PERCEIVED DIFFERENCE AMONG THE EMPLOYERS AND GRADUATES OF ARUNACHAL PRADESH REGARDING THE ESSENTIAL EMPLOYABILITY SKILLS

Abstract

The study was conducted as a prelude to research on employability skill development among the graduates of Arunachal Pradesh. It focussed on the difference in the perception of both employers as well as graduates concerning the skills essential to employability. Managing Directors of twenty companies mostly linked with manufacturing and financial sectors and 75 candidates who were either employed within a year of their graduation from any of the HEIs in the State or at least attended placement or job interviews responded to a questionnaire that dealt with the perceived importance of essential employability skills. According to the employers, lack of apt skills continues to be the major hurdle to employing graduates. Compared to employers, skills regarded as most important by graduates are communication, integrity and interpersonal skills, self-management skills, and teamwork. Whereas, those the employers consider essential are technical skills interpersonal skills integrity, self-management skills, and teamwork. However, personal integrity, interpersonal skills, self-management skills, and teamwork find a place among the top-ranked six skills according to both groups of respondents, which indicates that employers and graduates ascribe similar importance to individual attributes.