Graduates fail market test

GRADUATES from Namibian tertiary institutions are largely unemployable, yet they still expect to enter the job market in a managerial position and want to earn salaries way beyond their worth.

These are the views that the Namibian Employment Federation (NEF) conveyed to a parliamentary standing committee as part of their assessment of the problems and challenges in the implementation of the Affirmative Action Act. “It’s a sad fact that many of our graduates from tertiary institutions are unemployable.They are also unemployable at the salaries they demand,” NEF Secretary General Tim Parkhouse told the committee yesterday.”There is no point in producing so-called graduates with beautiful certificates and diplomas if they do not know the basics of how to apply what they have learnt.Young people are not prepared to take time to work through the ranks of business before becoming managers.”Previously disadvantaged people who had the advantage of a good education and career development were now “trading” on the previously disadvantaged status and job-hopping for ever higher paid positions.And they were succeeding because many companies were desperate to comply with the Act but could not find the necessary skilled people.Parkhouse said it was common practice that many employers had to spend at least six months training graduates who entered their workplaces before they could be “let loose” on the job they were employed to do.Adding insult to injury, Parkhouse said, too many graduates had “inflated ideas” of their worth in the business environment and were not prepared to work their way through the ranks.”They seem to believe that simply because they have a degree or diploma they are automatically managers and entitled to high salaries and other benefits.We are therefore concerned about the misalignment between salary expectations and actual capabilities,” said Parkhouse.In April, a motion by the Republican Party’s Henk Mudge that the progress of affirmative action in Namibia businesses be investigated was referred to the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Human Resources, Social and Community Development.Committee Chairperson Elia Kaiyamo said yesterday that MPs had already met with the Employment Equity Commissioner to discuss problems in implementing the Affirmative Action law.In its submission, the NEF said that the skills shortage in Namibia slowed down the growth of the economy and affected business decisions of whether or not to invest, expand or mechanise their operations.”The skills pool in Namibia is far too small at the moment.There are too few of whatever the race to keep the engine of this economy running,” said Parkhouse.In the NEF’s view, Namibia’s skills shortage could be attributed to the poor quality of basic education, leaving most school leavers without the necessary requirements to enter tertiary institutions.The NEF said those who did manage to obtain entrance to a tertiary establishment often could not cope with the demands of the studies, leading to dropouts before completion of a degree or diploma.The NEF’s Chairperson Elize Faul said parastatals that offered over-inflated salary packages were fuelling a situation in which the few qualified and experienced Namibians were being poached away from the private sector.”The gap in salaries with the private sector can’t be matched,” she said.Faul said Namibian employees generally lacked the required work ethic for a productive work environment.Namibia was also experiencing a brain drain among previously disadvantaged people, with many leaving for greener pastures.The Gender Advocacy Project of the Legal Assistance Centre also made a submission to the committee yesterday, recommending a more holistic approach to the implementation of affirmative action.Project co-ordinator Dianne Hubbard said while the LAC did not agree with imposing quotas for attaining affirmative action goals, it recommended that Government did some “number crunching” to see whether the goals of affirmative action were being realised.Hubbard said there were many obstacles to attaining affirmative action goals especially concerning the advancement of women and the physically disabled.She said women’s career advancement was often affected by employers discriminating on the basis of them being married, having children, being pregnant or intending to have children.Hubbard said it was also obvious that many places of business were ill-equipped to accommodate potential employees who were physically handicapped and that this may also be a barrier to the advancement of people who otherwise might be perfectly capable of taking on the job.”It’s a sad fact that many of our graduates from tertiary institutions are unemployable.They are also unemployable at the salaries they demand,” NEF Secretary General Tim Parkhouse told the committee yesterday.”There is no point in producing so-called graduates with beautiful certificates and diplomas if they do not know the basics of how to apply what they have learnt.Young people are not prepared to take time to work through the ranks of business before becoming managers.”Previously disadvantaged people who had the advantage of a good education and career development were now “trading” on the previously disadvantaged status and job-hopping for ever higher paid positions.And they were succeeding because many companies were desperate to comply with the Act but could not find the necessary skilled people.Parkhouse said it was common practice that many employers had to spend at least six months training graduates who entered their workplaces before they could be “let loose” on the job they were employed to do. Adding insult to injury, Parkhouse said, too many graduates had “inflated ideas” of their worth in the business environment and were not prepared to work their way through the ranks.”They seem to believe that simply because they have a degree or diploma they are automatically managers and entitled to high salaries and other benefits.We are therefore concerned about the misalignment between salary expectations and actual capabilities,” said Parkhouse.In April, a motion by the Republican Party’s Henk Mudge that the progress of affirmative action in Namibia businesses be investigated was referred to the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Human Resources, Social and Community Development.Committee Chairperson Elia Kaiyamo said yesterday that MPs had already met with the Employment Equity Commissioner to discuss problems in implementing the Affirmative Action law.In its submission, the NEF said that the skills shortage in Namibia slowed down the growth of the economy and affected business decisions of whether or not to invest, expand or mechanise their operations.”The skills pool in Namibia is far too small at the moment.There are too few of whatever the race to keep the engine of this economy running,” said Parkhouse.In the NEF’s view, Namibia’s skills shortage could be attributed to the poor quality of basic education, leaving most school leavers without the necessary requirements to enter tertiary institutions.The NEF said those who did manage to obtain entrance to a tertiary establishment often could not cope with the demands of the studies, leading to dropouts before completion of a degree or diploma.The NEF’s Chairperson Elize Faul said parastatals that offered over-inflated salary packages were fuelling a situation in which the few qualified and experienced Namibians were being poached away from the private sector.”The gap in salaries with the private sector can’t be matched,” she said.Faul said Namibian employees generally lacked the required work ethic for a productive work environment.Namibia was also experiencing a brain drain among previously disadvantaged people, with many leaving for greener pastures.The Gender Advocacy Project of the Legal Assistance Centre also made a submission to the committee yesterday, recommending a more holistic approach to the implementation of affirmative action.Project co-ordinator Dianne Hubbard said while the LAC did not agree with imposing quotas for attaining affirmative action goals, it recommended that Government did some “number crunching” to see whether the goals of affirmative action were being realised.Hubbard said there were many obstacles to attaining affirmative action goals especially concerning the advancement of women and the physically disabled.She said women’s career advancement was often affected by employers discriminating on the basis of them being married, having children, being pregnant or intending to have children.Hubbard said it was also obvious that many places of business were ill-equipped to accommodate potential employees who were physically handicapped and that this may also be a barrier to the advancement of people who otherwise might be perfectly capable of taking on the job.