Effect of Technology Proficiency on the Employability Skills of Final-Year Undergraduates

Author(s) : *Anam Alia , ** Dr.Muhammad Akram

Abstract:

The employability rate is significantly dropping in developing countries due to a lack of technology training in educational settings. Technology-driven workplaces also reported that recent graduates lacked employability skills and were unable to adopt the latest technological skills required in the digital job market. The aim of this study was to examine the direct effect of digital proficiency on employability skills of final-year undergraduates in public educational institutes of Lahore from social, psychological, and individual aspects by linking Social Constructivism theory with the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM). This quantitative study used multistage random sampling to collect data from 560 undergraduates studying in 4 government universities of Lahore through 2 adaptive questionnaires, i.e., Technology Proficiency Self-Assessment Questionnaire (TPSA-C-21) and Basic Employability Skills Model. The reliability of both questionnaires was found satisfactory. The well-structured questionnaire instrument used a Likert Scale of 5 points extending from “Strongly Disagree” to “Strongly Agree”. The statistical techniques implemented in this study were Mean to determine the extent of each variable, Pearson-r to investigate the link between digital proficiency and students’ employability skills, and Linear Regression Analysis to analyze how technology proficiency impacts the employability skills of university students. The study found that there was an overall positive and moderate relationship between these variables. However, the findings outlined a unique pattern which showed that some factors of technology proficiency had a stronger effect on specific types of employability skills. The study further indicated that these two constructs have a strong relationship, because technology proficiency explained 44% of the changes in employability skills. In general, this study contributes in understanding how technology proficiency influences respective areas of employability skills differently. It can also be used as a strategic tool for higher education institutes to develop an innovative curriculum that will help undergraduates to enhance their employability skills.
Keywords: Technology Proficiency, Employability Skills, Social Constructivism, Technology Acceptance