Students Perception on the Influence of Self Efficacy, Soft and Technical Skills on TVET Graduate Employability in Tanzania: A Case of Institute of Accountancy Arusha
Abstract
Unemployment has become a major concern due to the global economic environment. Numerous employers and researchers hold the opinion that most TVET graduates lack the employable skills necessary to meet the demands of the labor market today. However, there are limited studies focused on student’s perception on the influence of self-efficacy, soft and technical skills on TVET employability. Human capital theory was used to guide this paper. The paper grounded on positivism research philosophy. A deductive reasoning approach guided the study, starting from theory to hypothesis testing, with a descriptive-correlational research design aimed at examining the influence of self-efficacy, soft skills, and technical skills on graduate employability among TVET students. The study was conducted at the Institute of Accountancy Arusha. Data were randomly collected from the population of 1,858 which cover all NTA 8 students during the second semester of 2023/2024. Five-point likert scale were used to measure student’s perception on TVET employability, self-efficacy, soft and technical skills. Multiple linear regression and correlations analysis were done. The study found that, soft skills had positive and significant influence on graduate employability (β=0.258, p=0.002). Furthermore, the study found that, technical skills had positive and significant influence on graduate employability (β=0.165, p=0.004). Moreover, self-efficacy had positive and significant influence on graduate employability (β=0.258, p=0.002). Therefore, the study concludes that graduates who possess high levels of self-efficacy, soft skills, and technical skills have a greater chance of securing employment in a competitive labor market. It is recommended that TVET institutions review and update their curricula to better align with the needs of the current labor market, thereby enhancing graduates' chances of securing employment in modern organizations.
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