title: Development and Implementation of an Innovative Higher Educational Integrated Strategy for Preparing the Industry-Ready Future Workforce
Creators: name: Simpungwe, Frederick Chizu
Publisher: name: University of Liverpool Repository
Year: 2024

description: Over the past few years, graduates of the National Institute of Technology (NIT) have enjoyed a strong labour market demand, with about 90% pre-absorbed by employers before graduating. However, the status quo has since changed. Since 2016, NIT graduates have been failing to secure employment. This action research project aims to investigate the major triggers of the rising unemployment of technology-led higher education institutions (THEIs) in the Southern African Region (SAR) and the innovative higher educational strategies needed to address the problem. NIT’s students and graduates are located in the following SAR countries: Angola; Botswana; Lesotho; Malawi; Namibia; South Africa; Zambia; and Zimbabwe.


This study used a cyclical action research methodological framework. Action research is a cyclical methodology process that integrates theory and practice by utilising the four distinct phases per cycle to create new understandings of practice. The AR cycles used were: constructing, planning action, taking action, and evaluating action. I utilized action research methodological framework to identify and understand my workplace based problem and to produce and implement an iterative action plan with innovative higher educational strategies to strive for best educational practices in NIT.


This exploratory qualitative action research is located within the social constructivism and interpretivism paradigms and the stakeholder, customer satisfaction, and human capital theoretical framework to collect and analyse data from purposefully selected participants.


Since English is an official language used throughout the region, I used it as an official medium of communication throughout the study. I employed Microsoft Office Software to code and analyse data. Thematic analysis was used to identify and analyse the findings. The theoretical framework comprising of the stakeholder theory (ST), customer satisfaction theory (CST) and the human capital theory (HCT) was used as a roadmap for the research.


The research revealed seven major triggers for the rising unemployment rate of THEI graduates: skills mismatch; effects of megatrends on the labour markets and graduates’ unemployment; the lack of employment opportunities; the lack of practical skills; technology overuse, abuse and addiction; poor entrepreneurial skills; and graduates’ bad attitudes. These are discussed and are framed into the innovative higher education integrated strategy for preparing the industry-ready future workforce. 


Using the action research helped me to collaborate with the research participants and to learn from the realities of their lived experiences and the available literature to understand the issue facing NIT and the higher educational strategies to sustainably improve the situation. The study findings became important inputs of the NIT strategic plan, policies and procedures and action plans. Finally, I was able to develop and partially implement an action plan and start to address the identified and problematised issue that affected NIT and the welfare of its graduates, employees, students, employers and society.