Abstract:
The mismatch between the competencies of management
graduates and the expected competencies by enterprises for entrylevel management jobs causes management graduate
unemployment. Thus, it is essential to generate up-to-date
knowledge of the expected competencies for Management Trainee
(MT) jobs. Therefore, the purpose of this study is to profile the
expected competencies of MTs by business organizations in Sri
Lanka. We collected data by using 49 MT job advertisements
posted in the Sunday Observer newspaper during 2018 and on the
internet during the first five months in 2019. Additionally, we
conducted 10 interviews with Human Resource Managers and
Recruitment Officers. We employed content analysis to analyze
data archived from MT job advertisements and qualitative data
analysis techniques to analyze the interview data. We identified
the top 10 competencies appeared in MT Advertisements:
1)Education qualification, 2) Excellent communication skills, 3)
Interpersonal skills, 4) Language ability specifically in three
languages English, Sinhala, and Tamil), 5) Computer skills, 6)
Positive attitudes, 7) Decision making and problem-solving skills,
8) Knowledge about the field, 9) Team skills and 10) Leadership
skills. We profiled the expected competencies into four categories
such as knowledge, skills, attitude and other requirements. The
findings of this research are of immense utility to the academic
programme developers in Management faculties and management
undergraduates who seek to secure MT jobs in the immediate
future with a set of essential competencies that they need to
develop before they enter the job market.
