Role of competency - based curriculum in employability of graduates from skills based universities (case study: university of applied sciences)

The purpose of this study was to investigate key features of competency-based curriculum and the factors influencing employability of graduates at University of Applied Sciences. Data were collected and analyzed through interviews and qualitative descriptive-deductive methods. In terms of the objective, it is applied and in terms of implementation, it is a qualitative and phenomenological study. Population comprised curriculum specialists, 10 of who were selected via purposeful sampling. Validity and reliability were approved by four experts. Results show that provision of appropriate education based on businesses’ needs, alignment with rapid technological changes, flexibility, assessment of graduates' professional competence before entering labor market, and nurturing creativity and entrepreneurship skills are key features of competency-based curriculum. Familiarizing students with new job skills, implementing real-world apprenticeship and internship programs, and gaining genuine pre-employment experience enhance employability. In contrast, higher number of theoretical hours, old-dated curriculum, restricted real job experience and not sufficient career ready practices are the main reasons for low employability. Strengthening the composition of specialized curriculum committees, implementation of professional qualifications system, alignment of practices with real needs of labor market, continuous and efficient monitoring, establishing connections between the ISCO, ISCED and the Labor Market Information systems are recommended.