Transcript Topic - International Labour Organization

THE INTERNATIONAL
NETWORK ON INNOVATIVE
APPRENTICESHIP-INAP
INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE -APRIL 23-24, 2013
UNIVERSITY OF WITWATERSRAND,
SOUTH AFRICA
School-to-Work Transition:
Explanatory & Predictor Variables
for Self-Employability of PreVocational Agriculture Graduates in
Swaziland
Comfort
B.S. Mndebele
Mpendulo L. Mngomezulu
 Barnabas .M. Dlamini
______________________
UNIVERSITY OF SWAZILAND
Introduction
Vocational education training programmes
critical in linking school with employment
 Vocational programmes offer potentialproviding knowledge and personal skills
for success in the workplace
 NERCOM report in 1985 gave birth to prevocational education in Swaziland
 Pre-Voc subjects in Swaziland: Agriculture,
Business, Technical and Home economics

Statement of the Problem
Main objective of Pre-Voc Ed. was
acquisition of vocational skills for smooth
school-to-work transition to Selfemployability upon high school graduation
 Therefore need for assessment of the PreVoc. Ed. graduates to determine their selfemployability
 Research question: What factors influence
[explain & predict] school-to-work
transition-Sustainable self-employability?

Purpose & Objectives

Identify variables [explanatory
& predictory] influencing a
smooth school-to-work
transition to self-employability
of pre-vocational agriculture
high school graduates
Hypothesis
Resources-Major Independent variable:
influence self-employability of pre-voc
agric. Graduates
 Rival Variables: Competence, Attitude,
Aspirations, Quality, Relevance, etc.
 Resources: Initial endowments are
critical to business survival

Theoretical framework
Competence: Improved entrepreneurial
skills defeat the various constraints that
would inhibit entry into self-employment.
(Etyang, 2003; Scharfstein, 2006)
 Attitude: Predictor of success in achieving
goals (Dorgi, 2008; Classens, 2008)
 Quality: affected by equipment:
availability, repair and replacement
(Akyeampong, 2002; Classens, 2008)

Methodology: Design

Design of study: Ex post facto, descriptive
research survey
 Triangulation: Nominal Group Technique
(NGT) approach and Survey with
questionnaire employed to collect and
analyze data
Major Independent Variable
Availability of Resources
Rival independent
variables
1. Competence
2. Attitude
3. Aspirations
4. Quality
5. Relevance
6. Reasons
7. Socio-economic
Dependent Variable
Sustainable SelfEmployability of
Graduates
Methodology: Population and
Sampling
Target population: Pre-vocational
agriculture graduates-2005-2009 (N=
494).
 Sample size (n = 217/Usable 168)
 Stratified random sampling by graduation
year and region
Data collection: Nominal Group Technique
[NGT]approach [Qualitative] data used to
develop survey questionnaire
[Quantitative] supplemented by literature
review
Methodology: Data collection
NGT Subject selection
 Pre-vocational agriculture instructors
were used to select Pre-Voc. graduates
for NGT workshop
 Purpose of NGT was to:
 Establish the graduates’ experiences
with self-employment upon graduation
from school
 Elicit opinions on challenges of selfemployment

Methodology: Data collection
(cont…)
Validation of questionnaire: panel of
experts
 Reliability: Pilot test & reliability. r = .60
 Data analysis: Descriptive statistics,
ANOVA, t-test, correlations and regression

Findings
Objective 1, Availability of Resources:
Markets for produce, Transport, Water
for irrigation, Land
 Objective 2, Challenges: Start-up
capital (seed money), Bank loan
requirements, Equipment, Theft of
produce

Findings
Objective 3/4: Explaining & Predicting Variables
Competence 18%
Resources 07%
Programme
Quality 02%
Self-employment
challenges 02%
Self-employability 29%
Decision regarding hypothesis
Reject availability of resources as
major hypothesis, not main influence
on self-employability
 Hypothesis rejected in favour of
competence
 Competence of graduate-major
influence on self-employability of
pre-vocational graduates

Conclusion
Profile: males dominate, rural students
have positive attitude to farming, less
post-secondary education, face
challenges [start-up capital]
 Programme: Pre-Vocational Agriculture
is effective at school level
 Resources: Self-employment
constrained by inadequate resources &
start-up capital
 Self-employability: Pre-vocational
agriculture graduates have potential to
enter self-employment

Conclusions (cont…)

Explanatory variables: Competence,
Resources, Quality, other Challenges
Implications: Policy and Practice
Resources: Teach students to improvise
 Government: Policy-Revolving Fund for
graduates start-up capital [Seed money]
 Networking/Sharing: Business ForumStudents & business community

Recommendations for
action
Resources: Mobilise resources by
networking [forum] with business
community
 Start-up capital: Establish revolving fund
[seed money] for prevocational graduates
 Programme Quality: Teach students to
improvise & use local materials available
in community
 Student home-based enterprises:
Strengthen business enterprises in homes;
engage/solicit parental support

Recommendations for further
study
 Tracer
study-pre-vocational
graduates in: Businesses, Technical,
and Home economics studies
 Self-employability skills & Resourcesfor graduates to enter selfemployment in agriculture
 Revolving Fund-study feasibility,
sustainability of a revolving fund for
pre-vocational graduates
End of Presentation
Thank you for your time