TRACER STUDY ON THE EMPLOYABILITY OF ELEMENTARY EDUCATION GRADUATES FROM ACADEMIC YEAR 2019 TO 2023

Tracer study is used to determine the needs for improvement of a program in colleges and university by measuring the employability and the effectivity of the quality education provided by the institution to its graduates. This tracer study aims to determine the employment rate and status of graduates from 2019 to 2023 of the program Bachelor in Elementary Education – Generalist of a local college in Kapalong, Davao del Norte. The study used a descriptive method with a total number of 172 respondents and was conducted online using Google Forms. The result of the tracer study reveals that the employment rate of the graduates is 51.16% in which 30.81% practiced the teaching profession while 20.35% are in non-teaching field. The survey also revealed that 22.67% of the employed graduates earned within Php21,000 to Php30,000 per month, and 20.93% have secured their first job within 4 to 8 months. Attitude to work, quality education provision, and skills and abilities development both obtained a very high level of description which signifies that these are always manifested by the graduates. Thus, it is recommended that the institution should improve its partnerships with local industry partners and community linkages and establish graduates and employability coordinator to trace and help graduates informed for more opportunities for work. KEYWORDS: tracer study, elementary education, employability, teacher education