EMPLOYABILITY OF BSED ENGLISH MAJOR GRADUATES ACADEMIC

YEARS 2012-2015 IN SDSSU-MAIN CAMPUS, TANDAG CITY: A TRACER

STUDY
Introduction
Having a stable job after graduation is one of the common reasons why
students should take their present baccalaureate degrees. They take up the
course that will make and help them land on the job in the near future but what
happens next after graduation is still unknown and unsure. There is no such
assurance that the students have obtained the job vertically in line to their college
degrees. In fact, there is a huge surprise on the part of the college instructors
whether their students have a job after having a college diploma or do the skills,
knowledge and competencies gained and learned from four (4) years of study in
the University are enough? These are actually important questions that try to
know the BSED-English graduates of the University become productive and
pursue their career to what they have studied will help the University key officials
identify the strengths and weakness of the program.
Employability is not just about students making deposits in a bank of skills
(Morley, 2001). Knight (2001) and Yorke (2001) consider the concept of
employability to be a synergic combination of personal qualities, skills of various
kinds and subject understanding. Also, employability refers to a person's
capability of gaining initial employment, maintaining employment, and obtaining
new employment if required ( Hillage and Pollard, 1998).
In simple terms, employability is about being capable of getting and
keeping fulfilling work. More comprehensively, employability is the capability to

move self-sufficiently within the labor market to realize potential through

sustainable employment. Salvador (1995) found that interest and performance in
the major subjects are significantly related with their employability (p.98).
Estrabo (1996) claimed that graduates with high level work attitude and
achievement motivation have the highest percentage of employment (p.90).
Aberin (1994), On the other hand, averred that students services, laboratory
facilities and the school attended significantly affect employability.
Another study concluded that faculty competence is a major factor in
employability. In another study, to determine employability, Cabancia (1992)
used relevance of training with job hunting time as an indicator Predictors of
Employability in Terms of: Job Readiness, Job Relevance, and Competitive
Advantage
Employability is a difficult concept to defineit is a multi-dimensional
concept, and there is a need to distinguish between factors relevant to obtaining
a job and factors relevant to the preparation for work (Little, 2001).
Surigao del Sur State University (SDSSU) as a newly converted State
University by virtue of Republic Act 9998 has three degree programs offered by
the College of Teacher Education, viz: Bachelor in Elementary Education
(BEED), Bachelor of Secondary Education (BSED) and Bachelor in Early
Childhood Education (BECEd) and as a part of its effort to produce skilled,
quality and competitive graduates, the programs offered are subjected for
accreditation under Accrediting Agencies of Chartered Colleges and Universities
in the Philippines (AACCUP) and have been recognized as level three (3) phase

two (2) accredited. Through this effort, the College has achieved an increase of
passing rate in the Licensure Examination for Teachers (LET) as prescribed by
the Philippine Regulatory Commission (PRC) which is higher than the national
passing percentage.
Despite of this achievement, the programs in the College of Teacher
Education are still challenged with respect to its graduates employability since
Teacher Education is one of the oversubscribed programs in the country
according to CHED and it is expected that education graduates of this University
have to compete with other graduates produced by other Teacher Education
Institutions (TEIs) in the country. They have to meet and respond new standards
and qualifications with respect to their LET performance, academic preparations,
competencies and skills.
Rationale/Purpose:
The purpose of this study is to trace the employability of the graduates of
Surigao Del Sur State University-CTE Main Campus of the Academic Years
2012-2015. This study also aims to trace the BSED-English graduates to know
whether they have a job in line with their field of specialization after graduation
and how long did it take them to land or find a job.
Specifically, this tracer study aims to:
1. Describe the graduates in terms of socio-demographic profile such as age,
civil status sex, residence, major field, year graduated and academic
performance;

2. Determine the graduates professional skills, professional examinations

passed, and reasons for taking the course;
3. Determine the trainings and advance studies attended by the graduates after
finishing college;
4. Determine the industry classification of the companies where they are
employed, job position, monthly salary range, job requirements and the
waiting time before they landed on a job.
5. Determine the perceived factors that help them landed a job.

