Knowledge and Skills Level of Graduate Civil Engineers Employers and Graduates’ Perceptions

Abstract

The Civil Engineering Program at Sana'a University, Yemen aims to provide quality education that develops students’ knowledge, skills and aspirations in preparation for a career, nationally and regionally. This research aims at finding out to which extent the employability skills are available to the program graduates. Comprehensive data collected through questionnaires and interviews on the main issue of this study, the focus of which is if the new graduates have the knowledge and interpersonal skills to meet the requirements of the labour market from the perception of graduates and employers. The output of the analysis shows that graduates gained sufficient technical knowledge, but missed on an early preparation to meet the challenges they may face in the workplace, particularly project management and key transferable skills. As this study might be the first of its type in engineering colleges in Yemen, the findings may provide appropriate inputs to improving engineering education, and particularly the program’s study plans.