Assessing the employability and employment destinations of professional psychology alumni

Abstract

Professional training in psychology typically focuses on competencies and learning outcomes. However, this does not necessarily translate into long-term employability. Graduate tracer studies are recommended for exploring employment destinations and employability. Graduate tracer studies are noted to be of particular use for investigating health professionals’ career paths and examining field-specific issues. The reported study examined the employability and employment destinations of 29 alumni from two psychology Master’s programmes at a South African higher education institution, by incorporating best practices for tracer studies and survey research. Results indicated that 86.2% had secured employment in various fields and sectors, suggesting their skills and training were relevant and transferable. Differential patterns of registration with the Health Professions Council of South Africa were reported. Most respondents identified their studies as closely related to their work, and pragmatic reasons were provided by those pursuing work in unrelated fields. Entrepreneurial skills were identified as a gap in their training, that, if included, has the potential to boost employability. Graduate employability was identified to be a complex, non-linear issue. Professional competencies are, therefore, not sufficient for conceptualising employability within the South African context. A broader and more nuanced understanding of employability is needed. Practically, this means that educational processes need to prepare students for securing long-term employment. The tracer study methodology applied in this study may be utilised by other institutions and disciplines to explore key issues of employment and employability in the South African health professions and higher education context.

Potential categories of employment stress among rural college students and their relationship to employment psychology

“…Statistics from China's Ministry of Education of the People's Republic of China (n.d.) showed that the number of college students in China was 30.32 million in 2019, and as of 2022 had risen as high as 36.56 million, with rural college students accounting for about 47% of the total. The above data is evidence of the high growth rate in the number of college students in China in recent years, and the number of employed people is also increasing (Senekal and Smith, 2022;Yin, 2022). However, there is no large-scale postgraduate expansion and recruitment program in China, which leads to a grim employment situation for college students (Pei, 2021;Li, 2022;Xiong et al, 2022;Zhi, 2023).…”

“…Employment psychology plays an important role in the lives, studies, employment, and career choices of college students ( Hernández-Sánchez et al, 2020 ). Previous studies have shown that good employment psychology can help mobilize college students’ strong learning motivation and improve their comprehensive ability to adapt to the employment environment in China ( Luciano et al, 2021 ; Senekal and Smith, 2022 ). In contrast, poor employment psychology affects college students’ thinking patterns and memory and reduces their employment competitiveness ( Jackson and Tomlinson, 2020 ; Wan Mohd Yunus et al, 2021 ; Peng et al, 2023 ).…”

<strong>Tracing the Uncharted Odyssey: A 2017-2022 Tracer Study of the College of Arts and Sciences Alumni's Career Paths</strong>

“…HEIs must ensure that their curriculum equips students with both theoretical knowledge and practical skills that meet industry demands. This requires a continuous evaluation and adaptation of educational programs to keep pace with industry developments (Senekal, 2018).…”