The present study investigates the relevance of the university's curriculum to the national labor market in an African country, Burkina Faso. With a single, young university enrolling less than 1% of the age group, the country is confronted with an increasing rate of university graduates unemployed which include 84% in the area of economics in 1991, according to the National Office for Employment Promotion, while the enrollment continues to increase (5404 in 1990 and 7388 in 1992).
The study examines the pertinence of the training at the Faculty of Economics and Management (FASEG), versus the skills graduates need to integrate productively into the national labor market.
The research question is the following: Does the economics curriculum at FASEG provide relevant skills to face the hazards of the labor market? In the event it does not, what kind of training should be provided to facilitate the graduates' integration?
The research has used a policy analysis approach which employs descriptive statistics, document analysis and interviews of people directly involved or closely concerned with the university educational system, to investigate the relevance of the curriculum.
According to the respondents, FASEG's curriculum is irrelevant and has brought about a high rate of graduate unemployment. However, in contrast to the official data and popular belief, the research has found out that less than 2% of the graduates are in fact jobless. The respondents also argue that the training is too theoretical, it does not allow for adequate practical experiences, nor teach courses that are relevant to the national labor market. They deplore the low quality of the training personnel, and the lack of good communication channels between actors within and outside the institution.
As a solution, the respondents suggest that UO and FASEG reduce emphasis on traditional patterns of education, adjust the curricula and provide training for entrepreneurship and self-employment. FASEG should associate businessmen to the training program and establish linkages with productive sectors for practical training through internships. The finding suggests a cross disciplinary training in order to cope with the trends of the labor market.
