The last 10 years have seen a rapid increase in Institutions offering tertiary education. Kenya now has 22 public universities and several private ones. While this marks an outstanding growth in the education sector, the resulting unemployment of graduates is alarming. Records at the Ministry of Youth and Sports show that there are only 125,000 youth (18 – 35 years) in formal employment.

Anecdotal data shows that many of the job-seeking youths are graduates. This occurrence has induced more education resulting in the growth of masters programs. On the other hand, many corporations are experiencing challenges in the recruitment of qualified graduates because they seek personnel with good application of technical skills and proficiency in soft skills. This has resulted in an interesting scenario where many employers struggle to recruit and many graduates struggle to find jobs.

In summary, employers are complaining that fresh graduates are not well prepared for the world of work yet universities believe they have prepared a ready work force.

Clearly there is an expectation of employers that the fresh graduates do not meet. There is a gap between the training offered by universities and the requirements of the labour market. To close this gap, combined efforts are needed with continuous dialogue between the universities and the world of work so as generate graduates who are fully prepared for the workplace.
The lecture addressed the students’ perceptions of work place, the employers’ expectations of graduates and the role of the universities in closing the gap.