Essay: Employable graduates

Producing employable graduates is one of the factors that determine the effectiveness of the academic institutions.They are expected to foster their students to become productive, creative and innovative citizens, and help develop the desirable characteristics of their graduates.The researchers believe that the quality of graduates is possibly attained through quality instruction and facilities because these will help guarantee that graduates are equipped with the knowledge, skills and values that will enable them to work in their respective field.
Possessing good qualities are what makes to every individual a successful one throughout his/ her career. These are best describe if they should have gained the best knowledge and skills in their field of specialization before plunging into any workplace of their choice and leads to employability.
The concept of ’employability’ has no single universally accepted definition. A simple definition of ’employability’ is ‘the quality of being employable. In Asia, graduate employability has become the major issue for institutions. It is mainly concerned with ensuring that graduates are capable of contributing to economic competitiveness in a global context. In higher education, employability has a variety of meanings, from the employment rate of graduates to the characteristics of the graduates
(McNair, 2003; Harvey ,2002; Cranmer, 2006).
Employability is usually associated with how quickly and directly a graduate finds employment. As a result, the waiting period for those who are looking for an employment is an indicator of whether an institution is able to produce qualified, capable and competent graduates for the job market (Syafiq and Fikawati 2008; Universitas Indonesias).
However, with the present quality of education and the pressing demand of the workforce industry, many graduates get discouraged due to the inability of the graduates to get employed. This is partly because these graduates lack the necessary skills and qualifications required by the industry (Mercado,2010 ).
In Philippine context, at least 18 percent of unemployed in the country today were college graduates (National Statistics Office,2013). A year after, it arose to 9.8 percent (Philippine Statistics Authority,2014). Dr. Adriano Arcelo ,2012 cited that there are top five reasons for unemployment : lack of appropriate academic preparation; lack of professional eligibility; lack of interest in getting a job; applicant’s expectation of a high salary; and lack of prestige of the applicant’s school. Meanwhile, Dr. Jose Ramon G. Albert, secretary general of the National Statistical Coordination Board (NSCB), citing the Bureau of Labor and Employment Statistics for 2006, 2007-08, and 2009-10, showed almost the same reasons for unemployment: lack of competence; applicant’s expectation of a high salary; lack of experience; and lack of license and certification.
The Department of Labor and Employment said that many of the graduates do not satisfy what the economy needs. They are either not ready for the jobs or they don’t possess the needed skills or knowledge needed for the work they applied for. This implies that skills or knowledge are much needed in entering the workforce industry.
One of the goals of the University of the Visayas is to provide competent professionals relevant to the demands of the local, national and global markets. It implies that the university aims to produce graduates who are fully equipped to achieve the highest personal and professional standards.
Anchored with its objective, the University of the Visayas College of Education provides essential curricular offerings enriched with functional knowledge and competencies responsive to global demand. Graduates having the necessary skills and qualification are required by the workforce industry. Unfortunately, there are still graduates who have not yet entered the workforce industry or so called unemployed and still seeking for work.
This study was conducted to trace all the graduates of University of the Visayas College of Education from year 2012-2014 in order to the administration to have an idea what did the graduates do with the education and training they received,if they were employed, self-employed or whether they were still looking for a job and how can they improve curriculum based on input from graduates (what competencies they feel useful in their workforce and what they need yet not taught in college)