all three respects for each of the skill categories. Employers were least satisfied with the professional skills of new employees. Similarly, students scored their own professional skills lower than the importance of these skills in the job market. Close coordination among all stakeholders through internship programs for students, development and timely revision of market oriented curricula, and special skill enhancement training programs are recommended steps to enhance productive youth employment in Pakistan.
Keyword(s)
Assessment, Industrial Employment, Skill, University Graduates, Gujrat, Sialkot, Gujranwala, Industrial Cluster, Pakistan