ARapidAssessmentofthePapuaNewGuineanGraduateLabourMarket

toinformthedevelopmentofWesternPacificUniversity’s

academicprograms

preparedbytheAcademicDevelopmentTeamDrLudmillaSalonda

ProfessorPhilipSiaguruDrJamesYoko

andWilliamOliver

November2017

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TableofContents

Abbreviations 3Acknowledgements 5Introduction 6ExecutiveSummary 7KeyFindingsandRecommendations 9Methodology 14Section1:ProvincialVoices 21MadangProvince 21HighlandsProvinces 24EastandWestNewBritainProvinces 28ExternallySelectedParticipants 32Section2:PapuaNewGuinea’sLabourMarket:Whatdoestherecentliteraturetellus? 39Section3: Conclusion 53References 58 TablesTable1: RangeofKeyInformantsInterviewed 15Table2: ThemesandResponses 16Table3: DesirableCharacteristicsandTraits 33Table4: Toptenareasofrecruitmentinvolving PacificIslanders 49FiguresFigure1: TransversalSkills 41Figure2: SoftSkills 42Figure3: EmployabilitySkills 43Figure4: EmploymentPreferencesofUNPNG EconomicsGraduates 51

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AbbreviationsAPTC AustraliaPacificTechnicalCollegeADB AsianDevelopmentBankBSP BankoftheSouthPacificCPD ContinuingProfessionalDevelopmentCV CurriculumVitaeDAL DepartmentofAgricultureandLivestockDHERST DepartmentofHigherEducation,Research,ScienceandTechnologyDLIR DepartmentofLabourandIndustrialRelationsENBP EastNewBritainProvinceFDI ForeignDirectInvestmentFGD FocusGroupDiscussionGDP GrossDomesticProductGoPNG GovernmentofPapuaNewGuineaHE HigherEducationHEIs HigherEducationInstitutionsHR HumanResourcesICT InformationCommunicationsTechnologyILO InternationalLabourOrganisationIT InformationTechnologyKI KeyInformant(s)KII KeyInformantInterview(s)LLG LocalLevelGovernmentMSME Micro,SmallandMediumSizedEnterpriseNCD NationalCapitalDistrictNGI NewGuineaIslandsNGO Non-GovernmentalOrganisationPICs PacificIslandsCountry[ies]PIQAF PacificIslandsQualityAssuranceFrameworkPMV PublicMotorVehiclePNG PapuaNewGuineaPNGNQF PapuaNewGuineaNationalQualificationsFrameworkPRQS PacificRegisterofQualificationsandStandardsPRTCBP PacificRegionalTourismCapacityBuildingProgrammeR&D ResearchandDevelopmentSMEs SmallandMediumEnterprisesSTEM Science,Technology,EngineeringandMathematicsTVET TechnicalandVocationalEducationTrainingUN UnitedNationsUNDP UnitedNationsDevelopmentProgramUNFAO UnitedNationsFoodandAgricultureOrganization

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UNESCO UnitedNationsEducationScientificOrganisationUNPG UniversityofPapuaNewGuineaUSA UnitedStatesofAmericaWIL WorkIntegratedLearningWNBP WestNewBritainProvinceWPU WesternPacificUniversity

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AcknowledgementsThesurveyteamwishestothankeachindividualwhocameforwardtoactasaKeyInformantorasamemberofaFocusGroupDiscussion:theirwillingnesstoparticipateandthecandourtheybroughtwiththemwereinvaluabletotheresearch.ThanksmustalsogoinlargemeasuretotheNationalGamingControlBoardforfundingthissurveyfromitsCommunityBenefitFund.WearealsoverygratefultotheWPUteam,basedinDiwaiPacificLtdatDivineWordUniversity,MadangCampus,whoprovidedessentiallogisticalsupporttothesurveyteam.

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IntroductionThissurvey,commissionedbyWesternPacificUniversity(WPU),relatestotheemployabilityofgraduatesintheformalandinformallabourmarketsofPapuaNewGuinea(PNG).Itdiscussestheirstrengths,intermsoftheirknowledge,skillsandpersonalattributesandhowthesedeterminetheirfutureprospectsinrelationtotheeconomyandtheneedsofsocietyatalllevels.Theperspectivesofbusiness,provincialgovernment,industry,publicutilities,NGOs,thehospitalserviceandthechurcheshavebeentakencarefullyintoaccount.Thesurvey’srationaleistoinputresearchfindingsintothedesignanddevelopmentofdegreeprogramsatWPU,thecountry’snewestuniversity,locatedintheSouthernHighlands.Itisenvisagedthatground-breakinginnovationsinprogramcurriculaanddeliverymodeswilltransformthelandscapeoflearningandteachinginhighereducationinPapuaNewGuinea.ThelearningsfromthisresearchindicateunambiguouslythatthecurriculumofferingatWPUmustbringstudentsintothedigitalageoflearningcharacterisedbytheattributesoftheFourthIndustrialRevolutionthatarenowtransformingtheworldofworkandthenatureofemployment.RootedintheneedtodevelophumancapitalforthebenefitofeveryoneinPapuaNewGuineansociety,particularlythosemiredinpoverty,studentswillfollowaformativefoundationyearbeforebeingimmersedinwork-integratedlearningthatisintercalatedthroughouttheirdegreeprogram.Stakeholderswereunanimousincallingforanimprovementingraduateoutcomesintermsofskills,personalqualitiesandthedesiretoservecommunitiesandsociety.Intheeyesofmany,apost-colonialfocusonknowledgeacquisitionthatdoesnotrelatetoeconomicorsocietalimperativeshasbeendetrimentaltothedevelopmentofPapuaNewGuinea.ThemessageforWPUisclear:asanewinstitution,itmustheraldthefutureforhighereducation,notsolelywithinPapuaNewGuineabutacrossthePacificIslandCountries.

TeamLeaderAcademicDevelopmentTeamWesternPacificUniversity

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ExecutiveSummaryThesurveyseekstoreflectthecandidviewsofindividualsandorganisationsfrommanywalksofpublicandprofessionallifewhoareinvolvedintheselection,recruitmentandretentionofgraduatesfromPapuaNewGuineanuniversitiesintotheformalandinformallabourmarkets.Thefindingsofthissurveywillprimarilyinformthedesignanddevelopmentofdegrees,diplomasandcertificatesawardedbyWesternPacificUniversity,inauguratedinaperiodofrenewalandregenerationfortheuniversitysector.TherewasuniformagreementfromwithintherangeofKeyInformantsthatstudentswereoftenbeingfailedbythequalityofcurriculaonofferwhereabstruse,outdatedandirrelevantknowledgepreparedthempoorlyforemploymentopportunities.Graduates,itwassaid,werenotexposedtotheimportanceoftransversalor‘softskills’thataregreatlyvaluedinthemajorityofworkingenvironments.Surprisinglyperhaps,giventheconsiderableinvestmentovertimeineducationatalllevels,amajorconcernwastherelativelypoorleveloforalandwrittenEnglishofmanygraduatesenteringthelabourmarket.Ofconcernalsowasthereticenceofgraduatestoembraceleadershipopportunitiesthatmightbenefittheircommunitiesandsocietyatlarge.Linkedtothisobservationwastheviewthatstudentsmustbroadentheirhorizonsandadoptamoreinternationalperspectiveintermsofthelabourmarket.Worryingly,theattitudesofaminorityofgraduatesthatpreventthemfromdevelopingappropriateworkhabitsandprofessionalbehavioursremainachallengeforcertainemployers.Balancedagainsttheseconcernsthereweregratifyingexamplesofemployersworkinginclosepartnershipwithuniversitiestoprovideabridgebetweeneducationandemployment.Similarly,severalorganisationsinvestheavilyininductionprocesses,particularlywheretherearetechnicalordigitalprocessesinvolved.Indeed,employerslooktouniversitiestopreparegraduateswithskillsforthedigitalage,notonlyinbusinessandindustry,butalso,forexample,ingovernance,communications,medicineandagriculture.Asthesurveyreveals,therearewellestablishedlinksbetweenthequalityofeducationsystemsandacountry’seconomicgrowthandthisisalsotrueofPapuaNewGuinea.Theinfluxofexpatriates,albeitadecliningnumber,tofillprofessionalandmanagerialrolesin-countryprovidesaclearindicationofgapsinthelabourmarketthataredifficulttomeetfromwithinthepoolofgraduates.Examplesoftheseskillsshortagesareevidentinmedicine,aviation,engineering,agriculture,tourismandhospitality,constructionanddigitaltechnologies.

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Giventhat85%oftheworkingpopulationareemployedintheinformallabourmarket,manyoftheminsubsistenceagriculture,self-evidently,GoPNG’scurrentfocusonmicro,smallandmediumsizedenterprises(MSMEs)isanenablingfactorinthisvitalmarket.Keytoitssuccessisnotonlysupportfromthefinancialsectorbutalsothereadinessofhighereducationinstitutionstoofferstudentsaccesstoskillsthatwillallowthemtoestablishthemselvesasconfidententrepreneurs.Workintegratedlearning,intercalatedthroughoutacourseofstudy,waspositivelyregardedbyKeyInformantsasameansofprovidingdegreeapprenticeships,thusbringingemployersintopartnershipwithuniversityteachersinthedesignofprogramsspecifictotheirparticularfieldofactivity.ThesurveyteamwasstruckbytheviewexpressedbymanythatthereisnotimetowasteintransformingPapuaNewGuineanuniversitiestohaltadeclineinstandardssuchasthosedescribedbyJones&McGavinintheirdevastatingcritiqueoftertiaryeducationastheyremark,‘…thequalityofuniversitygraduatesinPapuaNewGuineahasprogressivelydeterioratedandissignificantlybelowtheinternationalstandard’(2015:368).ThesameauthorscallforcloserinvolvementwithuniversitiesinQueenslandasameansofdrivingupstandards.Poorlearningandteachingoutcomesatuniversitylevelinevitablyleadtoadiminutionofhumancapitalandactasadeterrenttoendogenousgrowth.JonesandMcGavin’sseveretreatmentofGarnaut&Namaliu’suniversities’reviewisrelevantwhenconsideringcurrentcausesofthepoorabsorptivecapacityofthetertiarysector:‘ThereportisoverwhelmingforthereaderanditissimplynotimplementablebyPapuaNewGuinea’scurrentpublicsector’(2010:369).WesternPacificUniversityrepresentsabeaconofhopeforPapuaNewGuineainitsdesiretoaddresstheaspirationsofcurrentandfuturegenerationsofyoungpeopledeterminedtoleadandservetheircommunitiesandnation.Thedesignanddevelopmentofprogramsthatacknowledgetheimportanceofendogenousgrowthiscrucialtothesuccessofitsgraduatesnotonlyinnationalbutalsointernationallabourmarkets.Fundamentaltoprogramdesignisthefar-sighteduseofdigitaltechnologiesthatwillequipindividualsforemploymentduringtheFourthIndustrialRevolutionaspresagedbySchwab(2016).

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KeyFindingsandRecommendations

1. InformationCommunicationsTechnology(ICT)isattheheartofWPU’sdigitalstrategytotransformlearningandteachingwithintheUniversity.Alldegree,diplomaandcertificateprogramsmustreflect,deliverandsustainthisaspiration.Sufficientfinancialinvestmentshouldensurenotonlythattheinfrastructureisofworldclassstandard,butalsothatthebenefitsarefar-reachingforthenationasawhole,particularlythosecitizensinruralandremoteareas.Inthisway,theUniversitycanexertapowerfulinfluenceonthereductionofpovertyandthenotorious‘digitaldivide’.Examplesoftheseenablingfunctionsforruraldwellersincludepowerfulaccesstoknowledgeandsocio-economicinteractionsinmicro,smallandmediumsizedenterprises(MSMEs).

2. Atoneandthesametime,WPUshouldworkwithindustrytounderstandwhichdigitalskillsareofparticularstrategicimportancetothenation.TheUniversityhastheopportunitytodevelopitsundergraduateandpostgraduateICTdegreeprogramstoanticipatetheglobaldemands,forexample,ofe-commerce,e-businessande-governance,wherehugevolumesofdatarequireenhancedcybersecuritytopreventdisastrousbreachesandleakageofconfidentialinformation.Thepreparationofgraduatesandpostgraduatesinthisfieldofexpertiserepresentsanemploymentopportunityinnationalandinternationallabourmarkets.

3. Acommitmenttoexcellenceinlearningandteachingwillrelyheavilyonthe

recruitmentandappointmentofoutstandingacademicstaff,ateverylevel,totheUniversity,withaproventrackrecordofexternallyauditedhigh-qualityteaching.Thenatureofthecurriculum,alreadyenvisagedaspartworkandpartcampusbased,willdemandinnovativethinkingonthepartofWPUacademicswhowillutiliseavarietyofteachingmethods,butprimarilyaproblembasedlearningapproachthatseekstogroundtheoryinpractice.

4. CarefulthoughtmustbegiventothestyleandstructureoftheUniversityasan

institution.Historically,PapuaNewGuineanuniversitieshave,ofnecessity,mimickedcolonialandpost-colonialstructures.Thereisnowanopportunitytocreatea21stcenturyinstitution,forexampleadevelopmentaluniversity,onewhichtrulyreflectsthecountry’sambitionsandgoalsinsocial,economicandglobaltermsasoutlinedinitsVision2050.

5. Itisabundantlyapparentthatmanysectorsoftheeconomyareunabletoappoint,

withconfidence,fromwithinthecurrentgraduatetalentpool.Thismaysimplybebecausethecountry’suniversitiesdonotofferteachingforexampleinaircraftengineering,navalarchitectureorbiomedicaltechnology;or,alternatively,theroot

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causemaybeattributedtotheimpoverishednatureofsomedegreeprograms.WPUwillconsistentlystrivetobeattheleadingedgeofcurriculumdevelopmentandshouldnotethesignalsfromtheformallabourmarketrelatingtogapsinmedicine,medicalresearch,biomedicaltechnology,healthcare,aviation,andICTproficiencythatequatestointernationalstandards.

6. Parallelingthedemandforshortageskills,increasinglyemployersareexpectingwell-

developedsoftskills,alsoknownastransversalskills,fromrecentgraduates.Theseskillsenrichnetworking,teambuildingandclient-facingrelationships:theyalsocontributetothedevelopmentofempathy,compassionandresonantleadership.WPU’spublishedGraduateQualitieswillclearlyprovidethefoundationfortheseskills.

7. Theconceptofafoundationyearatthecommencementofanundergraduate

degreeprograminPapuaNewGuineaiswellunderstoodand,inthepast,hasbeenawell-establishedfeatureofprovisioninsomeofitsuniversities.ThemajorityviewhoweverintheprovincessurveyedisthatWPUiscorrect,attheoutset,toadaptthismodel,sincenotonlydoesitprovideabridgebetweentheacademicnormsofGrade12anduniversityprograms,butitalsobecomesalearningspacewithinwhichtheskillsofliteracyandnumeracy,debate,criticalthinkingandproblemsolvingandproblembasedlearningcanallbeproperlyaddressed.KeyInformantswerebroadlysupportiveoftheviewthatapurposefulandwell-designedfoundationyearwouldmakeanoveralldifferencetoagraduate’semployability.

8. Workintegratedlearning(WIL)isalreadyanestablishedfeatureofseveraldegree

programsinthePapuaNewGuineanuniversitysector,rangingfromindustrysponsorshiptoshort-termworkplacementsorindeeddegreeapprenticeships.ThenoveltyofWPU’sapproachisthatallstudentswillbenefitfromthisexperience,regularlyintercalatedwiththeirstudies,throughoutthedegreeprogram.Therewastotalagreementinthefieldthatsuchastrategicmovecouldonlybeofmutualbenefittobothstudentandemployerorreceivingorganisation.Therewerecaveatshowever.SeveralKeyInformants(Kis)tooktheviewthattheywouldwishtobeinvolvedintheselectionofstudentscomingtotheirorganisationand,further,wouldexpectareturnontheinvestmentoftimeandtrainingontheirpart.Thisreturnwouldbeintheformofbeingabletoofferthebestoftheirinternsemploymentattheendofthedegreeprogram.SuchaviewundoubtedlydemandsconsiderationandtheestablishmentofanadvisorybodyofemployersinvolvedinWILatWPUmightbeanobviousfirststepinapartnershipapproachthatprotectstheinterestsofallconcerned.

