Title: Information & Communication Technology (ICT) education in universities and its relevance to job market: perspectives from university and industry employers in Sri Lanka
Abstract: Higher education in Sri Lanka has captured ICT in a large degree to create technologically sound graduates who can effectively face to the challenges in this rapidly changing job market demands with technology advancement. However, literature reveals that ICT adoption has not been taken place among university students to achieve the concern. These circumstances constitute why undergraduates do not use ICT up to the desired level. Therefore, this study aims to explore the present situation regarding ICT in universities and the job market, identifying necessity of ICT skills and the factors affecting to use ICT and strategies to promote using ICT in universities. The study followed the phenomenological approach using qualitative paradigm through semi structured interviews and focus group discussions. Altogether 24 semi structured interviews and focus group discussions were conducted at the four selected universities and various other fields. The data was analyzed using thematic content analytical techniques. Results revealed that the basic ICT is an essential component for today’s job market and advanced ICT skills cause to have higher positions. Universities were making efforts to make graduates ICT literate by enhancing their facilities, resources and courses. To receive benefits using ICT, as lecturers believe that students should use ICT, ease related to ICT, availability of more infrastructure facilities, community to which students belong, prior ICT experience, gender, subject streams and the university belong were the main factors identified for using ICT. The strategies to promote using ICT in universities were to enhance the ICT environment of universities including infrastructure, staff and courses, to promote ICT based education, and to form strategic plans to force students to make full use of ICT in universities. It is recommended that the strategies brought up the interviewees could be implemented at university level to improve the ICT education.