Curriculum, Skills, and Employability: Reimagining Higher Education for Pakistan's Workforce

The current interpretive qualitative study explored the relevance of higher education programs with job market demands. The aim of this study was to get opinions of participants on the relevance of higher education programs with labour market needs, and potential strategies to enhance alignment of academic competencies with employability outcomes. A semi structured interview protocol was used to collect data. Fifteen participants (faculty members, HoDs/senior administrators, representatives of Quality Assurance Cell) at public and private sector universities of Punjab province were selected through purposive sampling. The collected data was analysed through thematic analysis. The findings revealed that non-alignment of curriculum with market needs, traditional and outdated teaching methodologies and limited soft skills development, caused unemployability and dissatisfaction on the part of industry. In addition, poor industry academia collaboration and limited professional guideline hindered graduate employability. These findings highlighted a pressing need for policy-level reforms, innovative teaching practices, and systemic changes that prioritize practical, future-ready, and entrepreneurial competencies. Keywords: Curriculum Alignment, Labour market Demands, Graduate employability, Entrepreneurial competencies