TITLE:
Assessment of Potential Measures Aimed at Improving Graduates’ Employability at the University of Abomey-Calavi in Benin
AUTHORS:
Houinsou Dedehouanou
KEYWORDS:
Professional Integration of Graduates, Participation, Institutional Efficiency and Effectiveness, Employability, Employer and Student Satisfaction
JOURNAL NAME:
Creative Education,
Vol.16 No.12,
December
25,
2025
ABSTRACT: Given that employability was recently considered to be the third mission of higher education institutions (HEIs), after teaching and research, both public and private HEIs have not yet adopted this new mission. Therefore, potential employability measures have not yet lived up to expectations on the one hand, and are not yet capable of achieving sustainability indicators on the other hand. The main objective of this research is to assess employability measures at the University of Abomey-Calavi (UAC) in Benin using a framework of four sustainability criteria: participation, institutional efficiency, employability, and satisfaction. A multi-phase case study involving surveys and seminars finds high internal stakeholder participation but weak institutional structures, poor graduate tracking, and a significant soft skills deficit identified by employers. The paper concludes with targeted recommendations for public authorities, businesses, and university actors to collaboratively improve graduate employability by defining the content or indicators of the criteria identified in the upstream and downstream dimensions of university education.