Beyond Employability Rhetoric: A Critical Review of Curriculum Mismatch, Industry Collaboration and Soft‑Skills Gaps in Higher TVET (H-TVET) Institutions

Abstract

Higher Technical and Vocational Education and Training (H-TVET) institutions occupy a strategic position between higher education and labour-market preparation, with the expectation of producing graduates whose knowledge, skills, and competencies are responsive to dynamic industrial demands. However, the realization of this mandate remains persistently problematic. This critical review synthesizes literature on three interrelated challenges in H-TVET: curriculum–industry mismatch, weak collaboration between institutions and industry, and inadequate soft skills development. It examines how these issues are conceptualized in the literature, the institutional and pedagogical conditions that sustain them, and the reasons they endure despite sustained policy emphasis on TVET reform. The review argues that an excessive emphasis on employability through curriculum content alone obscures the importance of institutional capacity and learning ecosystems in shaping graduate readiness. Structural constraints, including limited resources, uneven lecturer professional development, and fragmented policy implementation, further reinforce these problems. In response, the paper calls for a more integrated reform agenda that incorporates systematic embedding of employability skills, competency-based pedagogy, authentic industry engagement, and curriculum renewal. The review concludes by identifying priorities for future research, particularly longitudinal, comparative, and multi-stakeholder studies that can assess the extent to which H-TVET reforms improve graduate outcomes.