African Students’ Capacity Building for Career Success

Abstract

Youth unemployment has been a major concern for African governments in recent times. A factor that contributes to this is employers who have ridiculous hiring requirements that become an impediment for most applicants. Although the literature blames school leadership and the school environment as the main causes of graduate unemployment, there seems to be a paucity of literature on the actual causes of graduate unemployment and the reasons for their poor performance in the workforce. This study assesses the actual causes of graduate unemployment in Africa and suggests remedies to salvage the situation. It provides a content analysis of papers presented at conferences, magazines, books, reports, and existing literature on academic articles. This study discovered that graduates lack work experience, computer skills, soft skills, problem-solving skills, creativity, etc. and these are the key drivers of youth unemployment in Africa. The study recommends that graduates should undertake an internship or voluntary work to acquire work experience and learn soft skills such as courtesy, politeness, and good manners at the workplace. They should also learn how to use basic computer software packages, find mentors in the profession who will guide them on the job, pursue life-long learning education, have a back-up career, and learn presentation skills. These are the remedies that will prepare new graduates to find their dream job.