A Framework to Determine the Digital Skills Preparedness of Graduates for Industry

Abstract

Rapid technological advancements are disrupting traditional job markets necessitating job seekers to develop new skillsets suitable for the digital economy. This phenomenon has a major impact on the economy, particularly in developing countries. Consequently, it is crucial for institutional offerings to be aligned to industry requirements in every discipline of higher education, in order to ultimately sustain and improve the economy. This paper presents a framework designed to determine the alignment of the digital skills that students acquire from higher education to the digital skills requirements of industry. This alignment will aid higher education institutions in improving the digital skills preparedness of their graduates, and ultimately sustaining the digital economy. Given that the digital economy requires its employees to possess a specific level of digital skills, which may vary in each sector, the proposed framework is therefore not discipline specific. Consequently, this framework may employed to establish an alignment between any discipline in higher education and the respective industry that its graduates feed into. The authors have systematically reviewed related articles to determine the factors influencing the digital skills preparedness of graduates for industry. Relevant studies were analyzed, thereby resulting in the development of a digital skills preparedness model.