A Multidisciplinary Analysis of the Employability Gap: Enhancing Graduate Readiness for the IT Sector

Abstract

As the rate of technological changes in the Information Technology (IT) industry has rapidly expanded what employers are expecting of new employees, many universities now need their graduating students to develop both disciplinary knowledge AND applied competences to support them in today's job market. New technologies such as Cloud Platforms, Artificial Intelligence, Cybersecurity, Automation and Collaborative Software Practices have created a greater emphasis on applied competence as well as disciplinary knowledge. This research studies the 'Employability Gap' which is the difference between what graduating students think they can do versus what recruiters expect from those graduating students. This study uses a descriptive/analytical approach to explore this issue within the technical education system of Dehradun, Uttarakhand. Data was collected through surveys of 250 final year undergraduate and postgraduate IT students and through surveys of 80 Human Resource Managers, Recruiters, and Talent Acquisition Professionals. There were eight domains used for competency assessment: Technical Preparedness, Problem-Solving and Contextual Reasoning, Professional Communication, Teamwork, Adaptability and Resilience, Professionalism and Work Ethic, Emotional Self-Regulatory Competence, Interview Readiness. Descriptive Statistics and Internal Consistency Testing, Comparative Tests and Multiple Linear Regressions were all analyzed using JASP & GNU PSPP. Findings show significant discrepancies between Student Self-Assessment and Recruiter Expectations with the greatest discrepancy observed in, Adaptability and Resilience, Professional Communication, and Emotional/Self-Regulatory Competency. In addition, the Regression Results showed that students who had both Practical/Project Experience and Soft Skills Integration contributed more to Graduate Readiness than Curriculum Dynamism. This research presents several arguments supporting Employability as a long-term educational outcome rather than just as a one-time Placement Activity. The Study proposes three forms of Coordinated Interventions to address these issues including Curriculum Design, Experiential Learning, Continuous Career Preparation and Stronger University/Industry Engagement. Key Words - Employability gap, IT sector, graduate readiness, HR expectations, industry-academia alignment,