Page 10 - Graduate Recruitment Handbook 2024

Four things that count when a

South African Graduate looks for work

South Africa’s private higher education sector has needs of the market. Many deliver niche vocational
grown rapidly since 1994, when the education system programmes, using industry experts as educators,
began to expand under democracy. The number with the specific intention of producing more
and types of private institutions have increased and employable graduates.
student enrolment more than doubled between 2011
and 2019. But do they? Between 2018 and 2020 I conducted
research into whether this goal was being achieved.
There are currently 130 registered private higher I evaluated the opportunities provided by private
education providers. These institutions enrol about higher education institutions in South Africa and the
210,000 students, and produced more than 42,000 employability of their media graduates, specifically.
graduates in 2019. The sector is diverse in terms of I found that the percentage of graduates who
institutional reputation, size, ownership, fee structure found employment was relatively high. But the
and student demographic. employment outcomes varied between graduates,
strongly shaped by personal biographies as well as
In South Africa, the term “university” is reserved enrolment choices and options, and mediated by
for public higher education institutions according type of institution. These findings may be of use to
to the Higher Education Act. Consequently, private higher education managers, educators, researchers
higher education may be perceived as not on par and policy makers. Attention needs to be given not
with university education. But there’s little difference only to the knowledge and skills graduates require
between the sectors as far as qualification standards for employment but also the other factors that give
are concerned. All private institutions must be graduates a better chance of earning a decent
registered with the Department of Higher Education livelihood and participating in society.
and Training, and need to comply with the same
programme accreditation and quality assurance Employability of graduates
requirements as public universities. The research focused on graduates who studied
to work in journalism, public relations, graphic
One advantage that private institutions may have design, creative and visual communication, including
– because they are smaller – is the flexibility to radio and television production and broadcasting.
adapt their offering relatively quickly to meet the These fields are rapidly changing and increasingly

10 2024/2025 Graduate Recruitment Handbook