The Relationship Between Labour Market Core Skills Requirements And University Graduate Soft Skills Competence
[A CASE STUDY OF NORTH-WEST, NIGERIA]

Operational Definition of Terms
    The following terms are operationally defined in the study.
Labour Market Core Skills Requirements: refer to the factors considered by employers of labour for university graduate employability. These are classes of degrees, areas of specialisations, work-related experience and age.
Core Skills: refer to those skills acquired in educational institutions which are classes of degrees, areas of specialisations and work-related experiences.
Classes of Degrees: refers categorisation of the university graduates based on academic performance in determining employability. These are 1st class, 2nd class upper, 2nd class lower, 3rd class and pass.
Areas of Specialisations: refer to Arts, Education, Social Sciences and Science and Technology.
Experience: refers to relevant years of work considered for the university graduates before entering the labour market.
Age Demand: refers to the age group of the university graduates considered for recruitment by employers of labour at the point of entering the labour market.
Soft Skills: are soft skills which are not specific to any academic programme but to all complex endeavours. These are communication, basic computer, analytical, entrepreneurial and interpersonal skills.
University Graduates: are those who passed through the university system and certificated as being competent in a particular field of study at first-degree level.