Career development- a knowledge based economy for employability: from the perspectives south eastern university οf Srι Lαnka

Abstract

University graduates are facing strong competition for top jobs within the country as well as in overseas. Therefore they have to prepare and develop their careers well before they start seeking for jobs as early as their freshmen year at university. For a country like Sri Lanka which has the vision “To be the miracle of Asia” it is very important to identify the gaps of 'KSA’ of the younger generation of the country because ultimately they are the future of the nation. The concept of career development is being considered important and being discussed very much than ever before. It is indeed much more important to focus on career development today because unlike earlier, the environmental changes are rapid and thus, it is important to develop more flexible and competent graduates in a country to make its future a bright one. Though many of us don't pay much attention on the importance of the career development it is indeed important and plays a major role in deciding an individual's future. Of an individuals perspective it is very important in order to identify his or her potential, interests, and capabilities in order to find out what should be improved. Thus, the aim of this article is to highlight the importance of career development and identifying the employability skills that influence a person s career development of undergraduates in Sri Lanka. This exploratory study uses a semi-structured, face-to-face interview with 210 undergraduates and 72 graduates passed out from South Eastern University of Sri Lanka based on the simple random sampling method. Based on the findings, the skills for employability and career development revealed by both undergraduates and graduates the Language competency is the most important skill with a contribution of 62% for career development, while team work, communication, positive attitude and practical Skills contribute 39%, 35%, 34%, and 33% respectively. The research skills, problem solving skills, initiative and adoptability skills also makes some useful contributions. This study will be a useful output for the entire society, specially the youths to succeed and meet the future requirements in any market, especially in a developing country like Sri Lanka. Universities do play a key role in developing individual characteristics, which is a dominant factor that affects an individual's career development. Focusing more in language, communication and team working skills are important because it will be a big challenge in the future in crating globally employable graduates. Finally, whatever the barriers we may have, ourselves are the biggest barrier for the development of our career because of the attitudes and thoughts that we form regarding our own knowledge skills and abilities. So it is imperative to develop the competencies of undergraduates with the intention of making them employable in any market around the world.