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9. AsWILisestablished,WPUevidentlyhasthepotentialthroughindustryandbusinesslinkstocoordinateandstimulateResearchandDevelopment(R&D)agendas.AlthoughthisislikelytotaketimeandeffortitmayshapethefutureforWPUasanentrepreneurialuniversitythathasamongstitsprioritiesbusinessincubationandentrepreneurshipeducation.AcloselyrelatedoptionforWPU,aspartofitsoverallvision,istoconsiderthebenefitsofcombiningthebenefitsofbeinganentrepreneurialuniversitywiththetraitsofadevelopmentaluniversity.Suchuniversitiescollaboratewitharangeofexternalagents,notsolelybusinessandindustrylinksorforprofitorganisations,withtheobjectiveofcontributingtotheeconomicandsocialdevelopmentofthecountry(Brundenius,Lundvall&Sutz,2009).

10. Themedicalandhealthprofessionalsinvolvedinthesurveyspokewithgreat

authorityandfeelingabouttheneedsoftheirpatientsandtheirsector.AkeymessageforWPUistheintegrationofmedicaleducationinitsprogramdeliveryeitheratundergraduateorpostgraduatelevel,possiblyboth.MedicaleducationlendsitselftoproblembasedlearningandtheadvanceduseofICT,forexampletherecentdevelopmentinAfricaofMedAfrica,TeleradiologyandCardiopad,allofwhichhaverelevancetoPapuaNewGuineaandhealthcareinremoteareas.KeyInformantscalledforbetterlaboratorytraining,theabilityofdoctorstoconductresearchusinglargedatabasestointernationalstandardsbut,aboveall,theimprovementofliteracyandnumeracyskillstoenablemedicalprofessionalstocontinuetheirprofessionaleducationbeyondfirstdegreelevelandwellintotheircareers.Therewasacallformorespecialists,biomedicaltechniciansandradiographers,variablesthatbearfurtherscrutiny.

11. TheimportanceofWPU’sdegreesbeingaccreditedandtherebyacceptableinother

PacificIslandCountries(PICs)iscrucialtoboththeUniversity’smissionandcommitmenttointernationaloutreachforitsgraduates.ThePapuaNewGuineanNationalQualificationsFramework(PNGNQF),historicallyanelementofthePacificIslandsQualificationFrameworkforseveralyears,doesnotguaranteerecognitionofdegreesgainedatuniversitiesinPNGinotherPICs.Fromtheoutsettherefore,WPUmustensurethatitsqualificationsmeetandexceedthemostrecentexpectationslaiddowninthe2017editionofthePNGNQF(DHERST,2017). .

12. Thepotentialfortheformallabourmarkettoexpanditsreachintourismandleisure

inPapuaNewGuineaisexponential,matchingthegrowthinhotelandconferencecentreaccommodationinthecapital.Securityandtransportdifficultiesimpingeadverselyuponthisgrowthnationally:neverthelesshowever,thecampusofWPU,withanearbyairstrip,offersanidealsiteforsuchnicheecotourismactivitiesasbirdwatching,culturalvisitsandtheexplorationofitsruggedterrain.Atourist

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facilityoncampuswouldnotonlyfetchrevenue,butalsofacilitateworkplacetrainingforthosestudentsmajoringinthisarea.

13. Agriculture,beyondtheinformalsector’srelianceonsubsistencefarming,

representsanareaofinterestforWPUasitisestablishedintheSouthernHighlands.Rice,Tea,andCoffeeareexamplesofcashcropsintheHighlandsasawhole.Theadditionorabsorptionofanagricultural/livestockcollegeasahuboftheUniversityorthedevelopmentofaUniversityfarm,thatincludespastoralaswellasarablefarmingwouldagaincontributesignificantlytothegrowthofthissectorofthelabourmarketineconomicandsocialterms.ParticularnoteshouldbetakenofGoPNG’srecentendorsementofe-agriculture.

14. AsPapuaNewGuineaembracesthebenefitsandchallengesofglobalisation,itmust

alsopreparefortheeraoftheFourthIndustrialRevolutionthatisalreadytakingusbeyondthedigitalrevolutiontothe‘fusionoftechnologiesthatisblurringthelinesbetweenthephysical,digitalandbiologicalspheres’asSchwab(2016),founderoftheWorldEconomicForum,putsit.Forhim,itisitsspeed,scopeandimpactthatisaffectingthepaceofsystemchangeacrosstheworld.TherelevanceoftheFourthIndustrialRevolutiontoPNGisclear,ifwetakeintoaccountthefactthat40%ofitspopulationisaged15orunder.Lifeforthesechildrenandyoungpeopleoverthenextdecadeastheyaccesstertiaryeducationandthencethelabourmarketislikelytohavebeenimpactedbytechnologicalinnovation.WPU’scommitmenttocommunityengagementandthereductionofpovertymustrespondtotheneedforsocialinnovationinthelivesoffuturegenerations.

15. Theevidenceofthissurveyandothersimilarrecentexercises,forexampleJones&

McGavin(2015)andDeloitte/UNDP(2017),highlightsthecriticalimportanceofskillstoPapuaNewGuinea’sfuture.Therehasbeenanunderlyingassumptionthateducationwillgeneratehighratesofeconomicgrowth;yettheexactmeansbywhichthisoccursremainsunclear.Inlabourmarketterms,thecontrastingpurposesofeducationattertiarylevelareseenbysomeasskillstransferandbyothersasameansofrankingandsortingindividualsaccordingtotheirperceivedcapabilities.TheundistinguishedperformanceoftheTechnicalVocationalEducationandTraining(TVET)sectorandpoorlearningoutcomesinhighereducationinstitutions(HEIs),asarguedinpowerfultermsbyJones&McGavin(ibid:368),combinetocreateaproblematicoutlookforthefutureinPapuaNewGuineawheretransformativenewtechnologieswillconfrontworkerswiththeneedtomastercomplexskillsthatdemandacommitmenttolifelonglearning.ThethrustofthisargumentsuggeststhatWPUmustaddressthedelicatebalancebetweenofferingprogramsthatbenefitjobcreationandemploymentintheformalsectorandthechanginglandscapeinPapuaNewGuineatowardsmicroentrepreneurshipassignpostedintheDeloitte&

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UNDPsurvey(2017).Ashiftsuchasthisunderscores,asnotedinSection1ofthissurvey,therelevanceofsoftskillstohelpindividualsnotonlytoadjusttoamutablemarketplacebutalsotomakeinformedandexactchoices.

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MethodologyRatherthanamererecensionorretellingoftheextant,andprofuse,literaturesurroundingthelabourmarketinPapuaNewGuinea,groundedtheoryprovidesthemethodologicalapproachtothesurvey.Theresearchdesignisessentiallyqualitative,underpinnedbyaphenomenologicalstrategyofinquiry(Cresswell,2014).Usingthisapproach,thesurveycontextualisedthethreebroadresearchquestions,asbelow,withintheambitofthevariousstakeholdersatalllevelstoinvestigatetheirsenseofthedynamicsofgraduaterecruitment.

• Whatpersonalqualities,attitudes,knowledgeandskillsarefundamentallyimportanttoagraduateofaPapuaNewGuineanuniversityforemploymentincurrentandfuturelabourmarkets,bothnationalandinternational?

• Howcantheinvolvementofemployersinprogramdesignanddeliveryfacilitatethereshapingofdegreeprogramsandtheregenerationofworkintegratedlearningforthe21stcentury?

• Whatarethechallengesandconcernsforemployersingraduaterecruitmentbothnowandinthefuture?

Arapidsurveyexerciseconstrainedontheonehandbythe2017Easterholidayperiodandthecommencementofnationalelectionsontheothermeantthatdatacollectioninthefieldwasconfinedtoathree-weekwindowacrossthefollowingprovincesMadang;EastNewBritain;WestNewBritain;EasternHighlands;Simbu;WesternHighlandsandtheSouthernHighlands.Inordertowidentheprovincialdemographicofthesurvey,externalrespondentswereinvitedtoparticipateviasocialmediaattractingmuchinterestatthereadinglevel,withseverallengthysubmissionsinresponsetotheresearchquestions.Twoprincipalmethodsofdatacollectionwereemployed:in-depthonetooneinterviewsandfocusgroupdiscussions.Theformerwerecarefullystructuredindividualinterviewswheretheresearcheraskedtheparticipantsquestionsaboutaspectsoftheresearchquestionsofwhichtheyhadparticularknowledgeorexperience.Theresearcherwasabletoprobeinmoredetailthanwouldbepossibleinafocusgroupdiscussion(Creswell,2014).Thefocusgroupdiscussionswerefacilitatedbytheresearcher(PeekandFothergill,2009)duringwhichtheyendeavouredtogainunderstandingofexperiencesandconceptsrelatedtothesurveyquestionsthroughtheinterplaybetweentheparticipants(Morgan,1996).ParticipantsforthesurveywereselectedonthebasisoftheirfamiliaritywiththefunctioningoftheformalandinformallabourmarketsinPapuaNewGuineaworkingatmultiplelevelseitherasamanagerorconsumeringovernment,business,industry,non-governmentalorganisations(NGOs),thechurches,civilsocietyandhighereducationasreflectedinthetablebelow.Thosewhocametothesurveyviasocialmediawerefromdiverseinterestgroups.

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(Table1:RangeofKeyInformantsinterviewed)

DataanalysisAsthetranscriptionswerecompiledandcollatedtheresearchers,allofwhomhadextensiveexperienceinqualitativeanalysis,usedinductivecontentanalysistoinvestigatetheemergingthemes.Initially,thetranscriptswereopencodedinrelationtothefundamentalaimsoftheresearch.Thisprocesswassupplementedbyaxialcoding,orthegrouping

KeyInformantInterviews ENB WNB WHP EHP SHP Madang ExternallySelected

Total

PEA/DEAs

1

1

PublicServiceOrganisation 1 2 1 1 5

MedicalDoctors 1

1

2

HospitalAdministrators

1 1

2

PublicHealth 2 2MedicalEducationandResearch 2 2

NGOs

1

1 1 3

Churches 1

2 1 4

Media

1

1

PostandTelecommunications

1 1 2

Mining

1 2 3

Agriculture/Livestock 1 2

1

1 5

IT

1 1

BankingandFinance 1

1

1 2 5

Aviation

2

2

RuralDevelopmentAgencies

1

1

DesignandConstruction 3

2

5

Retail 2

1 1

4

LeisureandTourism 1

1 2

HumanResource

1

1 2

HEIs 2 2 4

Politicians 1

1

AccreditationBodies 1 1

Law 2 2

SMEs 3 2 1 6

Total 19 5 3 9 1 15 15 68

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togetherofsimilarcodesthatledultimatelytotheagreementofthefinalthemesasshownbelow.

ResearchQuestionsandFacets

Themes ExamplesofDiscourse

ResearchQuestion1:Whatpersonalqualities,attitudes,knowledgeandskillsarefundamentallyimportanttoagraduateofaPapuaNewGuineanuniversityforemploymentincurrentandfuturelabourmarkets,bothnationalandinternational?

Workplaceandemployerexpectations

Performanceoftheorganisation

‘Today’sgraduatesmustbefocusedandpurposedriven…theymustappreciatethecompany’svisionandmissionandappreciatemeetingmonthlytargets’

Foundationyear Improvingemploymentprospects

‘Needabridgetopreparethemforfurtherstudies’‘Yes–definitely–theyalwayshaveanadvantagewithsuchagoodgrounding’

Graduatestrengthsandweaknesses

Aconcernofthelabourmarket

‘Needagoodattitude;apreparednesstocontinuallyimprove;becomeleadersintheirfield;teachothers;developcapacity;leadbyexampleandmaintainhighstandards’‘Needgraduateswhocansolveproblems;leadteamsandbuildrelationshipsaroundtheorganisation’‘Alotofthemlackleadershipskills,creativity,problemsolvingskillsoutinthefield…Ihaveactuallyhearddegradingcommentsfromnon-degreeholderswithregardtothelackofcriticalandlogicalthinkingwhenitcomestotroubleshooting…sometimesIwonderwhether

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theyareuniversitygraduatesornot’‘ThemainstrengthsofgraduatesarethatmanydospeakgoodEnglish,havethelatestknowledgeandskillsinaparticularfieldandpossessgoodICTknowledgeorskills.However,therearemanyweaknessesandtheyincludelackofcommitmentandleadershipskills,moretheoryoriented,notconfident,lackcharacterorhavelowself-esteemandlackmoreindustrialtrainingexperience.’

Workethics Individualandorganisationalhealth

‘Workethicsofgrooming,punctuality,respect,carefulbudgetingofmoneyandtimearelacking.Ethics…mustbeinstilledinpeoplethroughtheacademicprograms’‘Ethicsrevolvearounddiscipline,self-respectandcompanyprinciples.Graduatesthatlackdedicationandloyaltytothecompanyareaskedtoleave’

ResearchQuestion:2Howcantheinvolvementofemployersinprogramdesignanddeliveryfacilitatethereshapingofdegreeprogramsandtheregenerationofworkintegratedlearningforthe21stcentury?

Lackofknowledge,skillsandcompetences

Degreeprogramsnotsyncedtoworkplacerequirements

‘ICTknowledge,skillsandcompetenciesarelackingasworkplacesnowrequiretheuseofICT.AllprogramsmusthaveanICTcomponent’‘Rightnow,thereisnosignificantinteractionbetweentheindustryandtraining’‘Graduateslacksoftskillsandthatneedstobetaughtaswell’

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ResearchQuestion:3Whatarethechallengesandconcernsforemployersingraduaterecruitmentbothnowandinthefuture?

Recruitmentpractices Restructuringlimitingjobcreationandimprovement

‘Frustratedandboundbyrecruitmentregulations’‘Thestatusquoofhistoricallegaciesofthe60sand70sismaintainedbytheoldemployeescompoundedbynon-recruitmentofuniversitygraduatesinrecentstructuralchanges.Theseproblemsneedtobecarefullyanalysedandstepstakentoaddressthem’‘Ifanychangesneedtohappentheyneedtobesubjecttothelegalprocessofamendinglegislation’‘Theageingworkforcedoesnotacceptchange’

OrganisationalCulture Lackofrespectforauthorityandethicsoftheworkplace

‘Liketoseepersonalqualitiesorattitudesbeingemphasised…wehaveissuesoftrust,dependencyandowningthejob.Thisiswhentheorycannotbeputintopractice’‘Workattitudeisaproblem.Olderemployeesaremorefocusedwhilstyounggraduatesarealwaysaproblem.Weareproducing,butqualityisaproblem’‘Intelligenceistherebutmustcomewiththerightattitudeandworkethic’Weneedcommittedanddedicatedpeople.Theycomewithknowledgeandskillsbutneedaqualitycomponent.Weneedpeoplewhoarededicated,willingtolearn,committed,resourceful,respectfulandtakeownershipoftheorganisation’‘Graduatesneedtoacceptethicalbehaviourinbusiness.Theyhaveapoorunderstandingofcultural

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norms’

ICT Globalisationandthetransformationofwork

‘WeneedcompetentandqualifiedITpersonnel,bothsoftwareandhardwaretechnology.ThecompanyandPNGneedICTprogrammers,trainersandtechnicianstooperatedifferentfunctionalitiesandtofixdamagedequipment.Withthelatesttechnologysuchasecommerce,itincreasesefficiencyandmakesmarketingmoreglobalised’‘ICTmustbebroughtdowntotheprimaryschoollevelandtaughtthroughoutthewholeeducationsystem’‘Graduateshavepracticalcompetenciesandexposuretodigitaltechnologiesandtransformationoftheworkplace’‘TheupskillingofpublicservantsinICTismissing.ICTcoursesmustbeprovidedforthepublicservants’‘ITequalsglobalisationandwillprovideresilienceintheremoteareasofthecountry’‘HaveacomputerscienceprogramatWPU’

Literacyandnumeracy RecruitmentandSelection

‘Writingorliteracyisabigneed…universitiesneedtobeofferingwritingcourses’‘Literacyisappallingandpooramongsttoday’sgraduates’‘Whenreadingapplications…Ilookforhowtheyselltheirskills…theyhavetohavealevelofliteracytoexpressthemselves’

