In the changing global economy, employability skills increasingly are the focus of vocational education and training institutions. This paper explores the effect of academic disciplines, students' background characteristics and industry training on the acquisition of employability skills through competency-based training. A significant relationship emerges between academic disciplines and industry training on the acquisition of employability skills. Some partial evidence suggests an impact of pre-education on the acquisition of employability skills; however, no such relationship appeared between gender and the skill acquisition. The results demonstrate the need for academic disciplines to determine specific employability skills required for social and community practice, as a basis for enhancing the development of employability skills in training programmes.