Abstract:

Graduate employability has been a pressing concern in South Africa, as many graduates lack the skills to translate their academic qualifications into labour market readiness. Although the emergence of learnerships has become an important policy instrument in facilitating this transition, a significant portion of the existing literature on the topic focuses on the outcomes of the programmes and the views of employers, rather than the developmental experiences of graduates themselves. However, limited research exists on how graduates specifically understand and develop employability skills within the learnership context. Addressing this gap, this paper will integrate the theoretical concept of employability and empirical data of skills development to conceptualise the development of employability skills using the Graduate Learnership Programme. The overarching question is: How do graduates conceptualise and develop employability skills through learnership programmes? A qualitative design was employed, utilising three focus group discussions and open-ended surveys with graduates from two organisations offering learnerships. Thematic analysis was used to investigate how participants understood employability, the skills they valued, and how these abilities developed through formal learning and workplace exposure. The results indicate that communication, analytical thinking, problem-solving, teamwork, confidence, and professionalism were the competencies that were most valued. Graduates highlighted that these abilities were learned more through the tasks of real work, interaction in organisations, and reflective practice, than being taught. The unemployed reported very few skills developments, which accords centrality to experiential learning. The paper will argue that employability skills development in learnership programmes is a dynamic process influenced by both structured learning and workplace experiences. It is necessary to reconceptualise our understanding of skills development, support it, and inform future programme design, policy alignment, and industry collaboration.

Keywords:

Graduate employability, learnership programmes, workplace learning, Skills development.