21stcenturyjobs Employabilityandthelabourmarket

‘NeedITspecialistswhocanmanagelargescaledatabasesuptointernationalstandards’‘Fromthebankingperspective…alljobsareimportantforthebanktofunctioneffectively…ITisnotonlythejobofITspecialists,itisfor

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everyoneintheorganisation’‘PNGisadevelopingnationandneedsmoreprofessionalsinallfields–medical,engineering,business,environment,miningandoilandgas’‘PNGneedsgraduatelogisticians’

(Table2:ThemesandResponses)Section1:ProvincialVoices

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MadangProvince1.0 Context 1.1 Incontext,MadangProvince,thethirdlargestcentreofpopulationinthecountry,lieswithinstrikingdistanceofseveralofPapuaNewGuinea’smainindustries,forexample,mining,fisheries,forestry,shippingandagriculturethatarecomplementedbytheprovincialcapital’shistoricattractionasatouristdestinationandasauniversitytown.Itactsasacommercialhubforretailoutlets,aviation,transport[bothlandandsea]togetherwithanetworkofSMEsinboththeformalandinformallabourmarkets.TheCatholic,LutheranandAnglicanChurchesmaintainasignificantfootprintinthelocality.Madang’slocalhospitalisvitaltotheareaanditsmedicalstaffcomprisenationalandvolunteerexpatriatestaff:closelinksaremaintainedasateachinghospitalwiththeUniversitymedicalschoolandtheSchoolofNursing.Ahighlyregardedmedicalresearchfacilitysupplementspublichealthprovision.NGOsareactiveinMadang,andintheneighbouringprovinces,workingwith,andalongside,thecommunitiestosupporthealth,educationandcapacitydevelopmentprograms.BusinesslinksarerobustasreflectedintheworkofthelocalChamberofCommercethatdrawsitsmembersfromavarietyofbusinesses,enterprisesandindustries.PhilanthropicactivitiesareconductedbybranchesoftheLionsandRotarians.Thecommunitycomestogetherforfestivalsofmusic,cultureandsportonaregularbasis.Localpoliticiansplaytheirpartinmaintainingtheharmonyoftheprovinceandthetown,forwhichithasbeenwidelyknown.2.0 Synopsis2.1 ArapidassessmentofthelabourmarketinMadangrevealedthatthereisasignificantdemandforemploymentthatcannotalwaysbemeteitherbecauseofskillsshortagesoralackoftalent.Younggraduates,ofparticularinteresttothisstudy,competeforemploymentindiverseoccupations:banking,aviation,communications,IT,publicutilities,medicine,nursingandhealthcare.TheirgraduatespecialismsareofrelevancebutbyfarthegreatestdiscriminatorsinrecruitmentaretodowiththepossessionofsoftskillsandITliteracy.ResearchrevealedalsothatliteracyandnumeracywereofimmenseconcerntoemployerswhonoteageneraldeclineinstandardsofspokenandwrittenEnglish.Thesearelimitingfactorsandcontributetowidespreadconcernsaboutyouthunemploymentexacerbatedbyurbandrift.2.2 Ascanbeseenfromtheabove,MadangProvince,withapopulationapproaching500,000,andgrowing,isamicrocosmofprovinciallifeincoastalPapuaNewGuineawheremanydiverseculturalgroupsmingletocreateavibrantandrobustlocalcommunity.AtotaloffifteenKeyInformantsofferedtheirviewsduringsemi-structuredinterviewsongraduaterecruitmentalliedtothethreeprincipalresearchquestionsasoutlinedinthemethodology.3.0 Findings

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3.1 Personalcharacteristicsandtraitsdominatedthediscussions.KeyInformantsspokevolublyabouttheneedforgraduatestobeforthrightself-starterswithinitiativeandopenness;awillingnesstolearn;leadingbyexample;committedtocapacitydevelopmentandthemaintenanceofhighstandards.Notably,oneinformantcalledforgraduatestohavecompassionand‘ateachablespirit’.3.2 Theimportanceofanethicalperspectiveinbothbusinessandpersonallifereceivedfrequentmention,someKeyInformantsseeingthelackofitasthegreatestprobleminpublicservice.Onewasoftheopinionthata‘moralcompasswasoftenlackingingraduates’;forothers,ethicalbehaviourpromoted‘peaceandharmony’.Christianvaluesandoutlookwereratedhighlyalongsidetheimportanceofethics.Itwasobservedthatgoodgraduates,fromtimetotime,canbecomeinvolvedinthepernicioussocialproblemsposedbyalcoholandothersubstances,whichimpairstheirperformanceconsiderably.3.3 Proactiveleadershipwasanimportanttheme,particularlyinrelationtopublicserviceandexcellenceinagraduate’schosenfieldofendeavour.Theterm‘agentofchange’crystallisedthegeneralexpectationofgraduateswhowouldbecomeinnovatorswithinthecommunity.Indeed,someemployerswereclearthattheypreferredtoappointgraduateswhohadhadsomeinternationalexposure.3.4 Again,KeyInformantswereclearthatsoftskills,whichwerereferredtoaspeopleskillsorrelationshipbuilding,areasimportantastheoreticalknowledge.Someemployersfeltthatgraduatesare‘floodedwiththeory’attheexpenseofsuchskills.Therewasaclarioncallfromthemajorityforuniversitiestonurturecritical,analyticalthinkers,problemsolvers,teamworkersandfacilitatorsasopposedtothesteadyproductionofpassive,submissiveanddependentindividualsforthelabourmarketwhoare‘oftenoutoftheirdepth’.3.5 Althoughalreadyanacknowledgedpriority,informationtechnologywasregardedasbeingofextremeimportance,notonlytotheneedsofbusinessandindustry,butalsotothenationasawhole,wheresomeKIsarguedthatitwasthekeytobringingglobalisation,forexampleviaMSMEsandmicrobanks,totheremotestpartsofPapuaNewGuinea.AfeelingwasexpressedthatITcouldcontributetoanincreaseintheHumanDevelopmentIndex.Specialistteachingisrequiredinthemanagementoflargedatabaseswheregraduatesareabletodealwithresearchandstatisticsatinternationallyacceptablelevels.3.6 Inrelationtoliteracyandnumeracyskills,thegenerallyexpressedviewwasthatcurrentgraduatesaredeficientintheseareas,withmanyunabletocommunicateeffectivelyatareasonablyadvancedlevelinwrittenandspokenEnglish,withabilitylevelsskewedtowardsthebottomendofthenormalcurveofdistribution.Theabilitytocritique

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research,appraise,interpret,implementandplaneffectivelywereallseentobecontingentuponsuchskills.3.7 Graduaterecruitmentissometimesfrustratedbytheregulatoryframeworkinthepublicservicewheretheestablishmentofpositionsiscontrolled,oftenonthebasisofhistoricdataratherthancurrentneed.Elsewhere,HRproceduresneedimprovementandupdatingtoencouragebetterselectionandinductionprocesses,sincethisisanareacriticaltopreparingnewgraduatesforworkplaceandorganisationalculture.Manymorecompetentgraduatesareneeded.3.8 Workintegratedlearningandgraduateprogramsreceivedstrongsupport,qualifiedonlybytheexpectationthatemployerswouldbeconsultedonthenatureofthepartnershipwiththeUniversityandalsotheselectionofundergraduatesthatwouldcometotheirworkplace.Therewasalsoaviewthatacost/benefitanalysisshouldbeapplied,totheextentthatemployerswouldbeabletorecruitdirectlythebestoftheirplacementstudentsupongraduation.3.9 NicheemploymentareaswereofinteresttomanyKIswhopointeduptheneedforaircraftengineersandpilotsontheonehandandthoseskilledinthephysicalsciencesandpetrochemicalengineeringontheother.Demandsformoregraduateswithfinancialliteracy,accountancy,economicsandmanagementskillswereparalleledbycallsforexpertiseincommunitydevelopmentandprojectmanagement.Medicineandthehealthsectorarealsoareasofgreatneed,forexamplebiomedicaltechnicians,radiographersandsonographers.Graduatelogisticians,epidemiologists,laboratorystafftrainedtointernationalstandardsandclinicalresearchersareallingreatdemand,asaresocialworkersandcaremanagers.

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HighlandsProvinces1.0 Context1.1 TheHighlandsregionforthepurposeofthissurveycomprisedfourprovinces,namely,EasternHighlands,Chimbu,WesternHighlandsandSouthernHighlands.TheHighlandsregionoverall,denselypopulatedanddiscoveredinthe1930s,isthehometodiverseethnicgroupings,strikingfloraandfauna,worldfamousArabicacoffee,tea,mining,gasandoil.Increasinglycommercialactivitiesarebecomingcommonfeaturesofdevelopmentintheregion.ThearterialHighlandsHighwaypassesthroughthemountainousCentralRangefromLae,withMomasetothenorthandPapuatothesouth,criticaltoarobustfoodline,infrastructureexpansionandtheeconomicboom.WithintheHighlands,thePogeraGoldMine;HidesGas;KutubuOil;coffeeproducers;agriculture;timbermilling;banking;tourismandretailingbusinessesallprovideemploymentopportunitiesforbothnationalandinternationallabourmarkets.TheUniversityofGoroka,severalteachers’colleges,nursingandtheologicalcollegesprovideforhighereducationopportunitiesandlocalemployment.TheCatholic,Lutheran,SeventhDayAdventist,United,AnglicanandotherChurchesflourishthroughouttheregion.Smallandmediumsizedenterprises(SMEs);Non-GovernmentOrganizations(NGOs);governmentoffices;provincialhospitals;Churchrunhospitals;hotelsandlodges;PrivateMotorVehicles(PMVs);truckingcompanies;buildingandroadconstructioncompanies,andinvestmentbyreputablecompaniesnurturefurtherpossibilitiesfortheengagementandempowermentofpeople,tangiblechangeandanimprovementinthequalityoflife.2.0 Synopsis2.1 Whilstbusinesses,industries,construction,education,health,banking,governmentservices,tonamebutafew,arerapidlyexpandingintheHighlandsRegion,humanresourcesarerequiredbytheseorganizations.Arapidlabourmarketsurveywasconductedtoassessthenatureofgraduaterecruitment.Informedbythefindingsofthisresearch,inputwillbesoughtfromemployersinthedesignofacademicprogramstobetteralignwiththeirownneedsandexpectations.Thechallengesandconcernsofemployerswerebasedonthethreeprincipalresearchquestions,asoutlinedinthemethodology.2.2 KeyInformantInterviews(KIIs)andFocusGroupDiscussions(FGDs)withtwenty-fourpersonsinallheldacrossthefourprovinces,drawnfromprovincialgovernments,constructioncompanies,publicserviceorganizations,business,banking,educationandhealth,yieldedinterestingdata.Whilstsomeorganisationsareconstrainedbytightstaffquotas,thedemandforhighlyknowledgeable,skilled,experiencedandspecialistprofessionalsdoesexistinmanyspheres.Specifically,mostparticipantsexpressedtheviewthatthereishighdemandformorespecialistdoctors;specialistteachersinlanguage,mathematicsandscience(i.e.chemistry,physicsandbiology);engineers;andtechniciansinmanytechnicalfields.Informantsalsosuggestedthatthemostdemandingneedinthe

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regionisforhighlyskilledandcompetentICTspecialistswhowillmanageanddisseminateICTeducationtotheworkforceindifferentsettings.2.3 However,oneofthemajorfactorsintheseprovincesregardingtherecruitmentandnurturingofgraduateswasworkethicanditwasfeltthatuniversitiesortraininginstitutionsmustincorporateethicsintotheiracademiclearning.Participantsreportedthatgraduatescomewithbigexpectationsandmaybeunwillingtocommenceworkatthebaselevelofappointment.Equally,theyreportedfactorssuchaslowself-esteem;absenteeism;commitment;honesty;respectandpoorgrooming;theinabilitytobudgetmoneyandtime;abandoningtheworkplaceortalkingontheirmobilesforlongperiodsoftime.Twoparticipantsfromapublicserviceorganizationstatedthatsomegraduatesdonotintegratewellintheworkplaceenvironmentand,astheemployer,theydescribedtheneedtooffloadsometechnicaltrainingprogramstouniversitiesorimprovetheirowninductionprograms.3.0 Findings3.1 Regionally,themostcommonchallengesandconcernsamongallparticipantswastheworkethicamonggraduates.Manyoftheparticipantsexpressedtheviewthatgovernmentagencies,business,industryandprivatesectorsarenowrequiringwellintegrated,roundedorcompletegraduates.Fromtheintegralhumandevelopmentperspective,Highlandsemployersrequireindividualswhoarephysically,socially,spiritually,politicallyandeconomicallywell-groundedintheirattitudesandpossessapositiveoutlook.Theparticipantshighlightedthat,attheendoftheday,employerswantincreasesinproductivity,efficiencyandqualityoutputsintheworkplace.ManyoftheparticipantsacrosstheHighlandsRegionexpressedtheneedforgraduatestobehonest,committed,dedicated,willingtolearnandbedeservingofthepay.3.2 Notably,allparticipantswantedimmediatestepstobetakentoaddresspoorworkethicsandattitudessuchaslackofcommitment,dishonestyandinvolvementindubiousbehavioursincludingdrunkenness,gamblingandlivingonborrowedmoneyprevalentamonggraduates,ifPapuaNewGuineaistoproducequalityhumancapitalfornationbuildingandmeetingglobaldemandsintheinternationallabourmarkets.TheyemphasizedthatcollegesanduniversitiesshouldincludebusinessethicsorChristianethicsinthedesignoftheiracademicprograms.TwoinformantsmentionedthatoneuniversitydoesplaceemphasisonChristianethicsandmoregraduatesarebeingrecruitedfromthatinstitution.3.3 Ofrelatedconcernwasthelevelofknowledge,skillsandcompetenciesamonggraduates.ParticipantsfromarangeoforganizationsintheHighlandsprovincesvisited,reflectedtheirownexpectationsofwhattypesofgraduatestheywishtorecruit.Thoseinthehealth,education,powergenerationandconstructionsectorswantedqualifiedspecialistsratherthangeneralists.Theparticipantsfurthermentionedthatalackofexperienceandcompetencyprevailsamonggraduatesandthereshouldbeabalance

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betweentheoryandpracticetominimizethisgap.Thismaybeachievedduringthecourseofstudyorduringaninductionprogramintheworkplaces.3.4 MatchingthepaceofdevelopmentandchangeinInformationCommunicationsTechnology(ICT)wasacommonconcernamongalltheparticipants.OneinformantstatedthateverythingiscomputerizedandthefutureiswithICT.TheHighlandsRegionisadaptingtocomputertechnologyaspartofagloballychangingenvironmentandtheparticipantsfeltthatdifferentorganizationsandpeopleofallwalksoflifeneedtobecomecomputerliterate.Issuesraisedamongparticipantsincludedtheneedformorecomputerspecialists;programmers;analysts;theofferingofcomputerscienceprogramsfromsmalltobigdatabasesatuniversitiesandtheofferingofshorttermICTcoursesforarangeofdifferentworkers.3.5 Someparticipantsarguedthatthroughglobalization,internationalization,acculturation,labourandadvancesintechnology,PNGneedstoforgeaheadwithtechnological,managementandeconomicchanges.Oneparticipantstatedthatwiththelatesttechnology,forinstance,e-commerce,itincreasesefficiencyandICTmakesmarketingmoreglobalized.Furthermore,astheworldbecomesmorecomplexandsophisticated,manyoftheparticipantshighlightedtheneedforeducationalinstitutionstonurturemorecriticalandanalyticalthinkers,problemsolvers,peoplewithamatureunderstandingofthecommongood,effectivecommunicationskillsandmeaningfulleadershipqualities.3.6 Aconcernwasraisedbytwoparticipantsdealingwithgovernanceandadministrationthatgraduatesneedtobecomefamiliarwiththeirparticularorganization’svision,mission,corevalues,policies,structuresandprocessesforthemtooperateeffectivelyandproductivelyintheworkplace.Unfamiliarityoranunwillingnesstolearnculturesandprocessesintheworkenvironmentleadstoguesswork,frustrationordismissal.3.7 Thoseparticipantsengagedintheconstructionandbusinesssectors,apartfromwantingmorehighlyspecializedandqualifiedtechnocrats,advocatedstronglythatmorePapuaNewGuineancompaniesshouldbeconsideredandawardedcontractssothatmorejobscanbecreatedtoabsorbgraduates.Currentlytheawardingofbigcontractsfavourscertainforeigncompaniesthatbringtheirownworkersandlanguagebarriersaffectingpropertrainingandgroundingofgraduates.3.8 Inrelationtojobcreation,thoseparticipantsfromtheGovernmentsectorreiteratedtheneedforDepartmentsofPersonnelManagement,Finance,Treasuryandprovincialgovernmentstoassesscolonialorestablishedlegacies,reformstructuralprocessesandreviewthestaffceilingsyndrometomeetnotonlythemanpowerneedsoftherespectiveorganizationsbutprovidealsogreateremploymentopportunitiesforgraduates.

