Abstract
Firms across diverse industries have been voicing their concerns about the gap between what recent university graduates have acquired and those skills required by firms to operate and generate revenue. This study explores perspectives and expectations of firms across different industries with regard to what recent university graduates need to bring to the table and add value to the organisation. This study draws upon social theory, institutional theory, and systems theory to identify whether organisational behaviour has advanced far and beyond what universities can and are delivering to students or is more of a utopia for organisations to hire the perfect recruit which will require organisations to develop customised training for new employees. Using thematic analysis, this paper presents thirteen elements produced by findings which pave the way for future studies to identify areas of study. This paper concludes that there are mainly three dimensions universities should focus on when engaging in curriculum design at the micro – self-awareness; meso interpersonal skills; and macro – continuous professional development training to develop technical and professional skills.