EXPLORING THE FACTORS AFFECTING THE EMPLOYABILITY OF INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY GRADUATES: A STUDY AT RAJARATA UNIVERSITY OF SRI LANKA

Abstract

This study investigates specific factors influencing the employability of Information Technology (IT) graduates from Rajarata University of Sri Lanka with a focus on testing hypotheses related to professional qualifications, practical experience, soft skills, and technical expertise. Employability was assessed as the ability to secure and sustain employment in the IT industry, and a quantitative research method was employed to gather data via surveys from graduates. The collected data were analyzed using correlation and regression techniques to evaluate the relationships between the identified factors and employability outcomes. The results reveal that practical training and industry experience have a significant positive effect on employability, while the impact of professional qualifications and technical skills varies between the correlation and regression analyses. Surprisingly, soft skills were not found to be a major determinant of employability, contrary to the common expectations in the field. These findings underscore the critical role of practical experience over formal qualifications in enhancing the employment prospects of IT graduates. To align academic outcomes with industry needs, this study recommends the integration of industry-specific training programs, continuous professional development initiatives, and structured mentorships within the university curriculum. However, this research is limited by its single-institution focus and suggests that future studies should expand the sample to include graduates from multiple institutions to improve generalizability.