Employability of university graduates - overview of indicators used in the graduate surveys Cover Image

Zatrudnialność absolwentów szkół wyższych - przegląd wyników badań losów absolwentów pod kątem zastosowanych wskaźników
Employability of university graduates - overview of indicators used in the graduate surveys

Author(s): Maria Pacuska-Chojecka
Subject(s): Essay|Book Review |Scientific Life
Published by: Szkoła Główna Handlowa w Warszawie, Fundacja Promocji i Akredytacji Kierunków Ekonomicznych
Keywords: employability; university graduates; graduate surveys; labour market; indicators of graduate employability

Summary/Abstract: Employability of university graduates has been the subject of study abroad for many years. In Poland, in contrast, most of the higher education institutions (HEIs) started monitoring graduates only as a result of the statutory requirement in 2011. So far, the number of cross-cutting research taking into account the total of results of graduates studies of various Polish universities is scarce. Since some generalizations in this area would be valuable for representatives of HEIs, higher education policy makers and also for prospective students, this article is an attempt to fill this gap. The objective of this paper is to present various types of indicators measuring labour market success of graduates, with an analysis of their limitations and usability in terms of comparing universities, as well as entire higher education systems. The article presents the results of the analysis of the reports of graduate surveys at Polish universities. For the purpose of comparison, foreign research concerning graduate employability were also examined. Study indicated that employment rate is a key indicator of graduate employability, it may be enriched with indicators of quality of the workplace (conditions of employment and remuneration). Other useful indicators of labour market success of graduates: the average lengths of job search and links between major and subsequent employment (qualification mismatches). Finally, it is important to study graduate long-term employability. Few years after graduation the measurement of the graduates career path will be more reliable and their self-evaluation - thanks to several years of professional experience - will be more valuable.

  • Issue Year: 53/2014
  • Issue No: 1
  • Page Range: 4-11
  • Page Count: 8
  • Language: Polish