University Graduates’ Perception about the Effect of EFL Speaking Skills on Employability

Abstract

This paper explores the perception of Bahraini graduates from the University of Bahrain on the speaking skills they acquired in EFL courses in higher education and to what extent it served them in job interviews and at work. The study employed an online survey to collect data from Bahrainis who have graduated from the University of Bahrain in the last five years, and 214 responses were collected. The results showed that the majority of participants thought that university EFL courses should focus more directly on English speaking skills as they affected their success in job interviews and for work. According to the participants, the three major obstacles to improving English speaking skills required for increasing employability in EFL courses were that these courses were mostly based on indoctrination, that students rarely found a chance to talk in class and also that topics were far from verbal communication needs at work. The study suggested some in-class strategies for improving English speaking skills and also recommended either making speaking a compulsory graded component of EFL courses and/or adding a compulsory English speaking course to the university programmes.