EXPLORING THE ROLE OF SOCIAL MEDIA IN BRIDGING THE GAP BETWEEN UNIVERSITY EDUCATION AND CORPORATE SKILL REQUIREMENTS: A QUALITATIVE STUDY

Abstract

The aim of this study is to investigate how social media can help close the gap between university and corporate skill requirements by performing a qualitative comparative analysis (QCA) of business professionals and university professors. This despite a continued disconnect between the skills acquired in school and the skills required in today's businesses. Employers are now seeking graduates who have developed their abilities to communicate, solve problems, use information technologies, be flexible and able to work in a team; and universities are blamed for teaching theory to their students rather than giving them the practical application. In this context, social media has become a possible solution to improve students' employability skills that can be obtained from informal learning, professional networking, and industry-related knowledge. The type of research design used for the study is qualitative and the approach used is comparative case study. The data were gathered by conducting semi-structured interviews with 20 respondents comprising 10 business people from various fields and 10 university professors from various disciplines. Thematic analysis was employed in the data analysis to uncover patterns and views about the industry–academic divide as well as the use of social media to bridge the divide. The results indicate four key themes which are persistent skill mismatch, social media as a learning resource for skills, curriculum-industry disconnect and industry-academy disconnect in terms of perception of employability. The findings also show that social media sites like LinkedIn and YouTube provide students with an important supportive platform, but do not take the place of formal education or formal training to prepare them for a career. The findings of the study indicate that there is a gap between the University educational system and corporate requirements, however, social media can act as a complementary link, strengthening the employability if used in conjunction with formal education and collaboration with the industry. The results have valuable implications for universities, policymakers, employers and students in the redesign of curricula and the use of digital platforms as a way to build skills in the modern economy.