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3.9 Insum,mostinformantsexpressedtheviewthatemployersneedmorecomplete,wellrounded,wellintegrated,vibrant,competent,committed,honestandproductivegraduatestomovethiscountrytoanotherlevel.Theywereoftheviewthatuniversitieshavetheresponsibilitytonurtureasoundworkethic;provideexposuretoICTknowledgeandskills;developproficientreadingandwritingskills,nurturespecialistssuchasdoctors,engineersandteachersinlanguage,mathematicsandscience,andqualitygraduates.Moreover,theinformantsbelievedthateducationalinstitutionscanfurtherpromotecriticalandanalyticalthinking,problemsolvingskills,inquiryandeagernesstolearnandthinkingoutsidetheboxsuchaslearningforself-employment.Participantsarguedforthecreationofmorejobstoabsorbtheever-increasingnumbersofgraduatesnotonlybenefitingorganizations,nationaldevelopmentandglobalinterrelatednessintermsoftechnology,businessandcommunicationsbutalsosatisfyingdemandinnationalandinternationallabourmarkets.

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EastandWestNewBritainProvinces1.0 Context1.1 EastNewBritainProvince(ENBP)wasfirstsettledbyGermanmerchantswhotradedincopraandcocoa.WiththearrivaloftheCatholicChurchtherewasanexpansionofagricultureconsumingvasttractsofthetropicalrainforestthatweregivenovertogrowingcocoa,whichwasthenexportedtothemajorchocolatefactoriesintheUnitedStatesofAmerica(USA)andEuropeand,forotheruses,toSingapore,USA,PhilippinesandMalaysia,Meanwhile,coprawascrushedforcoconutoilextracts.1.2 TheCatholicChurchcontinuestomakeanimmensecontributiontohealthcareandeducationintheprovinceandtheregion,alongsidetheGovernment.TheregionalhighereducationinstitutionsareallbasedinENB,consistingofDivineWordUniversity,intheformofKabaleoTeacher’sCollege,andSt.Mary’sSchoolofNursing,togetherwiththeUniversityofNaturalResources,KokopoBusinessCollegeandBismarkTeacher’sCollege.1.3 Kokopo,asthemainadministrative,commercialandeducationalcentreforENB,hasgrownrapidlyoverthelast23yearsfromasmalldistricttowntobecomingthefourthlargesttowninthecountry.TherelocationtoKokopo,postthe1994volcaniceruptionoverRabaul,alsogeneratedincreasedconstructionandengineeringworkfortherestorationofthetownshipandtheprovince.1.4 Theeconomyconsistsofadualsystem.Themoderncasheconomyoperatessidebysidewiththesubsistenceandinformalfarmingsector.WhileENBPisnowthenation’sleadingcocoaproducer,WestNewBritainProvincehassteadilyrisentoleadthenationinpalmoilexports,andforestryandtimberexports,thelattermainlytoJapan,Singapore,MalaysiaandKorea.2.0 Synopsis2.1 ArecentrapidassessmentofthelabourmarketinEastNewBritainsuggeststhatthegrowthandexpansionofbusinessinterestintheprovinceisreflectedinanincreaseinbasicgovernmentservices.TheredevelopmentofEastNewBritainprovinceafterthevolcanicdestructionin1994andtherelocationofitscapitalRabaultothetownofKokopothathasbecomethemainbusinessanddefactocapitaloftheNewGuineaislandsregionhasseenmajorinvestmentsinmining(landandsea),agriculture,forestry,shipping,roadtransportation,roadconstruction,bridgesandwithitthesupportservices,suchasschools,hospitalsandshops.2.2 Thisphenomenonhasprovidedverygoodemploymentopportunitiesforprofessionals,aswellasyounggraduates,inbanking,communication,hospitalservices,teaching,merchandising,engineering,builtindustry,non-governmentalorganizations,small

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andmediumenterprises,consultancy,surveyingandmining.ItisevidentintheseNGIprovincesthatemployersneedgraduates.Theyneedprofessionalmanpowerandhumanresourcetosupport,guideandofferprofessionalleadershipinbusinessandtheserviceindustries.Recentsignificantdevelopmentsintheprovincesare,forexample,theinvestmentsinoff-shoreunderwaterminingandpalmoildevelopment,whichwillofferadditionalbetterandchallengingjobopportunitiestomoreprofessionals,someofwhomwillberecruitedfromoutsidetheprovince.2.3 TherapidassessmentofthelabourmarketinWestNewBritainsuggeststhatthemajorbusinessandcashincomeintotheprovincehingesonsustainingtheoilpalmindustryintheprovince.Currently,thetwomajoremployersareNewBritainPalmOil,basedatMosa,receivingbasicservicesfromKimbeTownshipandHargyOilPalmCompany,accessingbasicservicessuchashospitals,schools,bankingandpostandtelecommunicationfromBiallaTownship.Bothinvestorshaveplantedvastlandareaswithoilpalmandthebusinessofcrudeoilpalmextractionforexportisincreasing.Withsuchinvestments,businessesintheserviceandfoodindustrysectorswillincreaseanddevelop.Otherprivatesectorbusinesses,suchasfoodsuppliers,schools,thehospitalityindustry,banking,shipping,roadtransportandmanyMSMEsdependlargelyontheoilpalmindustryintheprovince.Notably,thesmall-scalecasheconomysupportedbyoilpalmblockholdergrowersgeneratesacashspinoffforthemandeventuallytheprovince,suggestingthataseriousleaningtowardsMSMEshasaveryhighmarketpotential.2.4 ThedataanddemographicsconfirmthattheacceleratedgrowthandexpansionofbusinessandindustryinbothEastandWestNewBritaincontinuestogeneratetheneedformoreskilledpersonnel.Equally,thisgrowthisanticipatedtotriggeranincreaseinbasicsupportservices,and,thereby,asurgeintheneedforprofessionalhumanresource3.0 Findings 3.1 AtotalofnineteenKeyInformants(KI)offeredtheirviewsinrelationtothethreeprincipalresearchquestions,asdetailedinthemethodology,duringsemi-structuredinterviewsongraduaterecruitmentinEastNewBritain,whilefivedidthesameinWestNewBritain.3.2 KIsexpressedtheviewthattheyaresatisfiedwiththeprofessionaltheoreticalskillsgraduatespossess.Theydorealizethatmanygraduateswillneedtimeandaninternalinductionprogramtobecomefullyintegratedintothecultureandorganisationoftheirbusinessesandindustries.However,majorconcernswereraisedaboutthedeficienciesofsomegraduatesinregardtopersonalconfidence,respect,leadership,discipline,punctuality:manyindeed,itwassaid,donotshowsufficientloyaltyandcommitmentfortheiremployingorganisation.

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3.3 OtherKIsarguedthatunlessthegraduateisreadytolearnandadjusttotheexpectationsoftheworkplace,theywillnotbeabletolearnonthejobeasily.Onepersonsaid,‘Today’sgraduatesmustbefocusedandpurposedriven.Theymustappreciatethecompany’svisionandmissionandappreciatemeetingmonthlytargets.’Itisinthisway,thatmanyuniversitygraduateshavebeenfoundwanting,becausemostthatjoincarrytoomuch‘ego’anddonotappreciatecompanyprinciples.FortheKIscompanyvaluesrevolvearounddiscipline,self-respect,respectforvisionandmission,dedicationandloyalty.Somegraduateslackingthatdedicationandloyaltyorwhodonotattempttochangeareusheredoutofemploymentasquicklyaspossible.3.4 Thepublic-sectororganisationsinvolvedinthesurvey,largelyservicedriven,nowalsofaceanagegapissue.Theyoungergenerationofgraduateshasmoreandupdatedknowledgeanddrive,butaresuppressed,itisasserted,bytheoldergeneration,whooccupypositionsofauthorityand‘cling’tocontrolandsupervision.3.5 Recentgraduatesareinductedwellthroughacomprehensiveinductionprogram.Forexample,theOriginEnergyprogramsupportsselectedgraduatesbyofferingworkplaceattachmentsfortheminyear2oryear3oftheirstudies.Theyarehandpickedandschooledinthecompany’sexpectationsbeforetheygraduateandjointhecompany.AKIsaid,‘Withoutsuchhandpickedcoaching,newgraduatesdostrugglewiththeworkingenvironment.’Newgraduatesalsolackpeoplemanagementandtimemanagementskills.Somesoftskillsarealsomissing.Thesemaytaketimetomasterandalsotrainingmaybecalledupontocomplementthetrainingskills.AnotherKIsaid,‘Intheend,weneedgraduateswhocansolveproblems,leadteamsandbuildrelationshipsaroundtheorganization.’3.6 EthicswasidentifiedbyKIsasaseriousdeficiency,especiallyinthepublicservice.Onementionedthat,‘Ethicsrevolvedarounddiscipline,self-respectandadherencetotheorganisationprinciples.’Yetanothersaid,‘Graduateswhodonotshowrespectandwholackconfidenceareaskedtoleaveassoonaspossible.’Itwasobservedthatgoodgraduateswillnottakeshortcutsordothingsdishonestlytocompleteataskwhenthemanagerisnotwatching.Excessivedrinkingandabuseofalcoholremainchronicproblemsandmanygraduatescannotcontroltheseantisocialhabits.3.7 ManyKeyInformantsacknowledgedthatinformationtechnologyisabsolutelyvital,notonlytotheneedsofbusinessandindustry,butalsotothenationasawhole.SomeKIsarguedthatitwasthekeytoglobalisation.ThemajorityviewswerethatITiscentraltoallaspectsofpersonallifeaswellasbusiness.OneKIsaid,‘LikethebasicEnglish,MathsandSciencethataretaughtinprimaryschooling,ICTmustalsobebroughtdowntothatlevelandtaughtthroughoutthewholeeducationsysteminPapuaNewGuinea.InformationTechnologyhasenteredtheworkplaceandisprovingmoreandmoreessential.’

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3.8 Eachorganizationauditedhadsomekindofcomputerizedoperation.Thelargeroperationshavelocalcomputerizednetworks,whilemostgovernmentdepartmentandagencieshavestand-alonecomputersystems,anecessarycomponentoftheirbusinessoperations.SomeKIsfeltthatmanygraduatescannotfollowsimplewritteninstructionsthatcomewithtoolsorinstrumentstoapplytoajob.Manycannotevenwritereportsoracceptassignedtasks,forexamplethesystematicwriteupofareport.Similarly,spokenEnglishandgrammaticalusageispoor.Numeracyisalsopooramongstgraduates.ItwassaidbyKIsthatmanycannotanalyseaworksituationusingbasicnumbers.Generallyspeaking,bothnumericalandliteracyskillsarepoorerintoday’sgraduatescomparedtopastgraduates.3.9 Inthepublicservice,unlessthereisarestructurewheremoreresponsiblepositionsaremadeavailablegraduatescanremainatanentrylevelforyears,waitingfortheoldergenerationtomoveon.Elsewhere,HRproceduresneedimprovementandupdatingtoencouragebetterselectionandinductionprocesses,sincethisisanareacriticaltopreparingnewgraduatesforworkplaceandorganisationalculture.Withinthebusinessesandindustriessurveyed,manysectionordepartmentmanagersreportedthattheyarehappytoengagegraduates.Theyseegraduatesaspotentialforthecompanyandarehappytoemploythemandtrainthemontherolesandresponsibilitiesoftheinstitution.Onemanagersaid,‘InmycapacityIhavetakenongraduatesfromPNGUniversityofTechnology.TheUniversityDepartmenthasasandwichprogramwhereanengineercomesoutforfieldtrainingforafull12months.Ienjoyedimpartingfieldknowledgeandtrainingduringtheirstay.Iamnoweagertogetmoregraduatestofulfiltheirdegree.HeadOfficemanagesthisrequirementwhilstweattheterminalandbranchlevelexecutetrainingrequirements.’3.10 Workintegratedlearningisperhapsabettermethodofimpartingcorrectskillsexpectedbyprofessionalorganizationstotheyounggraduates,whiletheyarestillstudying.Suchindustry-universityco-trainingarrangementsassistbyfocusingthegraduateontherequirementsoftheworkplace,butmoreso,whatisexpectedofthembytheiremployers.3.11 Thebettergraduatesaremoreeasilysecuringemployment.Theprocessofselectionoftenpreventstheweakergraduatesfromsecuringemployment,simplybecausetheemploymentmarket’srecruitmentproceduresintheformalsectorarerobustandimproving.

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ExternallySelectedParticipants1.0 Acontextdrivenapproachtodatacollection1.1 Thisparticularsectionofthereportpresentstheapproachtodatacollectionandfindingsfromtheparticipantsacrossindustryandpublicandprivatesectorworkforceswhoweresourcedexternally.1.2 Participantswereoriginallyapproachedboththroughtraditionalin-personcontactsandsubsequentlythroughsocialmediaplatformssuchastheprofessionalnetworkingplatformsLinkedInandsocialnetworkingplatformofFacebook.Invitationstoparticipateviasocialmediawereplacedonthetwoplatforms,whilstphonecallsweremadeinadditiontomeetingsinpersonwithotherpotentialparticipants.InterestedsocialmediaparticipantswerethenforwardedinvitationlettersandKeyInformantquestionsandofferedtheoptiontosubmitwrittenfeedbackorhaveaphoneinterview.1.3 Thesocialmediastrategywasmorerewardingthananticipated.Whereastraditionalmethodsbindtheresearchertospecificgeographicspacestosourceparticipants,socialmedianetworkssurmountthephysicalandgeographicalobstaclestoreachparticipantsanywhereinthecountry,subjecttointernetconnectivity.Theresultingnumberofinteractionsandgeographiclocationsmaybeindicativeofthesocio-economicanddigitaldivideinPNGthatstillfavourstheurbanandmultinationalorganisations.1.4 TherewaslittleornoresponsefromtheMomaseandNewGuineanIslandsregions;strikingly,mostoftheinterestandinteractioncamefromprofessionalsintheNationalCapitalDistrictandfromtheminingsitesintheHighlandsRegion.Unsurprisingly,giventheglobalreachofsocialnetworks,theinvitation’sreachonLinkedInhadsignificantviewershipfromAustralia.TherewasalsointerestfromsuchdistantplacesastheUnitedKingdom,NewZealandandIndia.1.5 Theapproachdeliveredatotalofnineteenparticipantsinall,fifteenofwhomwereKeyInformants,whilsttheremaindertookpartinafocusgroupdiscussionsession.OfthefifteenKeyInformants,amajorityoftenparticipantsweresecuredthroughsocialmedianetworks.FromLinkedIneightKeyInformantsoutoffourteenwhowereforwardedinvitationsprovidedfeedbackbythedeadline,whilstFacebookdeliveredthreeresponsesoutofthefivewhowereinvited.Oftheremainingfivewhosubmittedfeedback,onewascontactedexternallybyphoneandtheothersweresourcedinpersonandlocallyinMadang.ThefourwhoparticipatedinthefocusgroupdiscussionwereallemployedbyoneNGOatthetimeofthediscussion,theirperspectiveswereenrichedbyemploymentexperiencesfromtwoorthreeotherNGOorganisations.

