Abstract
<p style="text-align: justify;">To explore their role in enhancing graduate employability, the study investigated the effectiveness of student internships as pedagogical practices in promoting employability skills amongst graduating students in four Social Science Degree programmes of selected universities in Zambia. Qualitative and quantitative data were collected from 162 participants through the questionnaires and interview guides using a mixed-methods approach. The participants included different actors in the labour industry as critical informants; graduating students taking Social Science Degree Programmes; Lecturers, and Employers. The quantitative and qualitative data were analysed using the SPSS version 24 and Atlas. Ti. Version 8, respectively. This study employed the Human Capability Approach and Human Capital theories. Findings indicated that although internship practices were considered an essential component in the social science degree programmes for skills development, their effectiveness in promoting employability skills amongst graduating students varied from one programme to the other. The findings have implications on how universities and the labour industry could work together to design and implement internship experiences for students in social science degree programmes that are more effective in promoting the acquisition of employability skills in Zambia.</p>
Highlights
Through the exploration of Zambia's enormous natural resources, the Zambian Government has been investing in higher education to develop the critical mass of skills needed to drive the economy
To explore their role in enhancing graduate employability, the study investigated the effectiveness of student internships as pedagogical practices in promoting employability skills amongst graduating students in four Social Science Degree programmes of selected universities in Zambia
The graduating students from four Social Science Degree programmes, lecturers, and employers from the labour industry organisations, and those termed as key informants were all drawn into the study sample in the quest to explore the effectiveness of student internships in promoting employability skills in Social Science Degree programmes
Summary
Through the exploration of Zambia's enormous natural resources, the Zambian Government has been investing in higher education to develop the critical mass of skills needed to drive the economy. The need to provide quality and accessible higher education is premised on the understanding that acquiring skills and developing practical knowledge relevant to the needs of the labour market can help reduce the high unemployment levels in the country (Zambia Statistical Agency, 2019). This strategy was deemed necessary to root out poverty and inequality (GRZ, 2017). Despite such efforts, the high youth and graduate unemployment rates remain unabated (Mwelwa et al, 2021). This made the discourse on skills development and graduate employability a topical issue in Zambia
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Free) 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call
