Measuring the mediating role of quality education for ensuring employability skills: An analysis of higher education student perception in Bangladesh

Introduction There are currently 54 Public Universities and 112 Private Universities in Bangladesh [1, 2]. Even though Public Universities are considered some of the most prestigious institutions in the country, only 202,421 seats are available each year, and a further 266,625 are available each year from Private Universities [3]. The rest of the prospective students attend National Univer- sities, with around 1,268,322 seats yearly [3]. Around 1,034,328 Students who passed the Higher Secondary Certificate Examinations in 2022 must be accommodated in these seats [4]. Despite the proliferation of private universities, there is a growing concern that the education they offer may need to be aligned with the needs of employers, leading to a skills gap among graduates. This misalignment poses a significant challenge for the students, educational insti- tutions, and policymakers responsible for shaping the country’s future workforce [5]. The exploration of employability skills among higher education students in Bangladesh has only recently garnered scholarly interest [6–8]. The National Education Policy 2010 (NEP- 2010) stressed the importance of aligning education with labor market demands [9]. However, the effectiveness of this policy remains questionable. As noted by [10], several stakeholders have struggled to maintain educational standards as per NEP-2010. In addition [8], observed that the quality of education significantly influences students’ employability skills, stating that the "Bangladeshi education system is old-fashioned with no accommodation for skill dynam-

ics, technology, and the labour market." This is juxtaposed with findings from other contexts, such as [11], which identified student over-confidence as a major barrier to employability skills, underscoring the disparity within Bangladeshi HEIs. Despite these insights, the current study’s scope is limited, with data derived from a single school, thus not fully achieving the goal of identifying the employability skills across the higher education spectrum in Bangladesh. Nevertheless, the inquiry persists: Do the graduates of these private universities possess suf- ficient readiness for the labour market? This research paper explores this critical issue through a quantitative study utilising a structured questionnaire and cross-sectional data sampling to collect data about students’ perceptions of quality education in their institutions. A compre- hensive literature review showcases how different institutions provide quality education to their students to ensure employability skills. Moreover, the direct relationship between Quality Education and Employability Skills of Students will also be discussed. The primary research problem this study aims to address is the factors determining university students’ Quality Edu- cation and its influence. The study is necessary due to its quantitative insights into the impact of quality education on higher education (HE) students. This study aims to contribute to ongoing efforts to improve the quality of education and develop employability skills among individuals. This

study’s findings can be a substantial resource for educational institutions, policymakers, and other relevant stakeholders actively changing Bangladesh’s education trajectory. Research questions The objectives of the study are as follows: • The purpose of this study is to examine the factors determining university students’ Quality Education (QE) by investigating the relationship between Course Structure (CS), Institu- tional Policy (Pol), and Physical Aspects (PA) to ensure Employability Skills of Students (ES) in higher education. • To explore the influence of Quality Education (QE) as a mediator in the relationship between exogenous and endogenous factors. PLOS ONE Measuring the mediating role of quality education for ensuring employability skills PLOS ONE | https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0310815 October 7, 2024 2 / 18