Employability tracer study of Information Technology Education graduates from a state university in the Philippines

Abstract

Abstract This study aimed to determine the employability of Information Technology Education graduates from a state university in the Philippines. The researchers employed cross-sectional retrospective survey method. One-hundred seventy-seven out of 204 (or 86.76%) graduates of Bachelor of Science in Information Technology and Bachelor of Science in Computer Science from year 2015–2017 participated in this study. The data gathering instrument used by the researchers is the Graduate Tracer Study developed by the Commission on Higher Education. Findings reveal that 78.53% (or 139 out of 177) of the respondents are already employed. Moreover, 69.78% (or 97 out of 139) perceived that their first job is related to the program that respondents took up in college. It took one year to less than two years for the 28.06% of the respondents to land in their first job. It is also noteworthy that it took 1–6 months for 25.90% of the respondents to find their first job. When asked whether or not the curriculum they had in college is relevant in their first job, majority of the respondents (69.78%) declared that the curriculum of the program they had in college is indeed relevant. To further enhance the marketability of BSIT and BSCS programs and the employability of the graduates they produce, among the researchers’ recommendations is the periodic review of curriculum by academic leaders, alumni, and industry representatives to ensure that graduates are equipped with the necessary knowledge and skills required in the industry.