Fostering the employability of business

studies graduates 

Shairn Hollis-Turner

Abstract

Higher education is under pressure to enhance the employability of graduates by ensuring
that they acquire competencies that make them employable in the labour market. This
research project investigated the contribution of higher education towards the employability
of graduates within a business diploma programme. A Delphi approach was employed with
the Delphi panel consisting of three types of professionals – employers within the corporate
sector, academics in the field of business studies, and graduates with workplace experience
in the corporate sector. Both quantitative and qualitative data were obtained from three
rounds of surveys. The findings show that disciplinary knowledge of Information
Administration, Business Administration, Communication and Personnel Management, and 
the simulation of workplace practices as well as work-integrated learning opportunities are
significant to enhancing the employability of office administrators and office managers.
These findings provided academics with the opportunity to make improvements to the
curriculum to foster the employability of the graduates.

Introduction

There is growing pressure on higher education to heighten the employability
of graduates by guaranteeing that the learning experiences of students
contribute to instilling the attributes, knowledge and skills that will empower
graduates to “perform successfully as citizens in the knowledge economy”
(Nel and Neale-Shutte, 2013, p.437). South Africa is still grappling with
developing its economy and also bringing restitution to its black population.
The latest unemployment statistics measuring the number of individuals
actively seeking employment as a percentage of the workforce shows that the
unemployment rate in South Africa increased to 25.5% in the second quarter
of 2014 (Statistics South Africa, 2014).

Higher education internationally, as well as in South Africa (e.g. Department
of Education [DoE], 1997, 2002a, 2002b), has emphasised the need for
increased graduate employability. Higher education reports such as the
Robbins Report (1963), the Finn Committee (1991), the Mayer Committee



146         Journal of Education, No. 60, 2015

(1992), the Dearing Report (1997), the DeSeCo Project (Organisation for
Economic Co-operation and Development [OECD], 2001), the Report on
Employability Skills for Australian Industry (Curtis and McKenzie, 2002);
REFLEX Project (Allen and Van der Velden, 2007) and Confederation of
British Industry (CBI) Universities UK Report (2009), all emphasise the role
of the education and training sectors in preparing graduates to confront the
challenges of a global knowledge-based economy. 

Employability is seen as a symptom of the brisk changes related to
globalisation, the liberalisation of trade, developments in information
technology, biosciences, new materials and nanotechnology that have fuelled
the rise of the “knowledge economy” (Davidson, 2007, p.1184). This together
with technological advances and global economic dynamics requires that
graduates have higher levels of knowledge and skills (Nel and Neale-Schutte,
2013). The education policy in South Africa has been intensely influenced by
the global mandate that higher education institutions become more receptive
to the needs and expectations of industry, the state and society, to guarantee
economic and social success (Kruss, 2002). The curricular process provided
by higher education attempts to facilitate the development of workplace
prerequisites and to meet the demands of the knowledge economy by
introducing work integrated learning projects, job shadowing and internships
(Lowden, Hall, Elliot and Lewin, 2011, p.25) to name but a few examples.
However, it cannot be assumed that the experience provided either by higher
education, or in the workplace, or the fact that a student has completed a
vocational course, will somehow ensure employability. 

The study on which this paper is based argues that employability is about the
development of critical, reflective graduates who are empowered to contribute
to their future places of employment in order to retain employment and
promotion prospects in an ever-changing competitive global society. In order
to determine why so many of the graduates of a higher education programme
are unemployed, it is necessary to look at the knowledge bases of the
curriculum. Knowledge matters and therefore the knowledge bases selected
for professional curricula can be expected to play a significant role in
enhancing the employability of graduates. Young and Muller (2014) argue
that in an age where there is a proliferation of expert occupations, the
knowledge that underpins the professional curriculum is of particular
significance.



Hollis-Turner: Fostering the employability. . .        147

In this respect the study on which this paper is based broadly investigated the
contribution of higher education towards the employability of graduates. The
research objectives aimed to investigate the knowledge bases of current office
management work expertise and the implications thereof for the training of
office managers. The findings of this research project provided academics
with the opportunity to make improvements to the curriculum and it provided
guidelines for the recurriculation of the higher education programme in office
management in accordance with the new qualifications framework of the
Department of Education (2007).

