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Pasha 126: Four factors that make a graduate more employable

South Africa has an extremely high unemployment rate. A qualification from a tertiary institution usually means the chances of landing a job are higher. Research shows that within five years of graduating, 84% of the graduates were working. But it’s not a guarantee. Graduates, particularly from disadvantaged backgrounds, remain jobless.

Nevertheless there are certain aspects that make a graduate more employable than others. Our guest in today’s episode of Pasha is Fenella Somerville a post-doctoral research fellow in the SARCHI Chair Higher Education and Human Development research group at the University of the Free State. Her work found that four things counted when a graduate was looking for employment,

  • The reputation of the institution

  • Networks and connections

  • Experience, and

  • Type of work.

Today’s episode of our podcast looks at what counts the most when a graduate looks for work.


Read more: Four things that count when a South African graduate looks for work


Photo:
“South Africa High Resolution Job Concept” By xtock found on Shutterstock.

Music: “Happy African Village” by John Bartmann, found on FreeMusicArchive.org licensed under CC0 1.

“Expressions of the mind (Piano loop)” by ShadyDave, found on Freesound licensed under Attribution Noncommercial License.

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