Abstract
Background: The age of information has given rise to the demand for higher education
institutions (HEIs) to produce graduates capable of producing innovation and ultimately
contribute to improving the South African (SA) economy.
Objectives: The objective of this study is to determine whether graduates who enter the
business environment demonstrate the knowledge and capability to produce business
innovation through knowledge and skills acquired in HEIs.
Method: An online questionnaire, was used to collect data from 69 of the 100 participants from
the South African Business Innovation Community (Innovation Summit) (SABIC) and the
Innovation, Sustainability and Visionary Leadership Group (ISVL). The demography ranged
from company representatives, government representatives, entrepreneurs, academics, etc.
Data were collected were analysed through inferential statistical analysis with the support
from Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS).
Results: Based on the findings, an equal distribution exists between seldom and often, which
indicates tension about whether graduates seldomly demonstrated the ability to produce
effective business innovation or whether they often demonstrated the ability to produce
business innovation.
Conclusion: Higher education institutions play a vital role in preparing graduates for the
world of work by transferring knowledge. It is therefore significant for HEI’s to transfer
knowledge and skills that improve graduates’ capability to innovate, think critically and solve
complex problems and contribute to the SA economy.
Contribution: Given the state of youth unemployment there is a need for universities to
produce graduates capable of effective innovation. This article focused on determining
whether graduates possess the knowledge and capability to produce business innovation
from the knowledge and skills transferred by HEIs.