ASSESSING NIGERIAN GRADUATE EMPLOYABILITY Oluwakemi B. Omoniwa, University of Ibadan, Nigeria Adeolu A. Adedapo, University of Ibadan, Nigeria ABSTRACT Popular opinion is that Nigerian graduates are generally not employable because they lack the required skills needed by the employers. Hence, the shortage of highly skilled personnel to meet employers’ needs and the high rate of youth unemployment in the country. Meanwhile, various factors like unqualified lecturers, inadequacy of study facilities, employer discrimination and preference, poor funding and irrelevant curricula have been blamed as the reason for this anomaly. This study is a descriptive survey of the perceptions of graduates and employers across fields of work on the employability of Nigerian graduates. The target population for the study included all Nigerian graduates of tertiary institutions in Ibadan North Local Government Area. A purposive sampling technique was used to select graduate job seekers, graduate employees and employers of labour across major sectors who had interviewed and employed Nigerian graduates. Findings revealed that substantial percentage of the sampled respondents believed that the graduates were employable. Meanwhile, 35.9% actually disagreed that average interviewed employee had the needed skill to be employed. This paper therefore, concludes that Nigerian higher institutions, the private sector and government need to collaborate on a system to intensify exposure of Nigerian undergraduates to job- training schemes, the world of work, practical trainings and entrepreneurship education. Keywords: Employability, Nigerian Graduates INTRODUCTION AND STATEMENT OF PROBLEM The term employability has remained a terminology that is increasingly gaining ground in the globe owing to the high level of unemployment among the people (labour force). According to Kazilan, Hamzah and Bakar (2009), they described employability in terms of employability skill. They stressed further that employability is a group of important skills instilled in each individual in order to produce productive workforce. The word “graduate” is used broadly in this study to refer to individuals with any form of post matriculation qualification or tertiary diploma or certificate (Pauw et al., 2008). In all modern economies, universities are places where specialized human resources are developed. Therefore, they play a crucial role in generating human capacities for leadership, management and the technical expertise. In the present day knowledge based economies that have emerged following globalization and information technology revolution, universities are expected to play a pivotal role by generating, harnessing and transmitting knowledge for sustainable development and improved standard of living. Unfortunately, it does appear that universities in Nigeria are yet to be equipped to carry out these responsibilities effectively due to limited access to university education and human capacity deficiencies. For example, Nigerian Institute of Personnel Management, Global Journal of Business Disciplines Volume 1, Number 2, 2017 58