A Tracer Study on (2011 – 2013) Debre Berhan University Graduates Integration in to the World of Work

Abstract

Higher Educational Institutions are responsible for ensuring the quality of education they offer to their learners. The graduate tracer study is the one among the methods these institutions can make use of in order to monitor the quality of their programs. Debre Berhan University recognized graduate tracer study as a means of ensuring the quality of education and has incorporated the need for conducting a comprehensive graduate tracer study in its annual plan for the 2013/2014 academic calendar. The major objective of this study was to obtain reliable and valid information that would help to improve the quality of Debre Berhan University’s academic programs. A cross-sectional study design was conducted February 2014, from three regional (Amhara, SNNPR and Oromya) and Addis Ababa city administration. The target populations of the survey were degree graduates of Debre Berhan University (2011 – 2013) and their employers. Sample of graduates were taken using the snowball sampling technique and the purposive sampling technique was employed to select employers. Regarding to the type of organizations where graduates’ were first employed, 79.9% reported government placements and only 11.2% employed by private organizations. The majority of graduates (65.9%) believed that their educational level/qualification fit the kind of job they were assigned to. However, 31.5% of them complained that their employment did not have any relation to their educational qualifications. Over 76% of the graduates considered the contents of the major field of their study and variety of the contents of the courses to be favorable. With regard to the level of satisfaction of employers With DBU graduates professional situation was 64.4%, similarly 69.1% of the graduates themselves satisfied with their professional competence. Bachelor degrees for graduates were evaluated as useful for job placement and a key for performing their job properly as much as the employers expected from graduates. The University needs to encourage its students to be familiar with basic computer and related technology skills, by providing them with basic facilities and creating conducive environments in which students are motivated to use ICT regularly throughout their learning years.