Higher education and employability in Tanzania: Students' account

The changing nature of work is a real concern in higher education (HE) today, in which preparing students for jobs has become a trend attached to broader transformations in the global knowledge economy. This changing nature of work also manifests in the national and local context within which graduates operate. In Tanzania, the experience of students and graduates within the labour market is complex. With the growing number of university students and graduates, access to employment is still limited. This study explores how students' perspectives are featured in such discourses. Specifically, the study investigates students' views on how university education prepares them for future employment. The analysis is based on empirical data collected from focus group discussions with students at two Tanzanian universities. While students report that the emphasis on their learning in classes is firmly on developing employment competence, they also expressed their dissatisfaction with how the university curriculum is preparing them for the world of work. Issues raised include the imbalance between practical and theoretical learning and the irrelevance of the curriculum to the changing needs of society. This study argues for a university informed by human development and the capability approach to promote sustained, inclusive and sustainable economic growth, full and productive employment and decent work.