Abstract:
The current study aimed at investigating the perceptions of the EFL graduates at Sana'a
University and their employers on the competence level in the employability skills of the
graduates and the importance of these skills for the graduates to find jobs. The researcher
used two research approaches to achieve the study objectives which are quantitative and
qualitative. The quantitative approach was the descriptive survey method and was conducted
through administering a close-ended questionnaire including (70) employability skills
classified in twelve dimensions. The questionnaire was conducted on a proportionally strata
random sample selected from the EFL graduates at the departments of English, faculties of
Education-Sana'a, Languages (English and Translation departments), and Arts and Human
Sciences in Sana'a University. The total number of the EFL graduates participated as the
sample of the current study was (169). The same questionnaire was conducted on a quota
sample selected from the EFL graduates' employers with a number of (33) from different
labor markets including educational and non-educational sectors. The researcher analyzed the
data by SPSS Program Version 21. The qualitative approach was used with two qualitative
tools which were focused group discussion and in-depth interviews. The focused group
discussion was conducted on eight EFL graduates from the English departments stated above.
The in-depth interview was conducted on two EFL graduates' employers; one from the
educational sector and the other from the non-educational sector.
The study results show that the EFL graduates at Sana'a University perceived their
competence level of the employability skills as high. However, the EFL employers perceived
the competence level of the EFL graduates for the employability skills as medium. The results
also show that there are statistically significant differences at the level (0.05) between the
perceptions of the EFL graduates and their employers in the competence level of the EFL
graduates in the employability skills in favor of the EFL graduates' perceptions. The results
also show that both the EFL graduates and their employers perceived the whole employability
skills with very high importance for the graduates to find jobs. The study results indicate that
there are no statistically significant differences at the level (0.05) between the responses of the
EFL graduates and their employers in the importance of the employability skills for those
graduates to find jobs. The researcher introduced several recommendations, one most
important of which was that employability skills should be embedded in the specifications,
outcomes, teaching strategies, evaluation methods the EFL courses and programs at Sana'a
University. Another recommendation was to embed the employability skills studied in this
dissertation in the evaluation forms to be evaluated by the EFL graduates employers every
year.