Exploring curriculum responsiveness for public administration graduate employability: a case of the University of KwaZulu-Natal.

Abstract

This study sought to gain an in-depth understanding of the public administration curriculum and how it is responding to the needs of both the students and employers. The study further establishes the extent to which graduates produced at the University of KwaZulu-Natal (UKZN) in the Discipline of Public Governance, are skilled enough and meet the requirements of the employer. Data from several studies reveal that a university that fails to produce qualified graduates does not offer its graduates the opportunity to compete with the outside world which then leads to a high unemployment rate. The literature review revealed that graduates need to possess qualities that assist them to take adaptive, proactive approaches to their careers, which involves managing their employability. Developing graduates’ attributes through effective communication between UKZN, School of Public Governance, and the employer requires commitment and support from management for the process to become successful. A mixed-method approach was employed to collect, analyse, and interpret the qualitative and quantitative data, which included the administration of questionnaires to UKZN academic staff, and to students/graduates at all study levels at the UKZN particularly those who are enrolled in the Public Administration course at the School of Management, Information Technology and Governance. The study conducted seven online in-depth interviews, and one online focus group discussion involving first-year students and undertook an online survey involving fifty-seven students from the Public Administration discipline. Parametric inferential analysis was used to provide a detailed understanding of the study population through the study sample, it helped generalise the results. The findings reveal that the discipline of Public Administration curriculum is in line with the Employability Model. It further reveals that there are challenges that compromise the skills development of students/graduates. Findings also revealed that there is space for improvement in all challenges that were posed during the study. The study further recommends that the input of public sector employers will make the Public Administration curriculum more effective. The study also recommends that the allocation of sufficient resources is necessary to achieve the skills development of students/graduates in the Public Administration discipline.