Literature review

Universities often make a “wish list” (Barrie, 2006, p.215) of knowledge,
skills and attributes that will supposedly foster the employability of graduates.
Mason, Williams and Cranmer (2006) argue that from the viewpoint of
employers, employability often refers to work readiness, described as the
possession of attitudes, knowledge, skills, and commercial understanding
enabling contributions to be made to the achieving of organisational goals
after starting employment. It is also defined as the possession of “foundational
skills needed to be minimally qualified for a specific occupation” (ACT,
2013, p.3).

Yorke and Knight (2006) identified four broad attainments on which
employability is dependent, namely, knowledge and understanding; general
and specific skills; efficacy beliefs and values; and metacognitive
understanding. In educational research this position has remained dominant
although it has been critiqued for neglecting other factors influencing
employability. Contrary arguments include the work of McQuaid, Green and
Danson who argue that a broader approach is necessary as it facilitates the
“additional consideration of vital demand, personal circumstances and other
factors that influence the employability of people in a particular labour
market, or at a particular time” (2005, p.194). 

McQuaid and Lindsay (2005) argue that employability is not simply about
building the attributes and skills of students by educational organisations as
such skills require support of knowledge of job seeking skills and are
influenced by health factors, gender, age and mobility. Côté and Bynner
(2008) argue that economic conditions may influence the social status of
young individuals and subsequently their employability, while McGrath



148         Journal of Education, No. 60, 2015

(2009) recognises that factors such as geographic location influence
employability. Harvey and contributors (2003) contend that employability
should be recognised as a process requiring more than the attributes, skills or
experience to empower a student to get a job or to advance progress. The
subject discipline selected by the graduate impacts to some degree on the
opportunities for employability development. For example, involvement in
employability development is considered easier for students studying
professional programmes. However, “vocationalism is not synonymous with
employability” (Harvey, 2002, p.5). 

In the South African context, the Education White Paper 3: A curriculum for
the transformation of higher education (DoE, 1997) described the role of
higher education institutions as the mobilisation of human resource
development. Graduate employability has therefore become a significant
aspect of planning by institutional and academic forums since it is beneficial
to higher education, employers and graduates’ acquisition of an improved
understanding of the causes of unemployable graduates (Nel and Neale-
Shutte, 2013). 

Background to the study

The focus of this research project is the employability of the graduates of a
higher education programme at a University of Technology (UoT). The UoT
comprises five faculties with over 32 000 students. UoT’s curricula have had
a strong heritage in the provision of career-oriented education and focus on
the workplace as both a learning resource and a site of knowledge production.
In accordance with the National Plan for Higher Education (Ministry of
Education, 2001) the assumption is that the primary focus of the UoT will be
the cultivation of applied knowledge and job-related skills driven by market
forces and entrepreneurialism (Imenda, 2005). Wheelahan (2010, p.4) argues
that the purpose of professional and vocational education “is to induct
students into a field of practice” and provide the knowledge that underpins
practice.

The three-year higher education business programme on office management
aims to provide the local and international corporate sector with graduates
who are skilled in management, administration and technology. The curricular
arrangement for office management studies comprises the work of the
profession of office administration in support of people in a range of different



Hollis-Turner: Fostering the employability. . .        149

industries. Students are required to study the two major disciplines of
Information Administration (which comprises computer theory and practice)
and Business Administration for the period of three years. The programme for
office managers includes two years study of Communication and one year of
Legal Practice, Personnel Management, Mercantile Law, Financial
Accounting and six months of experiential training or work-integrated
learning in the workplace. Graduates of the programme find positions of
employment in a variety of fields in the business world such as personal
assistant, administrative office manager, data processor, office administrator
at a hospital, and administrative assistant in a personnel department or the
accountancy/legal section of an organisation or legal firm. There are
approximately 290 students studying either on a full-time or part-time basis.

Work experience alone does not ensure that graduates develop the “cognitive,
social, practical. . . prerequisites” for employment (Yorke, 2004, p.7).
Similarly, the curricular process does not guarantee employability, but it may
facilitate it (Knight and Yorke, 2004). The programme for office management
attempts to facilitate employability by providing opportunities for work
experience and by bringing practitioners and employers into the classroom.
Students are required to take part in group work exercises and presentations,  
co-ordinate seminars, participate in one week volunteer placements in the
workplace during the first and second year, as well as undertake six months
internship in the third year of study. 

