Employability of technology and livelihood education graduates

Abstract

<span lang="EN-US">This paper examines the job-seeking experiences of the 2019 Bachelor of Technology and Livelihood Education (BTLE) graduates from a teacher education university. Identifying these graduates’ employability is vital to the field of educational research, particularly in determining the impact of a higher education institution’s BTLE program. Employing quantitative research design through a survey of 50 graduates, this research revealed that great majority of them have been employed, with majority securing education-related jobs within a year after graduation, while some having chosen careers unrelated to their pre-service education. Strategies for job search and reasons for job offer acceptance vary from traditional, economic concerns, to complexities of work opportunities and requirements. They have also reported that the pre-service courseworks they undertaken have, to a great extent, relevance to the improvement of their skills in problem-solving, communication, critical thinking, human relations, knowledge/technical, leadership, research, and information technology thus making it aligned with current employment and/or self-employment demands. Apart from presenting the reasons of their employment acceptance and post-college education undertakings, this paper also outlines the challenges in securing employment. Thus, such issues forwarded by the paper, arising from academic training vis-à-vis actual industry works, are strong points for pre-service BTLE program enhancements.</span>

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

“…Employment Status: The study's findings on alumni employment status align with previous research on graduates' employability. Similar tracer studies conducted at Caraga State University (Monzon et al, 2022) and focusing on technology and livelihood education graduates (Cacho et al, 2022) have reported a diverse range of employment statuses among alumni. It is a reflection of the dynamic and multifaceted nature of the job market, where graduates pursue various pathways, including further education or part-time/freelance work.…”

“…1. Employment Status: The alumni's employment status varied, with some employed, others pursuing further education, and a few experiencing unemployment (Monzon et al, 2022;Cacho et al, 2022). During an informal interview with "Al-part 23," a recent graduate from the College of Arts and Sciences major in Psychology, she shared her journey to secure employment: "After graduation, I faced a brief period of unemployment, but I kept networking and honing my skills.…”

Entrepreneurship skills framework for fostering the employability of industrial technology students

“…The study conducted by Arsad et al [52] confirmed a lack of 87% practical gap among Nigerian graduates. The quality of an educational institution can be measured by its output in terms of employability and entrepreneurship [62]- [65]. This is synonymous with the assertions that teaching in Nigerian higher Institutions is generally theoretical and does not translate to employability [66], [67].…”

“…According to the study conducted by Coward [87], non-technical skills are a better predictor of success than technical skills even though, not all soft skills are important for a particular discipline. Similarly, Cacho et al [62] showed that the lack of soft skills is responsible for the massive unemployment among Nigerian University graduates. Therefore, the combination of electrical-specific skills and electrical mindset skills will be very useful in engendering a purposeful entrepreneurship skills framework for the employability of the students of electrical technology in the changing world of work.…”

Vocational education’s growing focus on employability skills: A bibliometrics evaluation of current research

“…Employability abilities are generic skills, attitudes, and behaviors employer's demand [17]. However, academic, personal management, and teamwork skills were included [18]- [21].…”