Exploring Factors Influencing Employability of Vocational Training Graduates in Pakistan: A Factor Analysis

Abstract

This study was conducted to explore factors influencing the employability of vocational education graduates in Pakistan. Data were collected from 141 teachers. The data were analyzed using factor analysis approach. The principal component analysis method was applied to exploring influencing factors. The following six factors were found influencing the employability of vocational graduates such as education mismatch, market need, relevant experience, job creation, policy and skills training. Based on the findings it is recommended that the vocational training curriculum needs to be updated and students need to be provided practical experiences through field-based learning. There is a need to link the curriculum of the vocational training institutions with industry. There is a need to provide skill-based training rather than theoretical teaching to the students before they enter the job market. Last but not least, demandbased policies need to be made and implemented for promoting skill development of the graduates.