Research methodology

This study draws on a Delphi approach which is an established method used
to harness the opinions of a diverse group of experts (Powell, 2003). The
research project on which this paper is based expanded on the Delphi method
by reviewing the traditional Delphi view of ‘expert’, as the Delphi panel of
experts included not only employers, but also graduates of the office
management curriculum. It comprised the distribution of three rounds of
surveys to a panel of professionals comprising employers,  graduates and
academics. This provided the opportunity for the testing of knowledge and
learning by the professionals as they refined their opinions and reached
consensus. The reasons for selecting this research method was to gain the
input from the panel regarding the critical skills, generic attributes and
discipline specific content which they considered as key to fostering the
employability of the graduates. The researcher attempted to elicit judgements



150         Journal of Education, No. 60, 2015

from the participants on the basis of surveys and focus group meetings,
interviews and student surveys which centred on the research questions. For
the purpose of this article only the primary data, both numeric and textual,
obtained by using three rounds of Delphi surveys on the discipline specific
content, is discussed.

Purposive sampling was used for the selection of the Delphi panel and
provided in-depth information from an interested group of participants.
Twenty-three business professionals, fifteen graduates and fifteen academics
agreed to serve on the Delphi panel and participate in the three rounds of
surveys over a period of three years. The selection criteria for the business
experts, graduates and academics were as follows:

! business experts in the Western Cape who operated in local and
international medium to high technological environments,

! business experts who were co-operative partners of the UoT, 

! business experts who had employed or currently employ OM graduates
and/or third-year students (interns) and who are directly involved in
their selection and mentorship,

! graduates who had been employed for a minimum period of three years
and who were currently in supervisory and/or office management
practitioner positions,

! business experts and graduates who were involved in the major sectors
of tourism, medical fields, service and retail industries, education,
production, government and local government, 

! those who spoke various South African first languages (e.g. isiXhosa,
English, isiZulu and Afrikaans),

! academics employed in the workplace within the past two to four years
where they held positions in the workplace such as accountant,
management consultant, administrative officer, training consultant,
operations manager and office managers, and

! academics who participated in regular meetings with the business sector
to remain informed of the field of office administration and office
management. 



Hollis-Turner: Fostering the employability. . .        151

The strict adherence to these selection criteria enabled participants to evaluate
current office management work practices objectively to determine the
knowledge areas of the curriculum required by office administrators and
office managers. Relevant ethical considerations of anonymity were also
considered for this research project.

The first round survey included the discipline specific content of the higher
education programme. The panel was asked to rate the content of each
discipline of the three year programme according to which were necessary,
essential or critical to foster the employability of the graduate. They were also
given the opportunity to list additional skills and knowledge areas omitted in
the first round survey. The additional items were then added to the second
survey and sent to the panel for rating. The data from the final round survey
was analysed and an average of the ratings from each group of the Delphi
panel was calculated to determine the overall consensus percentage. This data
was analysed by examining the responses to the discipline specific ratings of
Information Administration, Business Administration, Communication,
Personnel Management, Financial Accounting and Legal Practice. 

Findings

The findings are hierarchically ordered in line with the credit allocation of the
disciplines of the office management programme. 

Information administration

The findings showed that the MS Office suite (81%) received the highest
degree of consensus followed by word processing (74%), emails and the
internet (68%), Spreadsheets: Excel (57%), the protection of documentation
(57%) with the rest of the content of the Information Administration curricula
receiving below 50% consensus. 

The additional items added to the first round survey by graduates were the
need for advanced Excel skills and the ability to identify different types of
hardware or software and computer security threats. The data from the final
round survey showed that the need for advanced skills on Excel received 40%
consensus of the panel and the ability to identify different types of hardware



152         Journal of Education, No. 60, 2015

or software and computer security threats received 27% consensus of the
panel. These findings imply that most of the panel did not have the same
needs for graduates to have these skills. Many large organisations have
Information and Technology support staff who would be responsible for the
hardware or software installation and have qualified staff with advanced skills
in Excel. While the knowledge of computer security and back-up procedures
are necessary, these can be learned on site and often are particular to specific
organisations. 

Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) are considered essential
to fostering the employability of graduates (Lowden et al., 2011). The
International British Education and Examination Board (Edexcel) in its report
on the global perspective of effective education for employment (Playfoot and
Hall, 2009, p.50) identified one of the qualiies most valued by employers in
South Africa as being that of a willingness to “embrace technology”.

