Industry Stakeholders’ Satisfaction on the Work Competencies of the Business Department Graduates

Abstract

John B. Lacson Colleges Foundation- Bacolod, a recognized private higher education institution by the Commission on Higher Education (CHED) in the Philippines is committed in providing quality education and training through faculty and student performance evaluation, upgrading of faculty on the latest teaching methodologies, designing industry sensitive curriculum, and becoming the major global supplier of world-class technical and professional manpower. However, the extent of JBLCF-Bacolod business graduates’ contribution to the growth and development of the business industry, particularly on stakeholders’ satisfaction is not clearly known yet, which makes this study particularly interesting. This study aimed to establish the important competencies considered by the industry stakeholders when hiring employees and their level of satisfaction on the work competencies of the BSCA and BSHRM graduates of John B. Lacson Colleges Foundation-Bacolod. The business graduates were evaluated by 99 employers from different sectors of the industry with area of operation in the country and abroad that have met the criteria as respondents for this study. The descriptive design which particularly employed the survey method of gathering data was used in this study. The instrument deployed was a researcher-made questionnaire consisting of the survey of the respondents’ demographic profile, the managers’ level of satisfaction on the professional and personal competencies of the graduates, and questions related to their employability. Frequency count and percentage distribution were used to determine the profile of the industry stakeholders. Mean was utilized to determine the level of industry stakeholders’ satisfaction and extent of importance on the professional and personal competencies of JBLCF-B business graduates. Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) was used to determine the significant difference in the level of industry stakeholders’ satisfaction on the professional and personal competencies of JBLCF-B business graduates and for the number of graduates employed in the company, t-test was used. The frequency of related suggestions from the industry and their respective percentages were used as basis for curriculum improvement of the BSCA and BSHRM programs to prepare business graduates to meet the expectations of the industry. Findings show that the stakeholders were satisfied to a high extent on the professional competencies of the business graduates. Graduates of BSCA and BSHRM programs of JBLCF-B were viewed by their employers as highly competent employees in resolving issues of common concern; in helping minimize the unnecessary misunderstanding, especially in times of changes and uncertainties; and in working on the solution of work-related problems through completion.