Socio-Demographic Profile and Employment Status of Bicol University College of Arts and Letters Graduates (2008-2010)

A pressing concern in higher education is the employability of graduates. Higher education institutions (HEIs) are turning out 465,000 graduates every year on the average. Aside from the issue on the absorptive capacity of the labor market based on its required knowledge, skills, attitude and values, the quality of graduates is also an issue. The challenge is for HEIs to determine the relevance of curricular programs and their potential job marketability. Research-based approaches and strategies should be established to provide students a set of achievements, skills, understanding, and personal attributes that make them more likely to gain employment and be successful in their chosen occupations which benefit themselves, the workforce, the community, and the economy. This tracer study of the Bicol University College of Arts and Letters assessed how well the college has trained its graduates for life in the workplace. It found that majority of the graduates are gainfully employed in related workplaces. Most of them got their first job within one month to less than three years after graduation and stayed in their first job within one month to less than three years. Compensation benefits such as salaries and other non-monetary benefits are the factors that made the graduates stay or leave their first job. Almost all competencies learned by the graduates were found very helpful and relevant to their jobs. Feedback and recommendations were also gained from both the graduates and the employers in order to improve the employability of the graduates. Findings indicate a need to revisit the curricular programs in order to address those issues.