In the South African context there is a significant gap between what graduates
bring to the workplace and employers’ expectations in terms of ICT skills,
with the biggest gap relating to the “ability to find and access information”
(Griesel and Parker, 2009, p.11). The UKCES report entitled “The
Employability Challenge” regards employability skills as those which must be
present to empower an individual to apply the more particular knowledge and
technical skills that their specific workplaces will expect and “using
information technologies effectively – operating a computer, both using basic
systems and also learning other applications as necessary” (2009, p.6). Refer
to Table 1 below for the detailed results. 



Hollis-Turner: Fostering the employability. . .        153

Table 1: Information administration

Infomation administration Consensus

MS Office suite 81%

Word processing 74%

Emails and the Internet 68%

Spreadsheets: Excel 57%

Protection of documentation 57%

Windows management 44%

MS PowerPoint: Advanced 41%

Advanced skills on Excel 40%

Computer security 39%

Back-up procedures and software 36%

Flow of information 36%

Management of information technology and systems 30%

Structuring a document management system 29%

Management decision-making 29%

Ability to identify different types of hardware or software and computer
security threats

27%

Risk management: internet and network security 27%

Production 35wpm 26%

While the importance of Information Administration skills for the fostering of
the employability of office administrators and office managers cannot be
denied, the challenge is to ensure that graduates are prepared for the
technological demands of the varied fields in which they find employment.
The field of information technology is constantly changing and it is required
of higher education to not only keep up with business practices, but to ensure
that graduates are taking innovative ICT knowledge into their future
workplaces (Boud and Solomon, 2001; Geisler, Bazerman, Doheny-Farina,
Gurak, Haas, Johnson-Eilola, Kaufer, Lunsford, Miller, Winsor and Yates,
2001; Barnett, 2004). This was supported by the opinions of a number of the
employers and graduates on the Delphi panel. For example a graduate



154         Journal of Education, No. 60, 2015

commented, ‘having knowledge alone is not enough’ and ‘simulations of
information technology skills will be useful’. This emphasises the need for
academic staff to remain current with workplace practices so that they may
make use of innovative methods to simulate these practices in the classroom
to prepare students for the workplace (Jeong, Taylor and Chi, 2000).

Business administration

The highest rates of consensus of the Delphi panel were in respect of items
added to the first survey, namely time management (89%), and understanding
the critical importance of administration as one of the pillars in any
organisation (73%). In the higher education context students are required to
adhere to values of time management which mirror those of the workplace
such as punctuality, the adherence to deadlines for the submission of tasks
and assignments, and the presentation of written and oral feedback reports.
The knowledge of administrative procedures (73%) was followed by control
of office activities (57%) and an additional item, knowledge of company
policies and procedures (53%), which was added to the first round survey.
Two other items added to the first survey were knowledge of planning,
executing and reviewing events such as meetings and workshops, and project
management. The rating of consensus of the Delphi panel for the significance
of these areas of knowledge and skills was below 50%. 

Administration is considered essential in all sectors of business, regionally,
nationally and internationally. In the South African context it is listed as a
critical skill in the Education, Training and Development Practices (ETDP)
Sector Education and Training Authority Report 2010/2011. A number of the
employers and graduates called for increased simulation of workplace
practices and an employer commented that ‘the basic office management
skills are necessary in all contexts’ and <should be applied in simulation
exercises in the classroom’. This supports the view expressed earlier that
students require opportunities to apply their knowledge in simulations of
workplace practices. Table 2 shows the detailed results of the Delphi surveys.



Hollis-Turner: Fostering the employability. . .        155

Table 2: Business administration

Business administration Consensus

Time management 89%

Understand the critical importance of administration as one of the pillars in any
oganisation

73%

Administrative procedures 73%

Control of office activities 57%

Knowledge of company policies and procedures 53%

The office: organisation and supervision 49%

Human resource management 46%

Evaluation of administrative systems 44%

Knowledge of planning, executing and reviewing events such as meetings and
workshops

42%

Financial management 42%

Understand workplace safety and security issues 37%

Management functions 36%

Strategic management 29%

Project management 29%

Risk management 27%

Systems design and analysis 24%

Marketing and research 22%

Entrepreneurship 20%

Business sectors 20%

Communication 

The highest consensus ratings for the content of the Communication studies
were for items added to the first round survey. Correct written language
(77%); understanding English language and the application of language skills
(71%), and documentation etiquette (71%). This was followed by teamwork
and small groups (70%), listening skills and conflict resolution (64%); oral
communication and presentation skills (63%), and the importance of setting
goals and objectives (50%). The rest of the content received less than 50%



156         Journal of Education, No. 60, 2015

consensus as being significant to fostering the employability of the graduate.
The implications of these findings are that an excessive amount of time is
spent in the classroom on the study and practice of written communication
skills such as report writing (33%), whereas employers pointed out that
<workplaces often have their own on-line reporting programmes’. The
majority of the graduates and employers suggested that workplace simulations
of communication situations should take place in the classroom. Refer to
Table 3 below for the details.

