Nasim Farhana Shireen, Md Khaled Bin Chowdhury and Md. Abdur Rashid

Abstract: The National University (NU), the largest university in Bangladesh, in terms of a huge number of student enrollment, provides higher education to approximately 2.5 million graduate-level students. Additionally, a 2025 BIDS study found that nearly 66% of these graduates are underemployed or struggle to find jobs that match their qualifications, often waiting years to secure employment. This study critically examines the challenges NU graduates face in securing employment. Certain employment skills such as English-speaking skills, computer skills, problem-solving skills, and convincing skills of the NU graduates are compared with their employers’ evaluation of the employees. A mixed-methods approach was adopted, integrating both qualitative and quantitative data. Quantitative data were collected through surveys from 150 participants, while qualitative insights were obtained from 11 participants via Focus Group Discussions (FGDs). The findings reveal a substantial gap between graduates’ self-perception of their skills and employers’ evaluations. These misalignments happen in all areas of skills, such as communication in English, computer skills, problem-solving skills, and persuasive skills. These skill gaps account for the low employability of the National University graduates. Based on these insights, the study recommends curriculum revisions, stronger industry-academia collaboration, and the implementation of internship programs across all NU programs to enhance graduates’ employability.

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