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2.0 TheFindings2.1 Thefindingsemergingfromthisdatasetarecollatedunderthefollowingthemes:personalcharacteristicsandtraits;ethicalperspective;proactiveleadership;softskills;InternetandICTliteracies;literacyandnumeracyskills;graduateemployability;graduatestrengthsandweaknesses;proactiveleadership;theoreticalknowledge;work-integratedlearningandgraduatenicheemploymentareas.Thesethemesconvergeontheemployers’concernswithgraduatepreparednessfortheworksetting.Theanalysisofdataaroundthisconcernhelpedtoidentifygraduatestrengthsthatenhancetheirchancesatemploymentandweaknesseswhichdiminishtheirchances.Identifyingweakskillsandattitudesrepresentsthefirststeptoadoptingrelevantstrategiestoenhancegraduatepreparednessfortheworksettingwhilstrespondingtoemployers’concerns.ThisinformationisofvaluetoWPUasitdevelopsprogramsthatareresponsivetoworkforcestudentneeds.2.2 Personalcharacteristicsandtraits2.2.1 Participantsfrequentlymentionedgraduatecharacteristicsandtraitsthatwereimportantattributesforperformanceattheworkplace.Anditisnotjustabouthavingknowledge.Oneinformant,abanker,underscoredtheimportanceofpersonalattributessaying:‘Iwillrecruitthosegraduateswhohaveagoodattitude.Intelligenceistherebutintelligencemustcomewiththerightattitudeandworkethics’.Thesameinformantfurthersaidhishiringdecisionswouldbeinformedbyuniversityreputation,workethics,highmoralstanding,ateamplayerandleadershipskills:Iwouldprefer[recruitingfrom]universitiesthathavehighstandardsonacademicaswellasthebasicprincipleofworkethics….’Anotherinformantstatedthatobservationofweaknessesinsomegraduatesledmanagersintheorganisationtoquestion‘whethertheyareuniversitygraduatesornot.’Yetanothersaid:‘Alotofthemalsolackleadershipskills,creativityandproblem-solvingskillswhenoutinthefield.Ihaveactuallyhearddegradingandnegativecommentsfromsomenon-degreeholders(personnel)attheworkplaceaswellwithregardstolackofcritical/logicalthinkinginourgraduateswhenitcomestotroubleshooting.’2.2.2 ThesepersonalcharacteristicsandtraitsarepresentedonthetableunderValues,ProfessionalismandBehaviours.Again,thefindingsunderthisthemewillinformWPUinitsgraduateemploymentpreparationprograms.

Values Professionalism WorkplaceBehaviours

honestyintegritytransparencycommitmentloyalty

innovativeintuitivegoodworkethicself-learnerpunctuality

ofsoberhabitresourcefulnessmotivatedpassionateself-confidence

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respectserviceChristianvaluesHighmoralcharacter

flexible/adaptablecreativityproblem-solvertroubleshooterreliableabilitytomulti-skillreliabledetailorientedefficientinter-personalskillscriticalthinkerabletodemonstratecompetenceinbusinesswriting

Persistence

(Table3:DesirableCharacteristicsandTraits)

2.3 Softskills2.3.1 Allrespondentsagreedthatsoftortransversalskillswereasimportantforahealthy,harmoniousorganisation,andinsomeworksettings,thesewereevenmoreimportantthantheoreticalknowledge.Anyinstitutionpreparingtheworkforceshouldfurtherensurethatsoftorpeopleskillsaregivenappropriateattentioningraduatetraining.Aninformantfromthecoffeeindustryhadthistosaywhenconsideringrecruitment:‘Itakeintoconsiderationbothacademicaswellasnon-academicperformance,asbeingsociallyinvolvedmakesyouabetterteamplayerandopentocommunication’.

2.4 Workbehaviourandethics2.4.1 Withfewdifferences,allparticipantsagreedontheimportanceofasoundworkethicandmoralcharacter.Informantsagreedthatappropriateworkplacebehaviourandethicswereextremelyimportantfortheworkplace.Suchaconcernisindicativeoftheimportanceoforganisationalwell-beingandproductivity.UniversitiessuchasWPUwouldbewelladvisedtoknowthatacquisitionofthesepositiveworkbehavioursandtheinculcationofanappropriateworkethicincreasestheemployabilityofagraduate.Oneinformantstated:‘Iwillrecruitthosegraduateswhohaveagoodattitude.Intelligenceistherebutintelligencemustcomewiththerightattitudeandworkethics’.2.5 Theoreticalknowledgeapplied:workintegratedlearning2.5.1 Therewasconsensusamongsttherespondentsthat,whilsttheacquisitionoftheoreticalknowledgeisgood,theworksettingwouldalsoliketoseeitspracticalapplication.ParticipantsexpressedstrongviewsontheimportanceofWorkIntegratedLearning.Thefindingssuggestthatwork-integratedlearningwouldgoalongwaytoincreasetheemploymentprospectsofgraduates.Therewereemployerswhowerereadyto

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engagewiththetraininginstitutiontofacilitatetraining.Insomecases,meaningfulcollaborationbetweenemployersandinstitutionwasabsent.2.5.2 Akeyinformantfromthemediaindustrygenerallydidnotfindthebasicattributesofhisprofessioninuniversitygraduatessincehewaslookingforthosewhocanthinkindependently,havethetenacitytostayandgoafternews,aredisciplined;whoarewisemanagersoftime,haveanaturalsenseofcuriosityandareproactive.2.5.3 TheNGOparticipantsinthefocusgroupdiscussionswantedtoseeuniversitiesbeproactiveinarranginginternshipsorindustrytraining.Theysawthisengagementas‘…agoodinduction[which]meansnewgraduateswouldhaveorientationtotheworksettingandnotjustbethrownatthedeependtosurviveorsink.Andworkplacementwasagoodpreparationforthetransitionintotheworkplace’.2.5.4 Abankeralsosawintegratedlearningas‘veryimportantasitguidesthegraduatetothinkoutsidetheboxandalsobuildonhisorherskills.’Anotherinformantstatedthat:‘Ihavealwaysbeenpassionatetoensurethenecessarytrainingthatneedstobeofferedtothegraduatesisdoneinconsultationwiththerelevantdepartmentswhoareresponsibleforthework-integratedlearning’.Abankerinformantsaid:‘Withoutexperiences/internshippracticals,thereisnoconnectionbetweenorganisations,governmentdepartmentsand/orcompanieswiththedifferentstrands/divisionsintheinstitutionssothatgraduatesshouldhaveatasteofwhattheworkplaceenvironmentislikethroughpracticalsorinternshipprograms.’2.6 LiteracyandNumeracy2.6.1 Theverdictonliteracyandnumeracyisloudandnearlyunanimous.Withtheexceptionofafewcontraryvoicesfromorganisationsthatrecruitthecreamofthegraduates,itwasfeltmanygraduatesentertheworkforcewithdeficienciesinthesefoundationalskills.Manygraduatestaketotheworkplacewithbadqualitywritingrepletewithgrammaticalerrors;ortheywriteinamixtureofTokPisinandEnglish.Theylackknowledgeabouthowtostructureessays,‘Theydon’twritewell.’Orally,theywouldrathergiveone-wordanswerstoquestions.2.6.2 Someparticipantscalledonuniversitiestodomoretoraisethestandardsofliteracyandnumeracytobetterpreparegraduatesfortheworkforce.However,someparticipantsplacetheblameonnationalpoliciessuchastheTuitionFreeEducationPolicy,whichtheysaidwaswell-intentionedbuthasimpactednegativelyonthequalityofeducationofthestudents.2.6.3 Oneparentparticipantacknowledgedthattheuniversitiescanonlydosomuch.UniversitylecturersamongsttheKeyInformantswouldtendtoagree,observingthat

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universitiesfacedthesamechallengesofbasiclanguageandnumeracyinstudentswhoenrolled.Althoughtheytriedtoaddresstheconcerns,thecurriculumcontentandstructureandresourcesoftendidnotallowtoomuchscopetodevotetobasicskilldeficienciesinstudents.2.6.4 Oneparticipantinthefocusgroupdiscussionpleadedwiththeuniversitiestoteachwriting.Anothersaid:‘Yes!Yes!Yes!Theyneedtoreadalot!’Hethoughtpaststudentswerebetterastheycouldspeak,writeandreadfluently:theyweremoreoutspokenascomparedtonewgraduates.‘Studentsoftodaylackconfidenceinpublicspeaking…maybetheyareshy’.2.6.5 ThemediaindustryinformantlamentedthattheimpactofeducationreformsinPNGonstudentshasbeenterrible.‘Youexpectuniversitygraduatestobeabletowriteatlevelshigherthanhighschool.’The‘journalese’[poorEnglishandprofessionallanguage]taughtinschoolsisnowcarriedontowork.HeassertedthatstudentswhoprogressedthroughthePNGpubliceducationsystemwerenotarticulate,andunabletothinkthroughandmakelogicalorcogentarguments.‘Thisneedstobefixedattheprimaryschoollevel,asthestudents’argumentsareshallow’.Nevertheless,headmittedthatitwasnotthefaultofuniversities,as‘theygetstudentsthatareill-prepared’.2.6.6 AsWPU’sprogramsareindevelopment,theseemphaticviewssuggestthatliteracyandnumeracyremainpivotalinenhancingstudentlearninganddeficienciesinthesebasicshavetobeconsistentlyaddressedatalllevelsoflearningwithappropriatestrategies.2.7 InternetandICTliteracies2.7.1 Justasconcernswiththetraditionalbasicfoundationalskillsofliteracyandnumeracyremain,newliteraciesareemergingandareequallyimportantforeffectiveperformanceinthe21stcenturyworkplace.AgraduateisbetterworkpreparediftheyareInternetandICTcompetent.Moreover,theICTspaceanticipateshugejobgrowthinternationally(Hughes&Miller,2017).AllparticipantsacrossthedifferentorganisationalsettingscitedtheneedforgraduatestobeInternetandICTliterateastheworkplaceenvironmenttransitionstoICTenabledworkperformance.Abankingandfinancesectorinformantsaid:‘CentralBankingnowinvolvestheuseoftechnologymorethanever’.Themediaparticipantsseea‘…convergenceofnewtechnologies’whichmeansgraduatesneedtoentertheworkforceICTcompetent.AchurchworkerlistedthefollowingICTjobsandcompetenciesthathisworkplacewouldneed:repairandmaintenanceonhardware,upgradingsoftwareandnetworkingmaintenanceandcomputerliterateinusingsoftwaresuchasMicrosoftOfficeproducts.

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2.8 ProactiveLeadership2.8.1 Aslistedunderworkplaceknowledge,attitudeandbehaviours,proactiveleadershipisanattributethatfavourablypositionsthegraduateintheworkforce.Manyparticipantssaidemployersarelookingforgraduateswhodemonstrateinitiativeandachurchinformantsaidofnurses,forexample,thattheyshouldnot‘…waitforinstructions,butusetheirinitiativetofullyutilizetheirknowledgeintheirprofessionalnursingpractice.’Heillustratedthisbysayingthatshowinginitiativeistaughtinthehealthpromotionsubjectinnursingcolleges:

…thegraduatesarefullyawareofit,sowhatthenewgraduatesdoinsteadofprovidingtreatment/focusingoncuringtheycanalsomobilizethevillagepeopleanddohealthpromotion,aimingatpreventingthediseasesfromaffectingpeopleinthefirstplace.Smallinitiativeslike,tellingthepeopletobuildcleanlatrines,puttinganimalswithinfences,healthyhintsonpersonalhygieneandsoon.

2.8.2 Or,asthisinformantfromthemediaindustryobserved,‘…theirwillingnesstolearnwasnotthere.Onecametoworkunpreparedwaitingforustogiveherideastopursue,everymorningwasablank.Notsurprisingly,shequit’.2.9 Graduatestrengthsandweaknesses2.9.1 Obviously,graduatesdonotpresentthemselvescompletelyill-preparedfortheworksetting.Theybringvaryingskillssetssubjecttoinstitutionaldifferencesinfocusandquality,andotherfactorsbeyondHEIs’control.Oneparticipantfromachurchcommunityhealthorganisationfoundtheirgraduatestobecompetent,goodteamplayers,committed,hardworkingandpunctual.2.9.2 Evenwiththepositives,manyinformantshaveobservedweaknessesingraduateswhichimpingeontheirabilitytoperformeffectivelyonthejob.OneprovincialHRadvisorexpressedtheviewthatgraduatesfromthePNGInstitutionswerenotpreparedforwork.Hefoundtheirexpectationsonsalaryandwage‘toohigh’lamentingthat‘moneyseemstobethedrivingforceandnotcareerandpersonaldevelopment’.Poorcommunicationskillsaside,hewentontosay:‘Iamlookingforgraduateswhowillbehonest,transparent,whohaveapositiveattitudetothejob,arerespectable,owningthejob,andthosewhohavethehearttodevelopthisNATION.’Further,hewantedtoseeifgraduatescouldworkandliveintheruralcommunities.Thegraduates’preparednesstoserveinruralcommunitieswasalsoraisedbyaparticipantintheNGOfocusgroupaswellastherespondentfromthechurchhealthservice.Otherinformantslistedthefollowingdeficits:alackofleadershipskillsandself-esteem;theinabilitytowriteaneye-catchingCVand/orresume;havingstudiedgeneralitiesandnotbeingspecificallyinlinetothejobrequirementsintheworkplaceenvironment.‘Coursesofferedintheinstitutionsmustbespecificforeachspecificjobrequirementsoutthereintheworkplaceenvironment,’saidonerespondentfromthebankingsector.

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2.9.3 Employabilityofgraduates:EmergingnewjobspacesThedatasetfromthisgroupofrespondentsrevealjobmarketneedsforsystemsdesigners;computerscientists;mathematicians;computerprogrammersandstart-upentrepreneurs.Aninformantfromtheminingsectorlistedemergingengineeringjobsintheareaofenvironmentalengineering;geotechnicalengineeringandinstrumentandcontrolprocessengineering.TheICTinformantlistedaneedforinternetandcybersecurityprofessionals,informationsecurityexperts,cloudbusinessintegrationexperts,dataminingandbigdataanddataanalyticsexperts,andcloudinfrastructureprofessionals(cfHughes&Miller,2017).

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Section2:PapuaNewGuinea’slabourmarket:whatdoestherecentliteraturetellus? 1.0 GlobalisationandtheestablishmentofWPU

1.1 ThefoundingofWesternPacificUniversityillustratesclearlytherelationshipbetweeneducationandthefutureprosperityofPapuaNewGuinea.GlobalisationinthePacificregiondemandsthatknowledgebeappliedinnovatively,sinceitimpelsbotheconomicandsocialdevelopment.Already,moderntechnologies,coupledwithadvancedknowledge,areimpactingontheneedsofthelabourmarketthroughthenatureofworkitselfandthewayinwhichjobsarebeingshapedandevolved.AsPapuaNewGuineanuniversitiesbegintorespondtotheneedsofaknowledgebasedeconomy,futuregraduateswillhelpdeterminetheextenttowhichtheircountryisabletoassumeitsplaceontheglobalstage.Theextractiveindustriesalonecannotforeversustainthecountry;onthecontrary,itmightnowbearguedthatknowledgeisnowtheforemostresourceofthefuture.WPUisattheleadingedgeofinstitutionsinPapuaNewGuineathatstrivetocreate,disseminateandapplyknowledgetoprovidethecapacityfortechnological,professionalandinstitutionaldevelopment.1.2 AkeycharacteristicofWPUthereforeisitsdeterminationtomoveawayfromwhatremainsofthelegacycurriculumofthe20thCenturydeliveredthroughtraditionalformsofuniversityteachingandtofocusonthenatureoflearningthatwillprepareitsstudentsforwork,citizenshipandlifeinthe21stcentury.Inthisnewworld,asstudentsareexposedtoglobalisation,ground-breakingtechnologies,afluctuatingeconomyandpoliticalandsocialchallenges,howtheyacquirethenecessaryskillsandknowledgetoestablishthemselvesintheirchosenfieldisofimmenseimportance.2.0 21stcenturylearningatHEIs2.1 Equally,itisvitaltoidentifythegenericskillsandknowledgeassociatedwith21stcenturylearning.Wagner’s(2010)widelycitedHarvardstudy,afterin-depthresearchwitheducationandbusinessleaders,arguedthatstudentsneededsevensurvivalskillsintoday’ssocietyandworldofwork:• Criticalthinkingandproblemsolving

• Collaborationandleadership

• Agilityandadaptability

• Initiativeandentrepreneurialism

• Effectiveoralandwrittencommunication

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• Accessingandanalysinginformation

• Curiosityandimagination.

