Employability and Productivity of Graduates

According to Anyangwe (2011), the economic shocks that caused the financial crisis may be behind us but its effects are still being felt - particularly in the jobs market. The shortage of graduate positions has led to many debates about apprenticeships vs. university degrees or, more generally, whether higher education is equipping students with the skills they need to enter a more competitive work place. One thing is for sure: a degree itself is no longer enough.

According to Moley (Nuqui, 2010), higher education institution both mediate and manage government policy, and that the boundaries between academic institutions, government and business have loosened and been reformed. This raises the question of what the real purpose of higher education institutions is, whether it is to provide to the workforce of the future, or it is to give educational stimulus, or both. And what important role does the government have to play to enhance the employability of graduates.

Harpe et al. suggests that the notion of the employability of graduates challenges traditional concepts of higher education and raises the question of what the point higher education is, subject knowledge and understanding, or learning how to learn, Some academicians feel that this agenda is driven by government policies and employers, rather than the institution.. But one thing is clear, there is concern locally and worldwide that existing undergraduate programs are not producing graduates with the kind of lifelong learning skills and professional skills which they need in order to be successful in their careers. (Nuqui, 2010)

In a country where one's worth is often measured by his educational attainment, finishing college is one of the highly anticipated milestones. Never mind that the graduate is at the bottom of the class or that he came from one of those diploma mills. What matters most to many Filipino parents is that are able to send their child though college; whether the graduate gets to practice what he studied or lands a job afterward is another matter.

But the celebratory mood is short-lived. Soon after, reality sets in: many of the graduates will have a hard time finding decent jobs, much more jobs that are suited to their studies. Thus we see marketing graduates answering phones and filing records, or mass communication majors taking on contractual jobs hawking credit cards in malls. The luckier ones end up as call center agents and bank tellers, jobs that require only three to six months training in developed countries.

Clearly there is a mismatch between the types of graduates our schools produce and the kinds of skills that the labor market needs. As a result, years of studies and the concomitant cost of college education are wasted. Labor statistics show that roughly half a million graduate are unable to get work in their chosen field each year. Despite numerous vacancies, local and overseas employers often complain about