Determinants of employment outcome of Central Philippine University graduates, 2001-2004

Abstract

This descriptive-relational-predictive study utilizing a one-shot survey design was conducted to determine employability outcome of Central Philippine University graduates for the Academic Years 2001-2004. Four hundred out of 4579 graduates from nine colleges were included in the study. The systematic-double sampling with a random start was used with proportional allocation of respondents by academic year, college, and term of graduation. Data collection was done through mailed questionnaires and through the CPU website. Analysis employed percentages, measures of central tendency, cross tabulations, tests of associations, z-test for difference between proportions, and the binomial logistic regression.

Results revealed that a typical respondent was a single female in her middle twenties coming from a municipality in Iloilo. CPU’s top three graduate producers were the Colleges of Commerce, Arts & Sciences, and Education, while the least producers were the Colleges of Agriculture, Law, and Theology. The most popular major disciplines were Business Administration and Related Discipline, Engineering, and Education Science & Teacher Training while the least popular were Mathematics, Humanities, and Theology. Less than half of the graduates had taken and passed at least one board exam while almost a third reported having skills in Information Technology.

“Prospect for immediate employment” and “prospect for career advancement” were the most compelling reasons for the graduates’ choice of undergraduate and graduate degrees, respectively. Less than half of the respondents claimed that they had attended short term professional trainings after college for “professional development”.

After actively searching for a job after college some of the graduates (41 percent) landed a job after less than a month, while others (36 percent) got their first job in one to six months. A total of 86 percent had jobs within less than a year of searching or waiting.

Most of the graduates were employed on a regular or permanent basis. “Pursuit of further study” was given as the main reason by those who were not employed. A very small proportion (3.4 percent) of respondents were self-employed and they reported that having acquired human interpersonal relations skills while in college was a big help to them. As the CPU graduate stayed longer in the job, s/he tended to rise in position from rank-and-file to supervisory level. In cases where the graduate changed job, it was usually from a lower to a higher position.

Although the biggest proportion (51.7 percent) of graduates had a monthly initial earning ranging from P5,000.00 to Pl0,000.00, there were some (4 percent) who were earning P20,000.00 or more. In all major disciplines, except Law, there were graduates who had initial earnings below P5,000.00 per month. It was in the field of Education Science and Teacher Training, Business Administration, Engineering, and Service Trades where a number of graduates had received at least P20,000.00 monthly initial earning.

Most of the graduates claimed relevance of their curriculum to their first job, and they indicated that communication skills, human relations skills, critical thinking skills and problem solving skills were some of the competencies they found to be most useful in their job. Seven out of every 10 graduates had jobs congruent with the course they had completed.

For the improvement of the curriculum the respondents proposed that more enhancement trainings, on-the-job trainings, or educational trips be included in the curriculum. They also suggested for the improvement of the teaching method, the process of hiring professors, and laboratory facilities in the University. Tests of variation in post-graduation characteristics across categories of respondents’ personal characteristics showed that the: a) choice of major discipline significantly varies according to sex, but not according to age, year of graduation, and location of residence; b) first job level varies according to location of residence; c) number of trainings attended after college, number of government examinations passed, and length of time it takes graduates to land a job do not vary in terms of their personal characteristics.

Tests of variation in respondents’ employment outcome characteristics across categories of respondents’ personal characteristics showed that the: a) whether a respondent is currently employed or unemployed varies only according to age but not according to sex, year of graduation, and location of residence; b) the respondents’ current job level varies in terms of sex and residence, but not in terms of age and year of graduation; c) the respondents’ initial earning per month varies according to sex; d) whether or not the respondents’ current job is in line with his/her completed course is not a function of any of his/her personal characteristics.

Tests of association between post-graduation characteristics and employment outcomes showed that: a) the number of trainings the respondents had attended after xvii college, type of first job, and waiting time to find a job were significantly related with the respondents’ current employment status. However, the respondents’ major discipline and number of exams passed were not associated with current employment status; b) major discipline, number of government exams passed, and type of first job were significantly associated with type of current employment, c) major discipline was significantly associated with the respondents’ monthly gross initial earning; d) major discipline, number of government exams passed, and type of first job exhibited significant relationship with whether or not their job is in line with their course.

Results of the binomial regression analysis showed that when all other variables are controlled: a) only the variable type of first job was found to be a significant determinant of respondents’ current employment status; b) none of the personal and post-graduation characteristics the respondents’ could significantly determine their current job level; c) only the type of first job could determine the respondents’ initial earning; d) only number of government examinations passed was found to be a significant determinant of course-job congruence.

The following conclusions were deduced from the study: 1) CPU graduates are predominantly female and live in a municipality in the Province of Iloilo, Region VI; 2) CPU’s top three producers of graduates were the Colleges of Commerce, Arts & Sciences, and Education, while the least producers were the Colleges of Agriculture, Law, and Theology. The most popular major disciplines were Business Administration and Related Discipline, Engineering, and Education Science & Teacher Training while the least popular were Mathematics, Humanities, and Religion & Theology; 3) Information Technology is the most common skill of the graduates; 4) CPU graduates choose a degree that will prepare them for life, since “prospect for immediate employment” was the most compelling reason for their choice; 5) After graduation, the CPU alumni work towards career improvement having indicated that “prospect for career advancement” led them to proceed to work on a graduate degree; 6) Most of the graduates were employed on a regular or permanent basis. Others were not employed because of “pursuit of further study”; 7) The self-employed graduates acknowledged that skill on human interpersonal which they acquired in college helped the graduates a lot in their entrepreneurial activities; 8) As the CPU graduate stays longer in the job, s/he tends to rise in position from rank-and-file to professional, technical, or supervisory level. In cases where the graduate changes job, it is usually from a lower to a higher position; 9) CPU graduates could land a job in less than a year since graduation; 10) CPU curricula are relevant to the demands of the industry since most graduates found that their college curriculum was relevant to their first job; 11) Of all the competencies the CPU graduates learned in college “Communication skills” was the most useful; 12) Graduates perceived the need for inclusion of more enhancement trainings, on-the-job trainings, or educational trips in the curriculum; 13) Graduates of the College of Engineering were the most highly paid; 14) Respondent’s number of trainings attended after college, number of government examinations passed, and length of time it took them to land a job after graduation do not vary in terms of their age, sex, year of graduation and permanent residence. Choice of major discipline significantly varies according to sex but not according to age, year of graduation, and location of residence. First job level varies according to location of residence only; 15) A respondent’s current employment status varies only according to age but not according to sex, year of graduation, and location of residence. Respondents’ current job level varies in terms of sex and residence, but not in terms of age and year of graduation. Initial earning per month varies according to sex only; 16) Current employment status of graduates could be determined by the number of trainings s/he had attended after college, type of his/her first job, and waiting time it took him/her to land a job; 17) Graduates’ type of current employment could be determined by their major discipline, number of government exams passed, and type of first job; 18) Graduates’ monthly gross initial earning could be determined by major discipline; 19) Congruence of course to job could be determined by major discipline, number of government exams passed, and type of first job.