Table 3: Communication

Communication Consensus

Correct written language 77%

Understanding English language and the application of language skills 71%

Documentation etiquette 71%

Teamwork and small groups 70%

Listening skills and conflict resolution 64%

Oral communication and presentation skills 63%

Goals and objectives 50%

Telephone technique 45%

Business letters: letters of complaint, enquiry, invitation, thanks, etc. 43%

Emails and facsimiles 42%

Proficiency in at least two official languages 42%

Meeting correspondence: notice, agenda, minutes 38%

CV writing and interview skills 35%

Report writing 33%

Intercultural communication 32%

Organisational communicaion 32%

Proposals 32%

Professional self-development 31%

Website communication - Facebook, Twitter and other digital forms of
communication

29%

Research: referencing skills 29%



Hollis-Turner: Fostering the employability. . .        157

The UK Commission’s Employer Skills Survey, 2013 (UK Commission for
Employment and Skills, 2014) found an increase in skill-shortage vacancies
as a result of a lack of communication skills, particularly oral communication,
as well as a lack of literacy skills. Opportunities for deliberate practice and
feedback on performance are necessary for the development of expertise in
oral and writing skills, especially in the context of a “professionally relevant
task domain” (Kellogg, 2008, p.18). For example, the Delphi graduates’
comments were that the communication studies should include ‘more
presentation skills’ and that ‘communication skills are important and
simulations of these skills will be useful’. Employers commented that
‘communication knowledge and skills are particularly necessary among
second- and third-language English speakers, working in a predominantly
English environment’ and ‘technical knowledge and skills … stand for little
and are useless unless this can be communicated effectively and applied’ .

Personnel management

One of the items added to the first round survey relating to significance of
upholding confidentiality (80%) received the highest consensus rating of the
Delphi Panel. This was followed by knowledge of dealing with individuals
(77%), attitudes and behaviour in the workplace (62%), understanding of
organisational culture (61%) which was also added to the first round survey,
stress management (54%), personal relationships on the job (52%), and
knowledge of labour laws and disciplinary procedures (50%). Emotional
intelligence and the importance of personal development were also added to
the first round survey but both received less than 50% consensus rating from
the Delphi panel. Refer to Table 4 for the detailed results.



158         Journal of Education, No. 60, 2015

Table 4: Personal management

Personnel management Consensus

Upholding confidentiality 80%

Dealing with individuals 77%

Attitudes and behaviour in the workplace 62%

Understanding of organisational culture 61%

Stress management 54%

Personal relationships on the job 52%

Knowledge of labour laws and disciplinary procedures 50%

Emotional intelligence 47%

Personal development 45%

Resolving frustration and conflict 43%

Business psychology and human behaviour 42%

Dealing with small groups 37%

Human resource management: introduction 30%

Social and personal perception 30%

Graduates need to know about dealing with individuals and group dynamics
when they enter the workplace. An employer commented that ‘being aware of
how to deal with other people . . . can only be developed through practice’.
The UK Commission for Employment and Skills (2009, p.6) describes
employability skills as including “working together – co-operating, being
assertive, persuading, being responsible to others. . .”. 

Financial accounting

The highest consensus was received for budgets and budgetary control (60%)
and how to read a balance sheet and profit and loss accounts (56%). The panel
added items of legislation and financial policies and petty cash management, 
which received less than 50% consensus. Refer to Table 5 for the detailed
results.



Hollis-Turner: Fostering the employability. . .        159

Table 5: Financial accounting

Financial accounting Consensus

Budgets and budgetary control 60%

How to read a balance sheet and profit and loss accounts 56%

Results of operations and financial positions 47%

Introduction to accounting 45%

Legislation and financial policies 45%

Analysis and interpretation of financial statements 42%

Understanding monthly requisitions – to form part of budgets 42%

Petty cash management 39%

Income statement 39%

Stock 37%

Debtors 36%

Creditors 36%

Bank reconciliation statements 31%

Ledger and trial balance 31%

Fixed assets 31%

Cash flow management to balance sheet 31%

Subsidiary journals 25%

A comment by an employer regarding the rating of items such as stock and
debtors and creditors, was that ‘one cannot do financial statements without
these areas of knowledge and skills and therefore one cannot rate them as
more or less important as the other’. A graduate commented that ‘financial
accounting skills are not critical for administrative work in the training
environment – this function is outsourced’ and an employer commented that
‘apart from budget control and planning for the year ahead the financial
management aspect is often based elsewhere as a support service’. Lowden et
al. (2011, p.12) argue that employers “value numeracy relevant to the post”. 

