Meeting industry expectations for entry level information technology employees - a pilot study.

Abstract

Considering the relatively large number of unemployed graduates in South Africa (National Treasury, 2011), it is necessary to assess whether Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) are adequately meeting the expectations of potential employers. In addition, it is also necessary to gauge the perceptions of students to determine the extent to which HEIs are preparing them to find employment after graduation. The purpose of the study is to test the survey instruments to conduct a wide scale survey to take stock of the views and expectations of employers and their requirements of Information Technology (IT) graduates produced by HEIs and the perceptions of IT undergraduates who are about to enter the job market. The outcome of the test samples will provide guidelines to amend and refine the questionnaires to support a large scale study to effectively establish an empirical benchmark against which periodic future reviews of IT qualifications can be conducted by different HEIs.