Employability and Competence Skills of Graduating Students in a Private Higher Educational Institution in Taguig City, Metro Manila, Philippines
Article Sidebar
Main Article Content
Abstract
Policy makers in the Philippines are focusing on the gaps between the knowledge and skills provided by higher educational institutions and the job opportunities available in the labor market. Graduates are often faced with challenges in looking for jobs right after graduation, thus, schools play a crucial role in ensuring that students are equipped with knowledge and competency skills.
This study examines the level of employability and competence skills of the 309 graduating students taking up different degree programs of The Fisher Valley College located in Taguig City, Metro Manila. About 17.8% of the respondents are currently working and 21.7% wanted to work in the service sector. More than half of the total respondents wanted to work in the government. Most of the respondents will look for a job immediately after graduation. Communication skills are the most important of skills in order for them to get hired in their first job applications. The most important factor identified when selecting an organization or company for work is when it provides ample opportunities for them for career advancement. Among work-related values, respondents considered love for God and perseverance and hard work as the most important.
Five components of employability skills were identified: (1) problem-solving and analytic; (2) learning; (3) personal organization and time management; (4) creativity, innovation, and change; and (5) personal strengths. Overall, students assessed that these skills are very important in employment. However, they reported lower competency levels on these skills particularly on solving problems, identifying essential components of the problem, sorting out the relevant data to solve the problem, and contributing to group problem solving.
It is very important for all sectors, i.e., schools, government, and industry, to prepare the students acquire the necessary skills and provide them with opportunities as they enter the labor market.
Downloads
Article Details
Section
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
Authors who publish in this journal agree to the following terms:
- Authors retain copyright and grant the journal right of first publication with the work simultaneously licenced under a Creative Commons Attribution License that allows others to share the work with an acknowledgment of the work's authorship and initial publication in this journal.
- Authors are able to enter into separate, additional contractual arrangements for the non-exclusive distribution of the journal's published version of the work (e.g., post it to an institutional repository or publish it in a book), with an acknowledgement of its initial publication in this journal.
- Authors are permitted and encouraged to post their work online (e.g., in institutional repositories or on their website) prior to and during the submission process, as it can lead to productive exchanges, as well as earlier and greater citation of published work (see The Effect of Open Access).
How to Cite
References
Barea, D. and Vasudeva, P. (2015). Will Today’s Graduates Want to Work For You? London: Accenture.
Baring, R. & Cacho, R. (2015). Contemporary engagements and challenges for Catholic religious education in Southeast Asia. In Global Perspectives on Catholic Religious Education in Schools. Edited by Michael Buchanan and Adrian Gellel. Basel: Springer Publishing, pp. 143–53.
Buenviaje, M.G., Galicano, V.M., Añonuevo, F. & Martinez, M. (2015). Employability of Business and Computer Management Graduates of one Higher Education Institution in the Philippines, Asia Pacific Journal of Academic Research in Business Administration, 3(5): 63-71
Higher Education Academy (2016). Framework for Embedding employability in higher education. Retrieved from https://www.heacademy.ac.uk/system/files/downloads/embedding-employability-in-he.pdf
Jones, C. G. (2011). Written and Computer-Mediated Accounting Communication Skills An Employer Perspective. Business Communication Quarterly, 74(3), 247-271.
Kraimer, M. L., Seibert, S. E., Wayne, S. J., & Liden, R. C. (2011). Antecedents and outcomes of organizational
support for development: The critical role of career opportunities. Journal of Applied Psychology, 96,
485–500
Kraimer, M. L., Seibert, S. E., Wayne, S. J., & Liden, R. C. (2011). Antecedents and outcomes of organizational
support for development: The critical role of career opportunities. Journal of Applied Psychology, 96,
485–500
Kraimer, M. L., Seibert, S. E., Wayne, S. J., & Liden, R. C. (2011). Antecedents and outcomes of organizational support for development: The critical role of career opportunities. Journal of Applied Psychology, 96, 485–500.
Lee, C. H., & Bruvold, N. T. (2003). Creating value for employees: investment in employee development. The International Journal of Human Resource Management, 14(6), 981-1000.
Lindsay, C. (2002). Long-term unemployment and the “employability gap”: Priorities for renewing Britain’s New Deal. Journal of European Industrial Training, 26(9), 411-419.
Li, I. W., Mahuteau, S., Dockery, A., M., Junankar, P. N. & Mavromaras, K. (2016). Labour market outcomes of Australian university graduates from equity groups. Perth, WA: National Centre for Student Equity in Higher Education (NCSEHE) at Curtin University. https://www.ncsehe.edu.au/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/Labour-Market-Outcomes-ofAustralian-University-Graduates-from-Equity-Groups.pdf
Loquias, R. (2015). Employability of the Bachelor of Science in Electronics Engineering Graduates of Camarines Sur Polytechnic Colleges. Asia Pacific Journal of Multidisciplinary Research, 3(4), 33–40.
Nyamwange, J. (2016). Influence of Student’s Interest on Career Choice among First Year University Students in Public and Private Universities in Kisii County, Kenya. Journal of Education and Practice, 7(4), 96-102.
Orence, A. & Laguador, J.M. (2013). Employability of Maritime Graduates of Lyceum of the Philippines University from 2007-2011, International Journal of Research in Social Science, 3(3): 142-157.
Philippine National Accounts, 2015-2018 (Q4). Retrieved from https://www.dti.gov.ph/resources/statistics/gross-domestic-product-gdp
Ranasinghe, S.W. (1992). Human resource development in Sri Lanka: Present trends and future Perspectives. In Salleh, S. and Gurung, S.B. (Eds.), Human Resource Development in South Asia. Asian and Pacific Development Centre, Malaysia.
Refozar, R.F., Velasquez, J.E. & Luistro, E.J. (2017). Employability of BS Business and Computer Management Graduates from 2013 to 2015 in one Academic Institution in the Philippines, Asia Pacific Journal of Academic Research in Business Administration, 3(3): 1-9
Reave, L. (2005). Spiritual values and practices related to leadership effectiveness. The Leadership Quarterly, 16(5), 655-687.
Silver, C. (2012). Coping with the consequences of ‘too many lawyers’: Securing the place of international graduate law students. International Journal of the Legal Profession, 19(2-3), 227-245.
Uhlig, R., Mehta, K., Silverstone, S., and Mossavar-Rahmani, F., (2015). The Value of Business Education: A Case Study of Business Administration Graduates of a Large University, Journal of Business and Behavioral Sciences, Vol. 7, Issue 1, p. 89-106, Spring
Vedder, R., Denhart, C., & Robe, J. (2013). Why are recent college graduates underemployed? University enrollments and labor-market realities. Washington, D.C.: Center for College Affordability and Productivity.