University student perceptions of the relationship between university education and the labour market in Egypt and Oman

How do university students perceive the key relationship between their university education and the labour market? this article describes the perceptions that 827 egyptian and omani seniors-both males and females,studying commerce,education,and engineering-hold about that relationship. for these students,a major motivation for attending university is their perception that it will help them get better and more secure employment. they are also confident it will help them enter appropriate careers. however,they are less satisfied with the way in which university curricula prepare them effectively for appropriate careers. in addition,an analysis by nationality,gender,and field of study revealed statistically significant differences among the participants. the omani students are more confident about their education than the egyptians-who call for more reform of their curricula to fit labour market requirements. women are more motivated than men to enter a career after university. the field of study had only a small impact on students' perceptions of this key relationship. © 2011 unesco ibe.