Abstract:
The present study made an attempt to investigate the factors affecting Technical and Vocational
Education and Training graduates in accessing job opportunities from ArbaMinch TVET
College and Paramed Technology and Business College in Gamo Zone. While doing so, the
study also assessed the relationship of supply of TVET colleges and demands of work market in
the study area and highlighted the experiences of the graduated youth in job searching. It also
examined the consequences of TVET graduated youth unemployment in the study area. The study
adopted descriptive survey design and Mixed research approach in its structure. The target
population of the study was the unemployed graduated youth of the selected TVET colleges of
Gamo Zone. The study selected 373 sample respondents through using Snow ball sampling
technique in order to represent the large population of unemployed TVET graduated youth of
Gamo Zone. As sources of data the study used both primary and secondary sources of data and
the data collection instruments were questionnaire, key informants interview and published and
unpublished books, and documents. The findings of the study revealed that the factors which
affecting TVET graduates in accessing job are: corruption, discrimination, skill mismatch, lack
of relevant experience, poor entrepreneur skills, lack of market familiarity, lack of business
operation, absence of initial capital, university graduates competition, sometimes unfair
recruitment procedure such as selection through identify as a lottery system without a test, lack
of willing to work in MSE, youth themselves and community misperception. The poor supply of
training inputs, weak linkage of stakeholders to amend learning teaching process were also
contributed a lot to trouble in accessing job opportunity. All these factors made the supply demand imbalance quite visible. Thus, the study concluded that the factors affecting TVET
graduates in accessing job opportunity were multi-dimensional. The study put forth key
recommendations that include: TVET colleges should strongly promote industrial attachment
programs for both trainers and trainees through their memorandum of agreements. Colleges and
stakeholders should work together to improve the quality of education and creating job
opportunities etc., among the few.
