Labour data vital, says official

WITHOUT labour market information (LMI), it is difficult to determine whether tertiary institutions are producing graduates that are meeting industry demands, an official says.
Department of Higher Education, Research Science and Technology (DHERST) principal data analyst Franklyn Kulukal told The National that they needed to know the demand.
The Labour Market Information Policy (LMIP) being developed, when approved, is expected to help citizens make informed decisions on their career paths in the country and abroad, she said.
Kulukal said the information was vital for the sector to meet higher education outcomes.
“We need to know what the demands are in the industries so that we can tailor our programmes to meet the industry demands,” she said.
“With the lack of LMI right now, our biggest challenge is we are not sure whether we are producing graduates that are meeting the industry needs.”
Kulukal said once the policy was approved and a system was developed, it would be very beneficial for the department.
She added that LMI would help DHERST in policy development, review of the curriculum in providing quality and competent skilled workforce.
“We have to know if there are job markets out there for our graduates in respective fields,” she said.
“This is important for us, getting the policy approved and the information system developed would assist us.”
Acting director professional branch technical and vocational training education school of operational division Daniel Tovu, said LMI would help them to monitor the number of students employed.