Influence of the quality of educational services of a technical university on the employment of graduates

Abstract

Introduction. Quality management of educational services is impossible without feedback from employers, graduates, and parents of students. Analysis of their opinions will help identify weaknesses in the educational process of the University, for the subsequent formation of a roadmap for managing the quality of education. The purpose of the study: to develop recommendations for improving the quality of education of students of the technical University by identifying dissatisfaction with professional, labor and socio-cultural training. Materials and methods. 1261 interested persons took part in the survey, including: 386 graduates (representatives of 225 enterprises and organizations), representatives of employers – 265 people (representatives of 173 enterprises and organizations), parents of students – 610 people. The quality of educational process was assessed by satisfaction with educational activities and satisfaction with the socio-cultural environment of the university. Research results. The results of the level of satisfaction with the quality of educational activities are analyzed, in particular: the level of satisfaction of graduates ranged from 66 to 88%, the greatest dissatisfaction is associated with the organization of practices, research work and the material and technical base of the University. Employers are more dissatisfied with the professional training of graduates, in particular bachelors. More than 70% of employers say that specialists are much better prepared to perform their work functions. In terms of assessing the socio-cultural environment, the satisfaction of students' parents ranged from 49 to 72%. The main comments are related to financial incentives (scholarships, surcharges), as well as the organization of leisure and recreation. The practical significance is to identify the most pressing issues that are not always obvious when viewed from the "inside" of the organization. Many problems are typical for higher education institutions in General, so the results of this study can be useful and applicable for internal audits, in-house surveys, and improving the quality of educational services in other universities.