Bridging Perception Gaps in Graduate Employability: A Dual-Stakeholder Mixed-Methods Evaluation of Employment Guidance Programs in Chinese Higher Education

This explanatory sequential mixed-methods study examines how Employment Guidance Programs (EGPs) support graduate career readiness and how students and employers differ in their evaluations of EGP effectiveness. Cross-sectional survey data from 338 graduating students and 101 employers at three Chinese universities were used to assess three EGP dimensions—course alignment, labour market responsiveness, and post-program support—alongside corresponding knowledge, skills, and abilities (KSA) outcomes. Both stakeholder groups evaluated EGP provision positively (all means > 4.00), with only small differences in program-level assessments. However, employers rated graduates’ KSA outcomes significantly higher than students (Mann–Whitney U tests, all p < .001), indicating comparatively lower student self-ratings. Labour market responsiveness showed the strongest association with, and uniquely predicted, perceived knowledge (ρ = 0.77; β = 0.82, p < .001), while relationships with skills and abilities were weak or non-significant. These results indicate that labour-market-informed guidance enhances cognitive understanding of career expectations but does not automatically translate into practical or adaptive capability development. The study advances employability research by clarifying how distinct EGP components differentially influence the KSA dimensions and by showing the value of a dual-stakeholder design in producing externally validated assessments of graduate readiness.