A Conceptual Understanding of Employability: The Employers' View in Rwanda

Abstract

Many governments believe that investing in human capital should increase citizens' employability, which is why it is often presented as a solution to the problems of knowledge-based economies and societies, rising unemployment rates and economic competiveness. The aim of this study is to understand employers' views regarding the employability of graduates from higher education programmes in Rwanda. Employers of graduates in the programmes of Accounting, Agriculture, Education and Medicine were interviewed to obtain a broad understanding of their views. The key themes that emerged from the thematic analysis were professional skills, becoming changeable/formable and skilful practices. This study argues that the concept of employability needs to be viewed as contextual because understanding the professional and national contexts is fundamental to achieving a better understanding of graduates' employability.