2.2 Across-culturalassemblageofthiskindtypifiestheearlythinkingon21stcenturyskills.Conley(2007),forexample,accentuatedtheneedforthelearnertoacquire‘habitsofmind’amongstwhichanalysis,interpretation,precisionandaccuracy,problem-solving,andreasoningscaffoldthinkingandreflection.Trilling&Fadel(2009)meanwhileclaimthatinquiry,designandcollaborativelearning,combinedwithdirectinstruction,arethefoundationsofacurriculumthatwillbuildknowledge,creativityand21stCenturyskills.Elsewhere,theAsiaPacificEconomicCooperationgroup,ofwhichPNGisanactivemember,(APEC,2008)focusedtheirattentiononthedevelopmentof21stcenturycompetenciesamongstyouthas‘apressinginternationalconcern’,concludingthatfourcompetenciesshouldbewovenintoeducationalsystems:lifelonglearning;problemsolving;self-managementandteamwork.Ananiaduo&Claro’s(2009)summaryneatlyfocusesthediscussion:

Theseskillsandcompetenciesareoftenreferredtoas21stcenturyskillsandcompetencies,toindicatethattheyaremorerelatedtotheneedsoftheemergingmodelsofeconomicandsocialdevelopmentthanwiththoseofthepastcentury,whichweresuitedtoanindustrialmodeofproduction.(AnaniaduoandClaro,2009:5)

2.3 WiththelabourmarketinPNGinmind,andtheneedfortertiaryeducationtorespondtotheemergingmodelsofdevelopmentalludedtoabove,itisimportanttoacknowledgeacritiqueof21stcenturyskillsandcompetenceswhere,attheexpenseofholisticdevelopment,theprincipalgoalofsuchanapproachismerelytoprepareworkersforwhatareoftendescribedasknowledge-intensiveeconomies.Takenastagefurther,thiscritiquealsounderlinesaviewthatthemajorityofyoungpersonsinthedevelopingworld,graduatesincluded,willnotbeemployedinaknowledge-intensiveeconomy.

2.4 Cognisantoftheabove,WPUhowever,inthefoundationyearandbeyond,willfocusonwhatareknownastransversalcompetences(UNESCO,2015a),arefinementof21stcenturyskills.AswillbefurtherelaboratedinrelationtotheUniversity’sGraduateQualities,primarilythisentails:

• Knowinghowtoapplyacquiredknowledgeandbeingabletosolveproblemsinnewsurroundingsorlittleknown,multidisciplinary,broadercontextsrelatedtotheirstudyarea.

• Beingabletointegrateknowledgeanddealingwiththecomplexityofformulatingopinionsonthebasisofinformationthat,whilstitmaybeincompleteorlimited,includesreflectionsaboutsocialandethicalresponsibilitieslinkedtotheapplicationoftheirknowledgeandopinions.

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• Knowinghowtocommunicatetheirconclusionsandknowledgetospecialisedandnon-specialisedaudiencesinaclearandunambiguousmanner

• Possessingthelearningskillsthatenablethemtocontinuestudyinginawaythatwillbelargelyself-directedandautonomous.

2.5 Ribeiro,Severo&Ferreira’s(2016)studyofmedicaleducationsurveyed611undergraduates’self-perceptionsoftheexecutionoftransversalskillsovertheirmedicalcourse.Theirin-depthresearchidentifiestheseskillsasinformationtechnology;timemanagement;literaturesearching;improvinglearning;oralcommunication;dataanalysis;writingcommunication;visualcommunication;Englishproficiency;solvingproblemsandteamwork.Thecoursestructure,togetherwithitsemphasisontransversalskills,wasregardedpositivelybythestudents,particularlythosewhosestudiesinvolvedresearch.

2.6 Care&Luo’s(2016)workacrosstheAsia-Pacificregionamplifiesanunderstandingofexactlywhattransversalskillsmightmeaninthebroadereducationalcontext.Astheycontend,anacceptanceoftransversalskills,itselfanevolvingconcept,ineducationsystemsdemandsareappraisalofhowwebelievelearningandteachinghasalsomovedoninthenewmillennium.Theirgraphicorganiser,shownbelow,providesausefulpointofdeparturefordiscussion.

Figure1:TransversalSkills(SourcedfromCare&Luo,2016:vi)

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2.7 Thetransversalskillsdepictedabove,asmightbeexpected,varyfromoneAsia-Pacificcountrytoanother(UNESCO,2013);however,thefivemainelementsofthejigsawandtheirdescriptorsresonatewiththefindingsofoursurvey.Manyofthedescriptorsfallintothecategoryof‘softskills’aboutwhichseveralKeyInformantsmademention.2.8 Whatthenare‘softskills’andhowaretheyrelevanttothePNGcontext,wheretheinformallabourmarketremainstheemploymentdestinationforthemajorityofyoungpeople,includinggraduates?Disparitiesbetweenthelabourmarketsindevelopinganddevelopedcountriesareunambiguouslydescribedintheeconomicliterature.Brewer(2013:7),forexample,capturesthesituationintheseterms:‘Developingeconomieshaveanabundanceoflabour,ascarcityofcapitalandastarkdualitybetweentheshrinkingbutstilldominanttraditionaleconomiesandthe‘modern’economies(stronglymanifestedacrossruralandurbangeographies).’AnextensiveliteraturereviewcarriedoutbyLippmanetal(2015)forChildTrendsthattookintoaccountemployerperspectivesinthedevelopedanddevelopingworld,includingWestPapuaandSolomonIslands,identifiedasetoffivekeysoftskillsthatcontributetosuccessintheworkforce.

2.9 Thesekeyskills,itisargued,areinterrelatedandsubsumedwithineachtherearenumeroussub-skillsrelatedtospecificworkforceoutcomes,forexampleemployment,performance,incomeandentrepreneurialsuccess.Fivesub-skillsreceiveparticular

Higherorderthinkingskills,includingproblemsolving,criticalthinking

anddecisionmaking

Communicationskills

Socialskills

Self-control Positiveself-concept

Figure2.SoftSkills(SourcedfromLippmanetal,2015)

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attentionintheliterature:hard-workanddependability;self-motivation;teamwork;responsibilityandpositiveattitude.

2.10 Interestingly,theemployabilityskillsframeworkfromtheCTE(CenterforTechnicalandAdultEducation,"EmployabilitySkillsFramework",2017),shownbelow,encapsulatesiniterativeformmuchofwhatLippmanetal(2015)havetosayabouttheglobalviewfromemployersofdesirablequalitiesandattributesintheirworkforce.CTEidentifythreeover-archingsetsofskills:AppliedKnowledge;EffectiveRelationshipsandWorkplaceSkills,linkedtowhichareninesub-skillsagainthatcloselyparallelmanyofthetransversalcompetenciesemanatingfromresearchintheAsia-Pacificregion(UNESCO,2013).

Figure3:EmployabilitySkills(SourcedfromCTE,2017)

3.0SkillsshortagesinthePNGlabourmarket

3.1 HowmightthediscourseonskillsaffectthePNGcontext?Deloitte&UNDP’s(2017)thoughtleadershippaperonthistopicisofconsiderableinteresttoWPUanditsfuture.Strikingapositivenote,thepaperarguesthatshorttermeconomicgrowthhasbeenmadepossiblebyinvestmentintheextractiveindustries;theimportanceofhostingtheAPECsummitin2018andcontinuedinvestmentinandaroundthecapital,PortMoresby.Yet,despitethisenablingenvironment,itremainsthecasethatroughly500,000peopleareemployedintheformalsectorascomparedtoaround2.5millionintheinformalsector.

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Theauthorsmakethepointthatthetransferofonlyasmallpercentageoftheseworkerstotheformalsectorwouldeffectgainsinrevenuefromtaxationandproductivity.Notonlythat,butcapacitybuildingonagrandscalewill,itisargued,allowPapuaNewGuineatopunchaboveitsweightinthedevelopinglabourmarketsintheAsiaPacificregion.Itisindeedthisemphasisonhumancapacitydevelopmentthatconnectsthethinkingofthepaperwiththethrustofthissurvey.TheDeloitte/UNDPresearchmakesclearthatskillsshortagesandhumanfactorsaccountforupto83%and71%ofthedifficultiesrespectivelythatbusinessesfaceinrecruitmentandemployment.Theskillsshortageisfeltacutelythroughoutthecountry,butmoresoawayfromPortMoresby.Thehumanfactorsalludedtointhereport,forexamplepoorproductivityandattendancelinkedtoemployabilitygivestrongsupporttotheviewthatthetalentpoolintheformalsectorislimitedbythelackoftransversalorsoftskills.Again,asWPUisformulatingitsacademicprograms,thethoughtpaper’soccupationalanalysislinkedtoskillsgapsisofrelevancesinceitcategorisestheindexofdifficultyemployersfaceinrecruitmentwithmanagement,professionalservicesandhospitality,wholesaleandretailmostproblematic.ManagementandprofessionalservicesrolesinPNGinvariablyrequirethepossessionofauniversitydegreeforthoseemployedasaccountants,lawyersandITprofessionals.

3.2 Toofewgraduatesgaintheskillstheyneedtofindwork.Nowhereisthischallengemoreevidentthaninthetransitiontotheformalsectorofthelabourmarket.Employersacrosstheregioncomplainofalackofbasic,technicalandtransferableskills.Giventhepressuresforexpansionoutlinedabove,thesteadyabsorptionofgraduatesintothelabourmarketwillbeasignificantundertaking.

3.3 Thesurveyrevealedthatthereiswidespreadconcernabouttheworkreadinessofgraduates.Whileemployersaregenerallysatisfiedwiththedisciplinaryknowledgeofstudents,theyperceivesignificantgapsintheirITskills,personalqualities,forexamplereliability,andtransferableskillsliketeamworkingandproblemsolving.Ourresearchbroughttolightasignificant‘skillsmismatch’betweenemployerrequirementsandgraduates’displayofskillsintheworkplace,particularlyinrelationtocommunication,decision-makingandcriticalthinking.

3.4 ThelackofrobustandreliabledataatalllevelsinGovernmentdepartmentsdealingwiththelabourmarketinPNGiswidelyreportedintheliterature.Markedlyabsentisaviewonthetransitionfromuniversitytotheworkplaceandcausallinksbetweenthedisciplinesstudiedandgraduateemploymentprospects.Thenotionof‘unemployment’iscontextspecificinPNG,andcareisneededininterpretingthelimitedstatisticsatourdisposal.Whileinsomecasesemployersareunabletorecruitbecauseofalackofsuitableapplicants,therearenumerouscausesofunemployment,embracingintricatemacro-economicquestions.WithinPNG,therealextenttowhichgraduateunemploymentisduetomajorskillsgaps,ormerelytoapaucityofjobsremainsamajorresearchquestion.

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3.5 GraduateattributesarepivotaltoPNGuniversities’programplanning,butmostassertionsabouttheirvalueareanecdotal.Beyondthecompletionoftheirdegreecourses,thereisanacutelackofevidenceabouttheknowledge,skillsandvaluesthatgraduateshaveactuallyacquiredandtakewiththem.Wehavereliedonsurveysofemployerperceptions–butthese,necessarily,arelackingindepthsincethereislittleopportunitytocompareacrosscontexts,andovertime.

3.6 AmuchstrongerevidencebaseisneededthereforeinrelationtothekindsofresponsesthatuniversitieslikeWPUshouldmaketothesechallenges.Withoutdoubt,employershavesignificantresponsibilitiesinthepreparationofgraduates;butuniversitiesneverthelesshavetheirowncriticalroleinensuringthatstudentsgaintheskillsrequiredbyemployers,takingmuchgreaternote,forexample,oftheeffectofdepartmentalorfacultyteachingofemployabilityskills.WPUiscommittedtosoundteachingandqualitylearninginitsdegreeprograms,togetherwiththeprovisionofoptimumconditionsforlearning.

3.7 Aswehavefound,employersincreasinglyvalueglobalperspectivesandanunderstandingofculturalandhumandiversity:thesequalitiescanbedevelopedthroughformsofengagementoncampusandbeyond.AsubtlerunderstandingofgraduateneedsisrequiredintherapidlychangingemploymentmarketsinPapuaNewGuineaandthePacificcountries.Aswehavearguedthroughout,transferableskillsandcriticalthinkingthatenablegraduatestoadaptandmakeapositiveimpactonachangingeconomyandsocietyareofcrucialimportancetocurriculumplanning.

3.8 PwC(2012),withafootprintinPNGforoverfiftyyears,bycontraststrikeamoreupbeatnoteintheirassessmentofemergingcountriesand,incallingforanexpansionofuniversityeducation,regardingthenewnationstatesasfactoriesoftalent.DispassionateobserversseePNGmovingupthevaluechaininhealthcare,IT,leisureandprofessionalservices.Growthofthiskindiscontingentupontheimprovementofeducationalsystems;theemployabilityofgraduatesandis,aboveall,aninvestmentintalentdevelopment.Inturn,itmayalsobearguedthatsuchaviewdependsonwiderenablingconditions,forexampletheexistenceofasupportiveinstitutionalgovernanceframeworkandconducivenationalpolicies.

3.9 Helpfully,Jones&McGavinprovideextensiverecentevidenceoftherangeofhardskillsindemandinPNGwiththecaveatthat‘…askilledemployeedoesnotnecessarilymeanuniversityortradeschoolqualifiedortradecollegegraduate’(2015:233).Headingthelistofskillsbeingsoughtafterin2014howeverwassales/clientservicefollowedbyspecialisedtechnicalstaffanddriver,thelatterskillillustratingtheheavyrelianceofbusiness,industryandthecommunityonroadtransportandpassengermotorvehicles(PMVs).Hardontheheelsofthetopthreeskillsweremechanicaltrades,electrician,finance,clerical,IT,plantandmachineryoperatorandbusinessmanagement.Atthefootofthislistareskillsconnectedwithelectricalandmechanicalengineering,agriculture,fisheries

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andforestry,legalandcivilengineering.Tosomeextent,thisphenomenonmightbeexplainedbytheDeloitteUNDP(2016)conclusionthateconomicfactors,sometimesreferredtoastheenablingenvironmentare,byfar,themostlimitingfactorinemploymentgrowth.

4.0 SignpostingforWPU:graduateunderemploymentandunemployment

4.1 Jones&McGavinassertthataPapuaNewGuineanuniversitygraduatecanbynomeansberegardedasaskilledemployeeand,further,areoftheviewthatgovernmentfundedtertiaryinstitutionsarerarelyawardingdegreesonmerit,butrather‘onthepassageoftime’(p.389).Theyclaimalsothat‘themeaningofuniversityhasbeendiminished…theyshouldberebadgedastertiarycollegesorpolytechnics’(2015:389).Inafrankcritiqueoftheuniversitysectortheyclaimthatthequalityofgraduatesisindeclineandgenerallybelowinternationalstandards.

4.2 OfinteresttothisstudyisJones&McGavin’s(2015)anecdotalcontentionthattheUniversityofPapuaNewGuinea(UNPG)andtheUniversityofTechnologyinLae,forexample,areworkingtoobsoleteThirdWorldagendasandthatitmakessensetothinkintermsofre-inventingtertiaryeducation,withselecteduniversities,inpartnershipwiththeinnovativeUniversityofQueenslandtoconfronttheHRdeficitsofPNG.Toacertainextent,theybelievealsothatHRisconstrainedbyafailuretodelivertheessentialservicesofthemarketstate.Formidablyandforthrightly,theygoontorecommendthebuying-inofeducationalservicessince,forthem:‘Thereisnopointrollingmoreandmore“graduates”into“universities”wheretheygainnotangibleincreaseinhumancapital.Andhavelittleprospectofenteringformalwageemployment’(ibid:369)

4.3 Jones&McGavin(2015),ifnothingelse,pointupthecomplexitiesofgatheringreliabledataandtheneedtoaccepttheuniquecontextofthecountry’slabourmarket.TheiroutlookontertiaryeducationpromptsthosewhoaredevelopingthecurriculumatWPUtoguardagainstwhatisknowninthedevelopmentliteratureasisomorphicmimicry.Isomorphicmimicrybecomesproblematicwhenthepursuitofapredefinedsolutionthathasbeeneffectiveinstructuringmoderninstitutionsinadevelopedcontextundermineseffortstoestablishfreshapproachestoaddresstheparticulardifficultiesofbuildinginstitutionsinthedevelopingworld.Pritchett,WoolcockandAndrewsoftheWorldInstituteforDevelopmentEconomicsResearchattheUnitedNationsUniversity(2012:1-2)takeasternerview,contendingthatisomorphicmimicryisatworkwhenorganisationsinthedevelopingworldadopt‘thecamouflageoforganizationalformsthataredeemedsuccessfulelsewheretohidetheiractualdysfunction’.

