Job Proficiency and Employability Metrics of Graduates in One ASEAN TESDA School

Abstract

The Pangasinan School of Arts and Trades (PSAT) is the biggest institution-based Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA) training provider in the province of Pangasinan. Established in 1904, it has the distinction of being the only higher technical education in the province. In the year 2000, PSAT evolved from a Commission on Higher Education (CHED) – supervised institution into a TESDA-administered and supervised institution. The mission of PSAT-TESDA is to develop a globally competitive, self-reliant, and technically skilled workforce and entrepreneurs responsive to the needs of industries and the labor market. This study sought to answer the following major problem; what is the employment status of TESDA-PSAT graduates and how do employers perceive the work competencies of the graduates? This study was descriptive in its design. Its data gathering technique was mainly through a survey. There were two groups of respondents for this study: the 207 graduates using convenience sampling of PSAT during the years 2018 and 2019 and 32 employers representing the business establishments where the graduates have found themselves working. All the data gathered were analyzed using descriptive statistics, percentages, and mean. Major findings of this study were; a typical graduate of PSAT during the years 2018 and 2019 is a female, aged 18-20, single and a high school graduate prior to enrollment in the tech-voc program, and with a qualification of NC II in a tourism sector-related specialization; Eighty-seven percent of the respondents are employed, most of them were in contractual status, The most common reason for unemployment is the lack of job opportunity; one hundred percent or all of the employed respondents worked in fast food establishments and in standard restaurants; Eighty percent of the respondents waited for at most six months before getting their first job; modal monthly salary of the respondents was P6, 000 to P9, 999; the most common means of finding job opportunities was through information from relatives/colleagues; present job was highly related to training for fifty-seven percent of the respondents but unrelated to seven percent of the respondents; the most-cited reason for irrelevance of job to training was the absence of job opportunities related to specialization; communication, problem-solving and Entrepreneurial skills were skills perceived to be most useful in performing job; Fifty-six percent of the respondents were satisfied with their job; the most common cause of job satisfaction was the possibility of using acquired knowledge and skills; the most common cited cause of job dissatisfaction was low income; the reason of employment of the graduates aside from their competencies is through their interest as a graduate of tech-voc; some of the graduates was employed not their specialization rather they engage to be employed willing to take up work at computer chassis/cellphone accessories; the employers had expressed satisfaction of the work competencies of the respondents. Based on the analysis of the findings, the following conclusions were drawn; the training received by the graduates from PSAT adequately prepared them for work; there remains a need for further development of the programs of PSAT; the respondents demand enhancement of training skills and exposure in five-star hotels. It is recommended that the suggestions for improvement and intervention measures identified by both graduates and employers be adapted and implemented.