Employability through Experiential Learning Course in Open Distance Learning Institution

Abstract

The supply of business and management (B&M) graduates to the labour market has grown significantly. One wanders if these graduates are employable. Employability is of high importance not only for unemployed or laid off individuals, but also for those who are currently employed in today’s turbulent work environment. It is a responsibility of high education institution to produce graduates with employability skills. There is a gap between skill requirements for entry-level graduate employment and those offered by high education institutions. Experiential learning has been suggested as a learning method to reduce the skills gap. However, not all experiential learning courses equip learners with employability skills. It is therefore important to evaluate the influence of a course on employability. The purpose of this research is to establish the influence of a work-integrated learning course in administrative management on employability. The research establishes that experiential learning influence employability to a greater extent. This research reveals the value of experiential learning in business management in open distance learning institution.

DOI: 10.5901/mjss.2014.v5n20p1602