Final step: Empowering graduates for corporate success

• John Keells Holdings held its fifth consecutive Soft Skills Workshop for graduates at the University of Sri Jayewardenepura

By Devin Jayasundera
The striking unemployment rate of university graduates has been a persisting issue of the university system which has given rise to many social problems among youth in the last two decades. It is said that there are 42,500 unemployed graduates nationwide and every year at least 6,000 graduates join that category.

Today, the private sector is the major employer and accounts to 6.5 million of the country’s 8 million work force. Local graduates who possess immense technical knowledge are inept at handling themselves in a workforce environment.
The big issue
The common complaint regarding this phenomenon from the private sector is that most graduates are unemployable due to their inability to adapt and perform according to the expectations of the corporate sector.
According to a study done by the School of Economics and Management of Lund University titled ‘Unemployment in Sri Lanka’, the problem regarding youth unemployment in the country is a ‘skill mismatch’ between the demand for and supply of the educated labour force.
This ‘mismatch’ occurs due to the inability of the educational system to produce graduates with skills that are valued by employers and the lack of interest among the graduates of the jobs available.
Another study done by the Asian Institute of Technology, Thailand states that the gap between job expectations of graduates and employer expectations can be reduced by training graduates in the areas of communication, leadership, decision-making, participation, arbitrating and problem solving.
The above findings clearly highlight the limitations of the Sri Lankan University system and the root cause for graduate unemployment.
It also recommends the private sector to work with Government institutions to produce employable graduates who have the ability to be employed anywhere in the world. In a recent interview Professor of Management at the Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania Peter Cappelli, recognised as one of the world’s most important authorities on human capital stated, “You need to get employers and schools close together to produce skills.”
John Keells Holdings recognising the role of the private sector in producing skilful graduates conducted its ‘Final Step’ program for the fifth consecutive year. This year the program was held at University of Sri Jayewardenepura partnering with the Career Guidance Unit of the University. The program is designed to groom undergraduates to the work place environment by improving adaptability, enhancing communication skills, goal setting, problem solving, decision making and developing self confidence.
The first step
The first day of the ‘Final step’ programme was moderated by Postgraduate Institute of Management (PIM) Prof. Uditha Liyanage in his opening statement he said, “This programmed is named as the ‘Final Step’ mainly because this is catered more towards the final year students. More importantly this programme will address about the first step that you will take when you enter the field of work.”
In highlighting the significance of first step saying that the first step is about decisions and the next steps is more about actions, he added, “You are about to complete your degree programme and then you will have to make a vital decision on where you are going to work. After you take that decision when you enter a specific discipline, then you can ask on how can I progress and what actions to take.”
He also pointed out that the primary aim of this workshop is not only to equip undergraduates with soft skills but more importantly with a new perspective, “Do you have the wrong expectations of the private sector this is due to having the wrong perspective. This comes under the powerful mantra which says if you don’t see it right you don’t do it right. It all begins with the right view.”
Private vs. Government sectors
On the topic of the nature of the preference of jobs in the private and government sectors in local graduates, Prof. Liyanage stated that in 2004 the Sociology Department of University of Colombo carried out a survey on the preference of where graduates want to work. 60 per cent said they want to work in the state sector even though 81 per cent of the workforce is in the private sector. The same survey which was done this year had a startling figure where 65 per cent said they want to work in the state sector.” He said this mismatch can be due to the wrong perception of the private sector.
Hatton National Bank PLC Former Chairman Rienzie Wijetilleke addressing students on employer expectations of the private sector stated, “The private sector is known to be efficient, prudent, result oriented, transparent and accountable. Today the main headlines of the many newspapers read that a foreign country is claiming one million USD from the Ceylon Electricity Board for misplacing some equipment. If this had been in the private sector, many heads would have rolled.”
He also stated that once when he asked a Minister about a protest by unemployed graduates, his response was that “all graduates want government jobs.” Wijetilleke cautioned, “This is due to the mindset of graduates but it depends on the individual’s outlook. If you want to just to carry on with your life, stagnate, do nothing much, then a government job will be good enough for you.”
With regard to the benefits of being employed in the private sector, Wijetilleke said that if you are looking at progress in your life, developing the opportunities that you have acquired through out the years, then due to practical reasons you have to look at the private sector. He advised students to use every challenge as an opportunity, “Your Boss might be the most incorrigible man but you don’t have the option for asking another department. It is important to adjust yourself to work with that boss. So you’ve got to face change properly in you journey.”
Skills for success
Grant McCann- Erickson Sri Lanka Chairperson Neela Marikkar highlighted many requirements and shared some tips with the students that are needed for a successful career. “Analytical and reasoning skills and communication skills are integral in today’s corporate sector,” she said.
She also stressed the importance of being a passionate individual. “The people who get hired and the employees who get promoted are the ones who have drive and passion,” demonstrated by actions and enthusiasm shown at work. In her final remarks she asked students to continue learning, “so you’ll always be an interesting and valuable person to your employer.” Prof. Liyanage, the moderator of the session, raised some interesting remarks about passion. “Do you see work as way to life or do you see work as a way of life? If you treat work as a way of life then you are a passionate individual,” he said. Starting with the quote: “attitude will create the altitude that one will go to,” John Keells Holdings (JKH) PLC Senior Vice President and Head of HR Roshan Gurusinghe addressed the audience about having the attitude to excel in work and life.
“Private Sector is said to be the engine of growth but from statistics it is indicated that majority of graduate opt to go to the public sector. The right attitude is needed to change this perception.”
Graduates should be able to challenge the status quo, to be able to speak out voice their opinions and convey their ideas in the business. He stated that last year JKH hired two graduates from University of Moratuwa and stated it is pleasing to see both of them are always challenging the status quo. He also said this enabled them to change the perception of the employees and take business in new directions.
Ogilvy Action Sri Lanka Founding CEO Sandya Salgado addressing the students said, “Employers look for candidates who would help the company grow and prosper. Prospective candidates for a job should give the impression to the employer that they could meet or exceed the desired expectations.”
She also stressed the students that qualifications alone would not make an attractive candidate. “You may have many titles behind your name but it does not indicate how you use that knowledge in your work life. Career related soft skills are needed to create the nexus between knowledge and work.”
Pix by Upul Abayasekara