Employability of Elementary Education Graduates and Undergraduates: The Case of a Teacher Education Institution in the Philippines

Abstract

Quality education depends greatly on the quality of employed teachers. Hence, teacher education institutions should take initiative in assessing the competitiveness of their products in the teaching field. This descriptive case study assesses the employability of 184 Bachelor of Elementary Education (BEEd) graduates and undergraduates from a state university in Eastern Visayas, Philippines, in the school year 2019 until 2022. It encompasses the three specializations of the BEEd program – the Content Courses, Preschool Education, and Special Education. Data were gathered from the researcher-made survey questionnaire validated by four experts in the field of education and educational research. Descriptive statistics like frequency, percentage, and mean were utilized to analyze the data. A case study of four participants was further conducted for in-depth insights related to the research objective. Results revealed that the BEEd graduates and undergraduates in any of the aforesaid specializations are employable. Furthermore, results indicate positive affordances by the university in supporting employability of its graduates and current students. These suggest that the university keeps on track of supplying competent teachers locally and internationally. The study recommends for other employability studies to be conducted in the same university focusing on other education and non-education programs offered.