4.4 WPU’sunswervingcommitmenttoWorkIntegratedLearningforallundergraduatesisasignificantundertaking,giventhenatureofthelabourmarketinPapuaNewGuinea,alliedtomajorconcernsaboutthepoorqualityofeducation(paceJones&McGiven,2015)andthelackofavailablefundingforuniversities.WPU,atthisveryearlystage,positions

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itselfasateachinguniversitywherecurriculumdevelopmentisongoingtorevolutioniseundergraduateandgraduatestudiesandinternshipcanbebothadriverforemploymentandeconomicdevelopment.Onceestablished,WPUhasthechoiceofexpandingeithertobecomearesearchorentrepreneurialuniversity,withthelatteroptionfirmlyfocusedonbusinessincubationandtheteachingofenterpriseeducation.Aboveall,WPUmustseektodistanceitselffromtheinertiaandlackofambitionthathandicapsomeofitssisteruniversitiesinPNG.

4.5 Otherauthors(Brundenius,Lundvall&Sutz,2009)addafurthercategory,thedevelopmentaluniversity,tothisparadigmtodescribecollaborationandinteractionwithabroadrangeofexternalpartners,includingbusiness,shunningprofitinfavourofmakingacontributiontosocialandeconomicdevelopmentatthelocalandnationallevel.WPU’smissionandvisionencompassesinnovationandlearningofakindthatwouldnurturetheinformalsectorofthelabourmarket,themainsourceofincomeforthemajorityofthepopulation.ShouldWPUtakeonthemantleofadevelopmentaluniversity,however,theoverallaimwouldbetomovethesebusinessesontowardsamoreformal,inclusiveandnovelsetofworkingpracticesthatboostedeconomicgrowthanddevelopment.

4.6 Forthemostpart,aswehaveseenthroughoutthecourseofthisstudy,withinPapuaNewGuinea,businessesseetheirlinkswithuniversitiesasaconduitforskilledgraduates.Thelackofskilledlabourisamajorhindrancetothecompetitivenessandinnovativecapacityofbusinessandindustry.WPUwoulddowelltoestablishaconsultativeprocessthroughwhichtheexperienceofsuccessfulbusinessmanagersistakenintoaccountincurriculumdevelopmentsothatitsprogramsareregularlyinformedbytheneedsofthelabourmarket,businessandindustry.DialoguewiththesestakeholdersshouldalsoprovideclarityonthediversityofprovisionrequiredacrosstheUniversity,forexampleon-campus,distance,onlineorshort-coursestructures.

4.7 Withdiversityofprovisioninmind,theliterature(OECD,2014a&b)alsopointsuptheneedtoensurethatallstaffinhighereducationinstitutionsareequippedwiththeskillstousedigitaltechnologiesinlearningandteaching,togetherwiththeabilitytointegratethemintotheirprogramandcoursedelivery.NewmodesoflearningandteachingatWPUwillthereforerequirefromallacademicstaffaverydifferentskill-setfromthemoreconventionalapproachesifthereistobequalitylearningforundergraduates.Qualityteachingwillnecessitateachangeinroleforuniversityteachersfrombeingbeaconsofknowledgeandexpertiseintheirsubjecttobecomingfacilitatorsandmentorsofcriticalthinking.HEIsmustalsobemindfuloftheirobligationtomirrorintheonlineenvironmentthesofterskillsthatareacquiredduringon-campuslearningexperiences.Networkingandinteractingwithpeersisavitalelementofthelearningexperience,andonlineplatformswherethiscansafelyandproductivelyoccur,forexampleGooglehangouts,shouldbecomeafundamentallearningspaceforonlinestudents.

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4.8 Ofrelevancetothediscussionofthelabourmarketisthecertification,creditandrecognitionofdegreesanddiplomasgainedatPapuaNewGuineanUniversities.WPU’saspirationisthatitsawardswillallowitsgraduatesnotonlytogainemploymentintheirowncountrybutalsointhewiderPacificregion,anintentionworthyofmeritandexamination.GroupedalongsideVanuatuandSolomonIslands,PNGisclassifiedasalowmobilitycountrywith0.2%ofitspopulationasemigrantswhich,becauseofthelimitationsofdata,currentlyrefersonlytoAustraliaasacountryofdestination(Curtain,Dornan,Doyle&Howes,2016).PuttingtoonesideNewZealand’sRecognisedSeasonalEmployer(RSE)schemeandAustralia’sseasonalworkerprogram(SWP)andindeeditsTemporaryGraduatevisa(Subclass485),themainimpedimenttolabourmobilityfromwithinPacificislandscountriesinthesameclassificationasPNGistheperceived‘loweducationlevelsoftheirpopulations’(Curtain,Dornan,Doyle&Howes,2017:viii).

4.9 UNESCOhasbeenatworksince2001indrawingAsia-PacificcountriestogethertoestablishapanPacificRegisterofQualificationsandStandard(PRQS).In2009anAccreditationandStandardsUnit,fundedforfiveyearsbyAustralianAid,wasinstitutedtofacilitatetheproject.AtthispointintimewehaveinplaceaPRQSdatabaseandthePacificIslandsQualityAssuranceFramework(PIQAF).PNG’sownNationalQualificationsFramework(PNGNQF)isreferencedagainstthePQIAF.TheerstwhileOfficeofHigherEducation,nowtheDepartmentforHigherEducation,Research,ScienceandTechnology(DHERST)remainstheleadonthesedevelopments.Thedatabasecoversallskills,tradeandacademicqualificationsuptoandincludingdoctoratelevel.Politicalwillhoweverisstillsoughttobringthisprojecttofruition,asevidencedbytheeffortsoftheGlobalRecognitionConventioninMay2016thathasqualityhighereducationasapillarof‘sustainabledevelopmentofknowledgesocietiesandrelevantlabourmarkets’(UNESCO,2015b).

5.0 Asolutionfocusedapproach

5.1 Whatthenmightbeashort-termsolutionforWPU?IfwetakethehistoryoftheAustraliaPacificTechnicalCollege(APTC)asanexample,despiteby2013havinggraduatedinexcessof5,600studentssinceitsinceptionin2007(Swanton&Ong,2013),barely1.2%ofitsgraduateshavemigratedtoAustralia,largelybecauseoftheveryhighcoststhereofhavingtheirqualificationsrecognised.TheAPTCisundergoingarootandbranchreview,oneoftheaimsofwhichistoexamineitsoriginalcommitmenttolabourmobilitythat,lamentably,hasbeenunfulfilled.WereWPUtoestablisharelationshipwithAPTCitmightgainaccessforitsstudentstoanexistingqualificationrecognitionframeworkandconnectionswithemployersandthelabourmarketthatwouldalsobeofbenefittotheminPapuaNewGuinea.FiguresfromtheAustralianDepartmentofImmigration,forexample,indicatethat,whereasin2011therehadbeen816PapuaNewGuineancitizenswithtemporaryresidencevisaslivingandworkinginAustralia,asofasof2012,thisnumberhadfallento327,73%ofwhomhadbeensponsoredbytheextractiveindustries(Fileretal.,2012).Atthetimeofwritingtheissueoflow-skillimmigrationisbeinghotlydebatedinboth

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AustraliaandPapuaNewGuinea.Certainly,themessagesarewritlargeforWPUanditsinternationalambitions.

5.2 TheAsianDevelopmentBank’sanalysisofthePacific’semploymentchallenge(ADB,2014),predictedthattheworkingagepopulationinthefourteenPacificislandcountriesofinteresttothemwouldrisefrom6.6millionin2014to9.6millionin2030.Ofthat9.6million,oncurrenttrends,by20306.6millionmightbedeniedwagedemployment.Theirinfographic,inafewwordsdelineatestheenablingenvironment,‘Moreproductiveemploymentopportunitieswillbeneededtoraisetheinclusivenessofgrowth’(ADB,2014:1).WorkforcegrowthacrossthePacific,becauseofasteeplyrisingbirthrate,suggeststhatPNGwillhavefarmorepeopleinitsworkforcethananyotherPacificislandnation.TheADBconcludesthereforethatby2030PNGwillsupplythemajorityofnewworkersintheregion.

5.3 ThereexistsasuperabundanceofgreyliteratureonthelabourmarketinPapuaNewGuinea,butamongstthemostwellresearchedistheworkofVoigt-Graf(2016),attachedtotheNationalResearchInstitute,whooffersameticulousanalysisofthecurrentstateofplayinthePacificislandslabourmarketthatinterpretsPNG’sstance,bycontrast,asthelargestlabourimportingcountryamongstthePacificislandcountriesandwhysofewPacificislandersworkinthecountry.Voigt-Graf’sfindingsareofrelevancetothisstudy.CitingfiguresfromDHERST’s(2015)NationalandTechnicalHigherEducationPlan,shepointsoutthattwo-thirdsofthepopulationintheformallabourmarketwerenoteducatedbeyondGrade8.Inpurenumericalterms,therecentexpansionintheformallabourmarketcouldaccommodatetherisingnumberofgraduatesyearonyear.Discussionswithtrainingprovidersandrecruitmentagenciescorrelatecloselywiththeresultsofourownsmall-scalesurvey:‘…atpresent,thequantityandqualityofhighereducationgraduates,particularlyintechnicalfields,donotfilltheneedsoftheprivatesectorinPNG.Consequently,businessesfillsomeoftheirskilledpositionswithnon-citizenworkers’(Voigt-Graf,2016).

5.4 Attheformallabourmarketlevel,Pacificislanderswererecruitedtomorethan200occupations.ThetablebelowcompiledbyVoigt-Graf(2016)indicatesthetenmostimportantareasofrecruitmentinvolvingPacificislanders.Noticeably,therearenoreferencestotradeortechnicalskills,areflectionofthepoorqualityoftheTVETsectorinthePacificislandcountries.

Occupation NumberofPacificIslanders

%ofPacificIslanders

NumberofFijians

%ofFijians

SalesandMarketingManager 36 7.0 36 8.7

TechniciansandTradeCoordinators 27 5.3 26 6.3

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Minister,FatherandPastor 26 5.1 10 2.4

AeroplanePilot 25 4.9 22 5.3

OperationsManager 24 4.7 24 5.8

CorporateServicesManager 23 4.5 21 5.1

Ship’sEngineer 21 4.1 19 4.6

GeneralManager 17 3.3 16 3.9

SecurityManager 17 3.3 17 4.1

CEOorManagingDirector 13 2.5 13 3.1

Table4:ToptenareasofrecruitmentofPacificIslanders(Voigt-Graf,2016:8.SourcedfromDLIR,activeworkpermitdata,May2015)

5.5 ThesoberingrealityforallnationalgraduatesisthatPNG’sownformallabourmarketaffordslivelihoodstolessthan12%oftheworkingagepopulation,whilsttheinformalsectorengagesthemajorityofthoseremainingintheworkingagegroupinforestry,fishingandsemi-subsistenceagriculture.Forecasterspredictthat,evenwithasteadygrowthinjobcreation,thebulkofthepopulationwillwaitfordecadestogainaccesstotheformallabourmarketwithpoverty,poorsocialwelfareandinadequatehealthcaretheirconstantcompanions.Economicgrowthiscontingentupononanenablingenvironmentandinfrastructurewheremuchstrongerinstitutionscannotonlyraisethelivingstandardsofthosedependentonaninformallivelihoodbutalsoprovidegreateraccesstomarketsand,insodoing,permitthemtocontributetothecountry’sdevelopment.

5.6 AlimitedamountofrecentdataexistsonthedestinationsofPNGstudentsupongraduation.Threesmallscalestudiesareofinterest.Cornish(2016),surveyingtheemploymentpreferencesofhisgraduatingeconomicsclassatUPNG,agedbetween23-25,reportsthat50%regardedthepublicsector,includingnationalgovernment,astheirfirstchoice,with38%seeingself-employmentasthebestwayforward.Attheotherendofthescale,employmentwithintheNGOsectorwasleastpreferred,withworkinthepublicsectoratLocalLevelGovernment(LLG)levelhardonitsheels.Unsurprisingly,whentheseeconomicsstudentswerepressedontheiremployerofchoice,theBankofPapuaNewGuineawasnamedbytwo-thirdsofthem,withtheDepartmentofTreasuryandtheDepartmentofNationalPlanninginsecondandthirdplace.

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Figure4:EmploymentPreferencesofUNPNGEconomicsGraduates(SourcedfromCornish2016:9)

5.7 ActualemploymenttooktwoofthegraduatestotheDepartmentofForeignAffairsandoneeachtoPwC;BSP;ElaMotors;OilSearchandMadangDepartmentofProvincialPlanning.Sixofthisnumberwererecruitedthroughgraduatedevelopmentprograms.Somegraduatesreportedthattheirgenerallackofawarenessandreadinessabouthowtomakesuccessfuljobapplicationswereofconcerntothem.

5.8 Amoredetailedsmall-scaletracerstudy(Namunetal.,2016)ofthirtyDivineWordUniversity(DWU)HealthManagementgraduatesrevealsthatthevastmajority,46.7%,havebeenemployedbytheGovernment,whilst20%arewithChurchandFaithbasedorganisations.Thisstudyalsosoughttoestablishtowhatextenttheirdegreeprogramhadpreparedthemfortheirchosencareer.Interestingly,therespondentscitedtheirpreparationforleadershipandmanagement,togetherwithprojectplanninganddesignandfinancialmanagementskillsashavingaddedtotheirpersonalskillsdevelopment.IncommonwiththeUNPGgraduatesinCornish’s(2016)paper,asignificantnumber,26%,indicatedtheirwishtopursuefurtherstudies.

5.9 Athird,largelystatistical,studybyDavid&Kaita(2015),oftheBankofPapuaNewGuinea,examined‘NeedsTheoryandEmploymentPerformance’inagroupof57graduatesdrawnfromfourPNGuniversities.Herethefocuswasmotivation,worksatisfactionandperformanceand,tosomeextent,thestudyilluminatesthediscussiononorganisationalcultureanditsinteractionwiththevaluesandcultureoftheindividualgraduate.Ourownworkyieldednumerousexamplesofemployerdissatisfactionwithsomegraduates’workethicandattitude,tosaynothingoftheculturaloutlooksthattheybringtotheirjob,forexampleadegreeofpassivityandthereluctancetochallengethestatusquo.Theauthorsherehoweverconcludethatitisthejobofmanagementtomakeeffortstounderstandthe

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needsoftheirgraduatestaffthroughgroundedtheoriesoftheirown.Theyarriveatthisassumptionthroughstatisticalmethodsthatdemandmuchmorerobustinterrogationtoachieveanykindofvalidity.

6.0 Micro,SmallandMediumSizedEnterprises

6.1 WorldBank("SmallandMediumEnterprises(SMEs)Finance",2017)figuresindicatethatupto45%ofemploymentinemergingcountriesislocatedinformalMSMEsthatprovide33%ofGrossDomesticProduct(GDP).InformalMSMEsaddsubstantiallytothesefigures.ThesamesourcesuggeststhatinemergingmarketsfouroutoffivenewjobscomeaboutasaresultofMSMEactivity.MSMEsacrossthedevelopingworldhoweverarehamperedbylackofaccesstoformalcreditfacilities.Yet,GoPNGhaslongrecognisedtheimportanceofMSMEs.Take,forexample,thecommitmentintheDevelopmentStrategicPlantoafour-foldincreaseinthenumberofMSMEsby2030(GoPNG,2010:100;2015).ThemostrecentMSMEpolicydocument(GoPNG,2016)setsoutthegovernment’sambitions:500,000MSMEsby2030;employmenttogrowto2million;unemploymentreducedfrom84%to49%;citizencontroloftheformaleconomytorisefromthecurrent10%to70%andtogrowtheMSMEcontributiontoGDPfrom10%to50%.Significantly,thesemeasures,itishoped,willreducethenumberofthepopulationlivingbelowthepovertylinefrom40%,asitisnow,to30%bytheendofthesameperiod.

