Secondary Schooling as Preparation For World Of Work: Curricular Responses To Employers’ Expressed Needs In Ethiopia

Abstract

The aim of this study was to examine the linkage between expressed needs of selected employers of secondary school graduates and the secondary school curriculum with the overall aim of examining the relevance of the curriculum in Ethiopia. Content analysis and case study were used to achieve the intended purpose of the study. A mixed methods research approach was employed to integrate the qualitative and quantitative data obtained. Employers and the secondary curriculum were the major data sources of the study, with interview and document analysis as for data collection tools respectively. The study findings indicated that employers perceived time management, teamwork, communication skills, independent work, ability to learn, and self-management as the crucial competencies for employees in their organizations. On the other hand, the ability to work with others, effective communication skills, appropriate use of work time, self-control, independently solving problems, and the ability to learn and adapt to work are the skills most novice employees faced difficulty demonstrating according to the employers interviewed. Curricular learning objectives as demonstrated by the textbook materials and activities were also found to be irrelevant and/or insufficient to prepare students with the requisite work skills leading to the conclusion that the current curriculum lacks relevance to equip students with work-related competencies.

Keywords: Competenciescurriculumsecondary educationworld of workwork skills

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