International Journal of Agriculture Extension and Social Development

author(s)
Harisha N, Gadigappa M, Uday Bhaskar M and Chinmayi V

abstract
Agricultural universities have adapted by incorporating diverse courses into their syllabi to impart the latest advancements in technical agricultural education. However, the sector grapples with significant challenges like rising unemployment rates and a shift in job opportunities from public to private sectors. To address this, revitalizing agricultural education is crucial. One potential reason for high unemployment rates among agricultural graduates could be a gap between graduates' skills and industry demands. While universities rigorously assess technical competencies, bridging the academic-industry gap remains vital. The study, conducted from 2021 to 2022, involved 120 final year students from Sri Krishnadevaraya College of Agricultural Sciences and Sri Krishnadevaraya College of Horticultural Sciences in Andhra Pradesh. Employing an ex-post-facto research design, 16 employability skills were assessed through Google Forms, categorized into 'Most Important', 'Important', and 'Not Important'. illustrates the distribution of respondents based on their level of employability skills. It is noteworthy that 44.17 percent of the participants exhibited medium-level employability skills, while 37.50 percent demonstrated low-level employability skills. Conversely, only 18.33 percent of respondents displayed high-level employability skills. In summary, while agricultural universities strive to equip graduates with relevant skills, addressing industry demands through aligned curricula is essential to enhance graduates' employability.