Functional skills and employability of industrial technology graduates

Abstract

This study determined the functional skills and employability of the Bachelor of Science in Industrial Technology graduates of the Aklan State University - School of Industrial Technology. - Three hundred seventy-nine BSIT graduates from school years 1990-1991 to 1999-2000 were respondents of the study. Questionnaires were utilized as well as school records to gather the data. Results revealed that graduates possessed the ability to deal with other people and get hold of working knowledge on basic vocational mathematics and psychomotor skills in shop works, gained adaptive skills or personal qualities which contributed much for their employment. They moderately acquired and performed people and data skills, while the physical and adaptive skills were highly acquired, and practiced in their current job. In general, the graduates have high level of functional skills. Most of them were major in food technology, not involved in co-curricular activities, no awards in both academic and non-academic, satisfactory performers in both academic and on-the- job training. They were working as employed, underemployed, and self-employed. Employed graduates obtained their first employment in a short period of time after graduation and held supervisory positions in machine shops and food industries. The underemployed graduates took more than a year before landed a job in marketing while the self-employed graduates were single proprietors of construction works and micro food centers. The major reasons of the unemployed respondents of not being employed were no available job, eligibility, and computer skills. Attending skills training, developing self-confidence and acquiring computer skills were identified to improve their employability. The graduates' functional people, data, and physical skills were moderately high significant correlates of their employability while the adaptive skills were low but significant. The significant correlates of employability of graduates in terms of academic profile were academic achievement, non-academic awards and grade in on-the-job training.