Employability Skills Gaps Between Employed and Unemployed TVET Graduates in Uganda

Studies have persistently justified high employment among youths as being created by skills disparity (Yiga, 2022). Skill mismatches have been constantly cited as a significant barrier to achieving better employment (Namuliira et al., 2025). Therefore, this study conducted a comparative analysis of the average differences between employed and unemployed TVET graduates. This study is part of the main study conducted to investigate the determinants of employment prospects of TVET graduates in Uganda’s job market with a focus on skills acquisition, programme structure, and graduate characteristics. The data collection was done in three government-aided TVET institutions in central Uganda. While the study targeted about 7000 TVET graduates who had graduated between 2019 and 2024, the Morgan (1970) sample size formula allowed 365 respondents (TVET graduates) using a P of 0.5, a margin of error of 5%, and a chi-square value of 3.841 for a 95% confidence level. Eventually, simple random sampling was employed to ensure a more representative sample and an equal likelihood of participation in the study. TVET graduates who had graduated outside the considered range (2019- 2024) were excluded from participation in the study. These were believed to be affected by other factors outside the control of the study. A survey questionnaire was designed in Ms. Word and later digitized in the Kobo Collect online data collection platform to aid in data collection and faster data processing. Using an independent t-test, the mean skills acquired at various TVET institutions were compared between the employed and non-employed TVET graduates. Socioeconomic factors such as sex, residence type, TVET institutions attended, field of study, internship, main type of work, training funding, mode, and qualifications obtained were captured as essential covariates. Significant differences were seen in social skills, practical technical skills, use of tools, and equipment skills. Likewise, soft skills seemed to differ between the two groups. This ranged from communication, teamwork, and collaboration, as well as work discipline. The findings revealed that TVET graduates who had a good combination of these skills found it easy to penetrate the job market and find employment.