Abstract

Competency is the acquisition of appropriate knowledge, attitudes, personality traits and skills to efficiently perform work place roles in industry, commerce, management and administration.  Job competency is so important that employers always seek for people with such qualities before they are employed. It is therefore incumbent on educational institutions to train graduates to acquire the needed knowledge and skills to make them fit for the job market. This paper looks at the role of stakeholders in building adequate competences in students for the job market. The paper focuses on four (4) key stakeholders namely; government, industries, academic institutions and teachers to provide the desired knowledge, skills and attitude in students. It outlines the role of these stakeholders in providing the desired competences to students, highlights their challenges and suggests strategies to overcome these challenges. Reference was also made to the training programme of Saskatchewan Institute of Applied Science and Technology, Canada; which if properly adopted could help in building the needed competences in students. The article was concluded with some suggested recommendations. 

Key words: Competency based training, stakeholders, practical skills, competency, job market and technology.