Theoretical/Conceptual framework

Assuring the employability of the graduates is a normal part of having a

good education offered by the University. However, there are graduates have to
compete for jobs with other graduates from other Higher Education Institutions
(HEIs) and only those who are highly employable will succeed. In other words, a
number of education graduates are increasing annually and the higher a number
of graduates sounds job competition is expected.

Thus, Higher Education

Institutions (HEIs) are setting up academic standards to live up its vision and
mission of the University and to enhance the various skills and competencies in
response to the objectives and goals of the Teacher Education Graduates (TEG)
that will result to employment.
The present study is focused on the concept of tracer study on the
Teacher Education Graduates of Surigao Del Sur State University will help the
employment process. The external efficiency of an education system involves
relationships between general education system and between cooperating
schools and job opportunities, what the schools and teachers are expected to do
in preparing for future occupations and what may be expected from a
combination of learning in-campus and off-campus experiences.

Socio-demographic
profile of the
respondents,
Factors that

SDSSU-College

Employment

contribute to the

of Teacher

Status of the

employment of

Education

BSED-English

Teacher Education

Learning

Graduates

Graduates in terms of

Conditions

knowledge and skills.

Figure 1. Schematic Diagram of the Study

The schematic diagram in figure 1 illustrates teacher education graduates
of Surigao Del Sur State University are employed. There are three frames of
concern in this study wherein, the first frame of concern is the independent
variables contained in the first rectangular box which includes the demographic
profile of the respondents consisting the following: a. gender; b. civil status; c.

highest educational attainment; d. employment. Another problem is the factor that

contributes to the employment of Teacher Education Graduates in terms of
knowledge and skills.
The second box pertains to the learning conditions offered by College of
Teacher Education BSED-English program.
The outcome of the study will be the employment status of the Bachelor of
Secondary Education major in English graduates of the SDSSU which would
trace the employment opportunity of the graduates of the academic years 20132015.
Statement of the Problem
This study aims to determine the employability of BSED-English major
graduates in academic years 2012-2015 in Surigao Del Sur State University,
Tandag City Main Campus.
Specifically, this study seeks to find answers to the following questions:
1. What is the socio-demographic profile of the respondents in terms of?
1.1 Age
1.2 Sex;
1.3 Civil Status;
2. What are the prevailing conditions of the Teacher Education Graduates
as to the following areas:
2.1 Employability Factors,
2.2 Employment Status,
2.3 Nature of Job,
2.4 Period of Finding a Job,
2.5 Means of Acquiring Job
3. What is the level of perception of the respondents on decision to enrol
BSED-English?

4. What is the level of perception of the respondents on the study

conditions that they experience at SDSSU Teacher Education program
with respect to their preparations for employment?
5. What is the level of perception of the respondents on the employability
factors?
6. What is the level of perception of the respondents on the usefulness of
elements of CTE Programs?
Scope of the study
This study focuses primarily on the employability of the Bachelor of
Secondary Education major in English graduates of the Surigao Del Sur State
University main campus Academic Years 2012-2015.

Significance of the Study:

This study aims to contribute additional knowledge and information on the
rate and performance of Surigao del Sur State University Teacher Education
Graduates in terms of employment. This study will be beneficial to the following
entities.
To the College Administrators. This study will serve as a guide for
curriculum planners for reforms that will suit the needs of their clienteles to

become. And they can have the idea to hire additional qualified instructors in the
college.
To the Teachers: this study will serve as the teachers guide for revision
of teaching strategies and methods or enhancing it more in order to produce very
competitive graduates and inspiring them to reach their goals to produce
excellent graduates in the University.
To the Students. This study will give Teacher Education students a wider
perspective to strive, study and maximize their potentials in order to gain an
entrance into the world of employment as teachers and for them to be able to be
a competitive students in and outside the university and making themselves for
their future.
To the Future Researchers. The findings of the study may inspire their
interest to conduct similar studies in other area. This would provide them
additional sources as reference of their investigation relative to the current study.
It would also serve as their reference for future inquiry.