6.2 PredatingthereleaseofGoPNG’s(2016)quasiprotectionistSMEpolicywithanextensiveReservesActivityListfor100%PNGownership,TebbuttResearch(2014)offeredanestimateof28,323MSMEsinthecountry’sformalsector.Themajorityofthesebusinesseswerelocatedintheretailtrade;hospitalityandtourism;motorvehiclerelated,includingretail;transportationandconstruction.ThisstudyalsoestimatedthatformalsectorMSMEsprovidepaidemploymentfor434,634staffand33,868unpaidstaff.WPUwoulddowelltotakenoteofthepotentialofMSMEstoplaceitsgraduatesintheforefrontofthissector.Innovativethinkingrelatedtothesurveyofthegraduatelabourmarketsuggeststhatleadership,financialexpertise,projectmanagementandproposalwriting,allinrelationtodevelopmentstudies,wouldrepresentcriticalareasforconsiderationinthedegreeprograms.

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Section3: Conclusion1.0 Introduction1.1 Asthefindingsofthissurveyaredrawntogether,itisimportanttoacknowledgethatitsmajorlimitationhasbeenthepaucityofcurrentandreliabledatauponwhichtobasefirmconclusionsaboutthestateofthelabourmarketinPapuaNewGuineainrespectofgraduateemploymentprospects.ThisisparticularlythecaseasweconsiderhowWPUwillworkwithintheglobaldevelopmentdiscourse,sothatthemeaningsandpurposesofdevelopinghumancapitaltobolsterthenationstateandempowerallitspeoplecanbeunderstood.Thereisthereforetheevidentdangerofgivingcredenceto,andaccepting,logicalfallaciesofastatisticalnature‘cumhocergopropterhoc’,wherecorrelationimpliescausation.Notwithstandingthiscaveat,itisgoodtonotetheestablishmentinSeptember2017ofthePNGData4DevelopmentGrouphostedatpngdata4development.org.pg/1.2 Fundamentalthemesemergingfromstakeholderinterviewsandtheliterature,particularlyinrelationtograduateemploymentprospectsinthePNGLabourMarket,andtheformulationofdegreeprogramsatWPU,areelucidatedbelow.ManyspokepassionatelyofPapuaNewGuinea,inconstitutionalterms,asadevelopingstateandofthefragileandchangingnatureoftheemploymentmarketinavulnerable,predominantlyagrarian,economy.Skilledemployment,itwaswiselyobservedonmanyoccasions,leadstoprosperityandsecurityforindividuals,whileunskilledemploymentoftenmeanstheopposite.Thefailuretoofferyoungpeopleappropriateopportunitiesinhighereducationtogaintheskills,knowledgeandbehavioursneededfortheworldofworkswiftlyeradicatestheirenthusiasm,potentialanddiminishesthelifechanceswhichtheirparents,universityteachersandadministratorshaveworkedsohardtoprovide.2.0 Findings2.1 Firstandforemost,themajorityofstakeholdersexpressedtheconcernthatgraduateslackthefluencyandcommandoforalEnglishthatunderpineffectivecommunicationskillsintheprofessionalandcommercialenvironment,wheretheexpectationisthatstandardsofspokenEnglishshouldbecommensuratelyhigh.2.2 Similarly,theacquisitionofsoft,ortransversal,skillsiswidelyregardedasanareaofmajorimportanceforallgraduatesinanticipationoftheiremploymentintheformalsector,whereclientfacingrelationshipsfrequentlydominateprofessionalactivity.2.3 NumerousstakeholdersreiteratedtheviewthatthedevelopmentofhumancapitalisfundamentaltothemissionofthosechargedwithleadingHEIs.Thisisbestdescribedbyconcludingthatthemostimportantoutputofhighereducationisnotsolelythecreationofgraduatesinpossessionofaugmentedsubjectknowledge,butrathertheproductofwhattheycontributetowardstheadvancementoflocalcommunitiesandPNGsocietyasawhole.

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2.4 IntermsoftheenablingenvironmentinwhichHEisdelivered,stakeholdersfrequentlyobservedthatPNGisaresourcerichnation,wheremassiveinvestments,particularlyintheextractiveindustrieshaveunderpinnedandacceleratedratesofgrowthandinternationalrelations.Nevertheless,thisphenomenonhasgeneratedonlymodestdirectemploymentopportunitiesforgraduatesand,thusfar,hasmadeverylittleimpactonthelivesofthoselivinginabsoluteorrelativepoverty,andforwhomurbandriftprovidesatenuousescaperoute.Moreover,acriticalfactemergingfromthemostrecentliterature(Fox,Howes,Nema&Schröder,2017)isthattheabundanceofforeignexchangeinthemineralsandextractiveindustries,atthemacroeconomiclevel,hasunderminedthecompetitivenessofotheractivitiesmakingitdifficulttocreateproductivejobsinothersectors. 2.5 AthemeconstantlyrestatedinthisstudyhasbeentheaspirationofWPUtoinstituteground-breakingprogramsofworkintegratedlearning.Stakeholdersfamiliarwithexistingmodelsofthistypeofprovision,ingeneral,commentedfavourablyuponthisdevelopment.Manyputforwardtheviewthatsuchprogramsofworkmustnotonlybefulfilling,aspirational,clearlyexplainedandattractivetostudentsbutalsodesignedinclosecollaborationwithemployersintheformalandinformallabourmarket.Previousprogramsofthisnature,accordingtomanyrespondents,havenotdemandedenoughofundergraduates.Theclearrecommendationmustthereforebethat,ifWPUwishestoleadgoodpracticeinthisdomain,stepsmustbetakentoexamineworld-classexcellenceprovidedatthehighertechnicallevelinoutstandinguniversitiesand,fromthere,workbackwardstodefinetheworkintegratedlearningpracticesthatwillfreeitfromtheisomorphicmimicrycurrentlybesettinghighereducationinPNG.2.6 Pursuedinthismanner,WPUmaybeconfidentthatmanymorestudentswillgoontomeetthenationalstandardsrequiredbyPNG’semployers.Workrelatedlearning,sometimesdescribedasdegreeapprenticeships,islikelytobecomeanattractiveoptionensuringthereisasupplyofhigh-qualitygraduatesavailabletostrongandresponsiveemployerswiththerightleadershipandvision.IftheskillsgapistobeconfrontedbythedeliveryofWPU’sdegreeprogramsemployersmustplayaleadingroleintheirformulation.Employers,workingwithexpertuniversityeducators,needtosetthestandardsand,crucially,definetheskills,knowledgeandbehavioursrequiredforskilledemploymentintheirsectors.2.7 Correspondingly,therewasalsotheunequivocalviewfromstakeholdersthatmoreneedstobedonetosupportstudents,particularlythoseinthecountry’slessprestigiousinstitutions,wherethereareevidentdifficultieswithinfrastructure,thestaff-studentratioandthequalityoftaughtcourses.Severalstakeholdersunderlinedtheadvantagesanddisadvantagesbroughtbypersonalandfamilyconnections.Indeed,ofthefactorsregarded

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asdrawbackstoemployment,lackofnetworksandlackofconnectionswereamongstthemostsignificantacrossthesurveyedprovinces.2.8 TheoutcomesofthissurveyconcurwithDeloitte&UNDP’s(2017)findingsthatthePNGeconomyischaracterisedbyenduringpocketsofskillsdeficiency.Employersreporteddirectanddamagingimpactsofskillsgapsandhard-to-fillvacanciescausedbyskillsshortages.Themostcommontypesofskillsshortagesarticulatedbystakeholderswerehigh-leveltechnical,managerial,practicalorjobspecificskillsbestgainedinaworkplacesetting,illustratingthecriticalrolethatemployershavetoplayinovercomingskillsshortagesandbuildingthepipelineofskilledlabour.Skillsgapsweremostcommonlyreportedwhereemployeeswerenewinroleandreflectiveofhighlevelsoflabourturnover.2.9 Forhighereducationplanners,thisreinforcestherealitythatthedemandandsupplyofskillsisnotfullyaligned.Whilesomedegreeofmismatchinthelabourmarketiscommontomanydevelopingcountries,persistentpocketsofskillsdeficiencymayindicatestructuralproblemswithdegreeprogramsinPNG.Self-evidently,failuretoaddresstheseskillsshortagesislikelytohinderthenation’sfutureeconomiccompetitiveness.Additionally,inrelationtoprogramdevelopment,itisworthbearinginmindthatthefuturesthinkingoutlinedelsewhereinthissurvey,viztheFourthIndustrialRevolution,suggeststhattechnologyalonewillnotdrivegrowth,butwillneedtobesituatedalongsideorganisationalchangetoaugmenttechnologicalgains.WPUwill,therefore,needtoadjustovertimetomeettheemergingneedsofthelabourmarketanddeliverlearningthatcrossesdisciplines;focusonwhatemployersneed;optimisetheuseoftechnologyandmotivateandinspireyoungpeople,particularlyfemales,toconsiderSTEMcareers.ThissurveyunequivocallyconfirmsthatthegreatestmarketenablerinPapuaNewGuineawillbetechnologyevolution.2.10 Academicdevelopment,seenintheseterms,shouldbeinformedbyafocusonskillsofstrategicimportancetothenation.WPUmustcollaboratewithindustryandbusiness,bothincountryandacrossthePICs,tounderstandwhichdigitalskillsareofparticularstrategicimportancetotheregionandtoidentifyemergingtrends.Programplanningmusttakeintoaccountskillsshortagesinareasofstrategicimportance,includingcybersecurity,bigdata,theInternetofThings,apps,mobileande-commerce.2.11 Closelyalliedtothecurrentandfuturedigitalneedsofbusinessandindustryarethoseofthenation’sentrepreneurs.Itisworthnotingthatentrepreneurship,eitherofnecessityoropportunity,isoneoftheprincipalsourcesofemploymentinPapuaNewGuineabutthat,inthemain,theseenterprisesarefrequentlytobefoundintheinformaleconomy,beyondtheenablingenvironmentoflabourpolicies.ThechallengeforWPUinaddressingthemultiplicityofinformalenterprisesandtheirpotentialforgraduateemploymentishowtoopenaccesstoskillstraining,microfinance,e-commerce,business

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advisoryservices,marketinformation,productiveresources,socialprotectionandtradeopportunities,allofwhicharenowreliantontheeffectiveuseoftechnology.2.12 WPUwill,againovertime,needtoimplementprogramstoupdate,onaregularbasis,thedigitalskillsofitsstaff.Academicstaffmustbesupportedtodelivertheinnovativeformsofcurriculumdelivery,includingonlineandworkplacelearning,andtodeveloptheirteachingandlearningstylesinkeepingwithdevelopingtechnology.Thisincludesretraininglecturingstaffthroughaneffectiveprogrammeofcontinuousprofessionaldevelopment(CPD)andensuringthatnewlyappointedstaffareequippedwiththerightskillstoteachthenewcurriculumandabletoaccessCPDprogrammestoacquireandupdatetheirdigitalskills.2.13 Again,therichandextensiveevidencebaserelatingtoagriculturaloutputanditscontributiontoGDPinPapuaNewGuinea,ceterisparibus,suggeststhatfurtherinvestmentinthissectorwillreduceunderemploymentratherthancreatenewjobs.InthediscussionarounddegreeprogramsatWPU,jobcreationinagricultureislikelytooccurthroughgrowthinadjacentindustriessuchasagri-business.OnthebasisofthemostrecentpolicydirectioninofficialcirclestheDepartmentforAgricultureandLivestock(DAL)isworkingwiththeUN’sFoodandAgricultureOrganisation(FAO)todevelope-agriculture.GivenWPU’sproposedinvestmentinIT,itsfutureuseinagriculturerepresentsastrongareaofinterestofteachingandresearch,notwithstandingtheenormouspotentialthereexistsforWIL,sincealmost85%ofthepopulationareregularlyinvolvedinsomeformofagriculture.2.14 WhilstevidentlytheextractiveindustriescontinuetoattractthemajorityofForeignDirectInvestment(FDI),itisalsoclearthattogetherwithforestryandfishing,agriculturehasbenefitedfromtheconsiderablesumsthathavebeenpouredintothepalmoil,sugar,copraandlivestockindustries.ThecontingentissuesforWPUmustbetoconsiderhowbesttodesignitsprogramstoassistinthedevelopmentofadvancedtechnologies,researchanddevelopmentandmanagerialexpertise.Insodoing,theimpactofexistingtechnicalandinstitutionalconstraintstothedevelopmentofhumanandphysicalcapitalcanbelessenedinfavourofeconomicgrowthandthereductionofpoverty.2.15 Romer’s(2017)celebratedvariantofendogenousgrowththeorythatrunsparalleltotechnologicalchangeprovidesalensthroughwhichtoviewthedevelopmentsdescribedintheprecedingparagraphs.Dependentupononpopulationexpansionandcapitalaccumulation,Romer’stheoryrobustlyalliestheincreaseofnewideastothevolumeofpeopleemployedintheknowledgesectorandtherebytoeconomicgrowth.Byextrapolation,WPU’scommitmenttoworkintegratedlearning,designedanddeliveredincollaborationwithemployers,willswellthenumbersofthoseemployedintheknowledgesectorwhosenewideaswillincreaselocalcapabilities,enhanceproductivityandreducerelianceonexpatriateleadershipandmanagementintechnologyandadvancedskills.

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2.16 SeveralhospitalsinPapuaNewGuinea,includingthoseinTabubil,Kiunga,Kundiawa,andPortMoresbyhave,formanyyears,beeninvolvedineHealthinitiativesandtelemedicinethroughlinkswiththeSwinfenCharitableTrust.WPUwill,intime,forgepartnershipswithlocalhospitalsandbecomeaproviderofmedicaleducation;however,withaneyeonthegraduatelabourmarket,astheUniversitydesignsanddevelopsitsprototypedegreeprogramsfocusedondigitaltechnologies,supportfortelemedicineatthenationallevelwillbevitaltoaspectsoftheirdelivery.Theseincludethetransmissionofx-rays,MRIscansandmedicalphotographytogetherwiththedesignofdatabasesandsecuremessagingplatforms.TheprosandconsofeHealthintransitioninganddevelopingcountrieshavebeenexhaustivelydebatedoverrecentyearsbutclearbenefitsareemerging,notleastthecapacitytousetheexpertiseofin-countrymedicalpractitioners,aswellasofthoseoverseas,inthediagnosisandtreatmentofpatientsinremoteruralareas.2.17 Acaseforexpandingthereachofsustainabletourismintheformalandinformallabourmarketswasmadeconvincinglybykeyinformantswholinkedittotheneedforahighly-trainedandeducatedlabourforce.BoththetourismindustryandGoPNGarehamperedbyalackofreliablelabourmarketdatatoinformpolicy.Milneetal(2013)howeverintheirPacificregionaltourismcapacitybuildingprogramme(PRTCBP)citethetourismtrainingneedsofPNGaslanguageskills,businessmanagement,customer-servicetraining,marketing,basiccommunicationskills,tourguiding,behaviouralskills,inter-culturalcommunicationskills,conferencemanagementandnichemarketdevelopment.Theseinclude,interalia,peopleskills,anunderstandingofconsumerbehaviourandadministrativeskillssuchasfinance,humanresources,marketingandpropertymanagement.WPUiswellplacedtoprovidetherapidlyexpandingindustrywithasteadysupplyofgraduateswhopossessnotonlyskillsetsinthesecruciallyimportantareasbutalsoleadershippotentialidentifiedanddevelopedthroughtheirintercalatedWIL.

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Care,EandLuo,R.(2016).AssessmentofTransversalCompetencies:PolicyandPracticeintheAsia-PacificRegion.Bangkok:UNESCOConley,D.T.(2007).TowardaMoreComprehensiveConceptionofCollegeReadiness.Eugene:EducationalPolicyImprovementCenter.Cornish,M.,(2016)PapuaNewGuineaeconomicsgraduateexitsurvey.DevelopmentPolicyCentreDiscussionPaper#53.Canberra:ANU

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