The findings show that, while Financial Accounting knowledge and skills
might be necessary for the employability of the graduates, many organisations
have specialists who are responsible for these functions. Those graduates who



160         Journal of Education, No. 60, 2015

find employment requiring these skills will have the basic financial
knowledge and skills and can undertake further studies if required.

Legal practice and mercantile law

The highest consensus was for the additional area of knowledge of applicable
legislation in the context of the working environment (68%), which was
added to the first round survey. Knowledge of labour law received 50%
consensus but 75% of the employers serving on the Delphi panel rated this
knowledge as critical to the fostering of employability of graduates.
Comments received from the graduates were that knowledge of their
employment rights was beneficial, but it appears that most of the Delphi panel
did not consider this content as critical to the employability of the graduates.
The rest of the content received less than 50% consensus from the Delphi
panel. Table 6 shows the detailed results of the Delphi survey.

Table 6: Legal practice and mercantile law

Legal practice and mercantile law Consensus

Knowledge of applicable legislation in the context of the working environment 68%

Labour law 50%

General principles of the law of contract 43%

Business law in order to be equipped to start own business 43%

Intellectual property: copyright, trademarks and patents 32%

Specific contracts 28%

The administration of justice 24%

Introduction to civil procedure and criminal litigation 24%

Introduction to the study of law 20%

Debt collection procedures in the Magistrate’s Court 20%

Experiential training syllabus

The members of the Delphi panel were selected as they are committed to and
support the internship programme where students gain exposure to the world



Hollis-Turner: Fostering the employability. . .        161

of work and receive mentorship from employers. Twice a year they have
third-year students allocated to their organisations for the six months
internship. This is learning combined with work and includes an organised
programme merging applicable work experience with academic study. The
practice of entering internships is a valuable training technique for learning
skills as it unites observation, knowledge and action with learning from a
mentor (Kellogg, 2008). Research undertaken in the UK on the employers’
perceptions of the employability skills of new graduates (Lowden et al., 2011)
recognised that internships, work placement and vacation work were effective
to enhance graduate employability. This applied across all sectors and sizes of
organisations and the duration of the experience of at least six months was
considered necessary for students and employers to obtain the full benefits. 

At a national level, the White Paper for Post-School Education and Training
(DHET, 2013) emphasises the importance of close co-operation between
employers and education providers, especially in professional curricula where
on-the-job training, including internships, should be expanded upon. At the
UoT at which the research was undertaken, an Advisory Committee is held
twice a year comprising of graduates, and employers of the students
undertaking the internship. This committee, of which most of the employers
of the Delphi panel are members, plays a significant role in curricula
development and to the fostering of the employability of graduates as they
provide feedback on the programme content and make recommendations for
changes to the curriculum where necessary.

Conclusions 

These findings showed the relevance of the knowledge bases of the office
management curriculum and identified what content needed to be added or
omitted in order to foster employability and prepare students for the
workplace. The discipline specific content considered key to the work
readiness of the graduates with consensus ratings of 70% and higher showed
the need for Information Administration knowledge of the MS Office suite
and word processing; Business Administration knowledge of time
management and the understanding of the critical importance of
administrative procedures; Communication knowledge of the use of the
correct written language, understanding of the English language and its
application, documentation etiquette, and the ability to work in teams and



162         Journal of Education, No. 60, 2015

small groups, and Personnel Management knowledge of the significance of
upholding confidentiality and the ability to deal with individuals. The
identification of the discipline specific knowledge considered key to the work
readiness of the graduates by the Delphi panel provided academics with 
guidelines for improvements to the curriculum. The simulation of workplace
practices and the provision of work-integrated learning opportunities are
considered important for the training of office administrators and office
managers and contribute to fostering the employability of office management
graduates.

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Shairn Hollis-Turner
Cape Peninsula University of Technology

hollis-turner@cput.ac.za