The adaptation between undergraduate education and the labor market: case of the University of Kindia

Abstract

This study examines the determinants of the professional integration of bachelor's degree graduates from the University of Kindia in a context of high youth graduate unemployment in Guinea. Based on a sample of 156 students and graduates, a binary logistic regression model was employed to identify the factors influencing access to employment.

Most previous studies have analyzed these determinants separately and have mainly focused on European or North African contexts. Research on Guinea remains limited. Therefore, this study seeks to fill this gap by simultaneously examining the effects of several factors on graduate employability and by providing evidence to support policies aimed at strengthening the transition from higher education to the labor market.

Descriptive findings reveal that 72.4% of respondents were unemployed. The average age of participants was 26 years, while 64.7% had never completed an internship. Furthermore, 50.6% did not have a clearly defined career plan, and 47.4% had never applied for a job vacancy.

The econometric results indicate that age, internship experience, and job applications are significantly associated with employment outcomes. The absence of internship experience reduces the likelihood of employment by 67%. Similarly, the lack of a career plan (OR = 0.355) and the absence of job applications (OR = 0.359) significantly decrease the probability of labor market integration. Conversely, each additional year of age increases the chances of obtaining employment by 16.6%. The McFadden pseudo-R² (0.23) confirms the satisfactory explanatory power of the model.

Classification JEL : J24, J64, I23, O15.

Paper type: empirical research