An investigation into the soft skills that employers in Zimbabwe expect graduate jobseekers to possess: A study of five companies under the industrial development coperation of Zimbabwe (limited) group

Abstract

This study sought to investigate the soft skills which employers in Zimbabwe value most, which they expect graduate jobseekers and graduate employees to possess. The study was based on five companies under the Industrial Development Corporation of Zimbabwe Limited Group (IDCZ) namely Chemplex Corporation, Almin Metal Industries; Olivine Industries; Allied Insurance and Sunway City. The study was primarily quantitative with wide use of self-completing questionnaires. The research found out that employers as represented by managerial staff at the five companies under study felt that tertiary institutions in Zimbabwe exclude the training in soft skills and emphasised on the development of technical skills (hard skills). The study found out that the ten soft skills that employers in Zimbabwe felt were critical for graduate employees to possess are: critical thinking, morality (hunhu/ ubuntu), teamwork, ethics, anger management/ self-control, communication skills, integrity, reliability/ trustworthiness, self- confidence, and understanding the work culture. As entailed in the Personality Trait-Based Model of Job Performance, the study recommended that compulsory training in soft skills which prioritizes the identified most preferred soft skills should be introduced in tertiary institutions. The study also recommended that institutions with the mandate to develop manpower in Zimbabwe, such as the National Manpower Advisory Council (NAMACO) should develop a National Soft Skills Framework which clearly outlines the set of soft skills to be possessed by graduate youths in order for them to meet industry skills expectations when they join the world of work