Abstract:
There is a rising concern about employability, which has improved in the last few
decades due to the growth process and global competition. This research aims to reconsider
English graduates‟ employability and the role of English communication skill courses at
private universities in Bangladesh. The study also intended to reconsider the performance of
private university English graduates in the job market in Bangladesh by reviewing the
prevailing research and providing recommendations to diverse stakeholders about
employability. For this explanatory research, a mix of both qualitative and quantitative
methodologies has been used to analyze the research data. A self-administered survey
instrument was developed after validation and revisions based on the pilot study. This
questionnaire was given to, in total, 200 students who have completed graduation or are in
their final year of studying in the English department and are trying to get the expected jobs.
Among them, 171 usable responses were collected and used as the sample of this study. Ten
open-ended, in-depth interviews were conducted with HR personnel from the different
multinational and private service sectors.
The findings have shown that English communication skills courses are contributing
to English graduates developing their communication skills effectively at the national level.
However, that improvement level is not familiar or applicable to all English graduates
internationally. From employers‟ perspective, English graduates are performing „good‟ in the
present job market-though course upgradation is highly required to meet the international
demands at present and the future work environment.
