Determinants of the Employability of Tertiary Institution Graduates in South South Nigeria

Abstract

This study examined the forms of common entrepreneurial practices, curriculum outcomes, personality traits as well as gender roles-stereotypes and their relation to unemployment and self labour market performances of tertiary institution graduates in South South Nigeria. We sampled 361 graduates from Universities, Colleges of Agriculture, Polytechnics, Theological Seminaries and Colleges of Education in the study area. The research instruments were the Graduate Self-Labour Market Performance Questionnaire (GSLMP), Personality Job Creation Behaviour Inventory (PJCBI), Gender Role stereotype Job Creation Behaviour Inventory (GRJBI), C-O Work Behaviour Inventory (COJBI) and Common Entrepreneurial Practice Attitude Scale (CEPAS). Four research questions were answered, questions on the pattern of labour market performance engagement for tertiary institution graduates in South South Nigeria, the composite effect of each form of curriculum outcome, personality trait, common entrepreneurial practices and gender roles-stereotype on self labour market performance of tertiary institution graduates in South-South Nigeria, the relative effect of each form of the four independent variables on self labour-market performance and which form of four independent variables would predict the self labour-market performance of the graduates. Data analysis was done using percentages, frequencies and multiple regressions. We found that (i) proportionately different labour market performance engagements existed among tertiary institution graduates; (ii) more graduates were engaged in government than private sector and self sector employments and (iii) retrogressively common entrepreneurial practices, introvert personality trait, cognitive curriculum outcomes, extrovert personality trait, affective curriculum outcomes, experience, masculine gender role stereotype, psychomotor curriculum outcomes and feminine gender role stereotype contributed to self labour market performance of the graduates. In all, the aforementioned variables determine the employability of tertiary institutions graduates in south south Nigeria