Social Sciences & Humanities Open 2 (2020) 100055

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Social Sciences & Humanities Open

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Employability tracer study of Information Technology Education graduates

from a state university in the Philippines
Albert C. Albina *, 1, Lilian P. Sumagaysay 1
College of Arts & Sciences, Negros Oriental State University, Bayawan – Sta. Catalina Campus, Philippines

A R T I C L E I N F O A B S T R A C T

Keywords: This study aimed to determine the employability of Information Technology Education graduates from a state
Information technology education university in the Philippines. The researchers employed cross-sectional retrospective survey method. One-
Employability tracer study hundred seventy-seven out of 204 (or 86.76%) graduates of Bachelor of Science in Information Technology
Graduates
and Bachelor of Science in Computer Science from year 2015–2017 participated in this study. The data gathering
State university
instrument used by the researchers is the Graduate Tracer Study developed by the Commission on Higher Edu-
cation. Findings reveal that 78.53% (or 139 out of 177) of the respondents are already employed. Moreover,
69.78% (or 97 out of 139) perceived that their first job is related to the program that respondents took up in
college. It took one year to less than two years for the 28.06% of the respondents to land in their first job. It is also
noteworthy that it took 1–6 months for 25.90% of the respondents to find their first job. When asked whether or
not the curriculum they had in college is relevant in their first job, majority of the respondents (69.78%) declared
that the curriculum of the program they had in college is indeed relevant. To further enhance the marketability of
BSIT and BSCS programs and the employability of the graduates they produce, among the researchers’ recom-
mendations is the periodic review of curriculum by academic leaders, alumni, and industry representatives to
ensure that graduates are equipped with the necessary knowledge and skills required in the industry.

1. Introduction employers set for their workforce. Industries may have different stan-
dards, but they always have a set of characteristics they expect for their
The unemployment rate in the Philippines in January 2019 was applicants to possess that would boost institutional objectives. Whether
estimated at 5.2%. “Of the total unemployed, the age group 15–24 years employers seek graduates whose skills are, either, related or not aligned
comprised 43.7%, while the age group 25 to 34, 30.6%. By educational to their field of specialization, they will always look for their standards.
attainment, 20.9% of the unemployed were college graduates, 8.2% were Initial education needs to be able to grant the necessary skills for any
college undergraduates, and 28.2% have completed junior high school. professional to be able to overcome the existing challenges, either to the
Graduates of junior high school include those high school graduates in search for a job with continuity or to the creation of their own employ-
the old curriculum” (PSA, 2019). ment through enterprising behavior (Aranega, 2014). Thus, the univer-
The labor markets in the Philippines and abroad have become very sity curriculum should be consistent with the demands of employment
competitive. When parents are confronted with the choice of Universities and self-employment, especially at higher education levels (Martin,
and Colleges where their children will attend and get a degree, the 2014). Moreover, “competitive graduates in the job market often depend
prospects for future employment carry much weight. Employability, thus, on a strong curriculum of the programs. Graduates are competing among
becomes a matter of crucial consideration when schools define their themselves to meet the job market in various sectors. Because of the
curriculum and their policies on recruitment, entrance, and retention. limited amount of jobs available, many graduates end up unemployed”
“In the 21st century, employability skill is the most required skill (Ahmad, Zainal, Idris, & Rahmat, 2012).
besides technical knowledge in an attempt to compete for employment It is further argued that “individuals who have best developed the
and sustain job at the industrial global market” (Ismail & Mohammed, competencies which firms feel to be most important are more likely to be
2015). Schools have to provide the training that meets the standards in a position to obtain a job” (Teijeiro, Rungo, & Freire, 2013). This

* Corresponding author.
E-mail address: [email protected] (A.C. Albina).
1
Postal address: Campus Research Office, Negros Oriental State University, Bayawan – Sta. Catalina Campus, Negros Oriental, Bayawan City, 6221, Philippines.

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ssaho.2020.100055
Received 3 November 2019; Received in revised form 11 August 2020; Accepted 12 August 2020
Available online 21 August 2020
2590-2911/© 2020 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd. This is an open access article under the CC BY license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).
A.C. Albina, L.P. Sumagaysay Social Sciences & Humanities Open 2 (2020) 100055

requires for the educational process to go beyond the level of imparting 2.1. whether or not they are employed,
knowledge and developing skills. It must be leveled up to ensuring and 2.2. whether or not the graduates’ first job is related to their program
producing employable graduates. Thus, schools need to regularly review in college,
their programs, offerings, curricula, and methods to strengthen the 2.3. reasons why some respondents are not yet employed,
employability of their graduates. Alignment and realignment of resources 2.4. respondents’ employability status,
towards this end must become a priority. 2.5. gross monthly earning in respondents’ first job,
“Employability of graduates therefore has become an issue that is not 2.6. length of time it took the respondents them to land in their first
easy to be ignored in the global economy” (Misra & Khurana, 2017). job,
Studies like this have become the main instruments to determine the 2.7. whether or not the curriculum in college is relevant in their first
areas of strength and weakness of an institution’s graduates. “Graduate job, and
tracer studies (GTS) are important to Higher Education Institutions since 2.8. the competencies learned in college that respondents find useful
it enabled such institutions to accommodate changes in the society in their job?
especially the demands of the actual and potential employers, through
evaluation and constant review of their curricula” (Ca nizares, 2015, p. 3. Research methods
82). Hence, this present study is conducted.
Outside the Philippines, Woya (2019) and Siraye, Abebe, Melese, and 3.1. Design
Wale (2018) conducted employability tracer studies among statistics
graduates, and business and economics graduates, respectively. In the This study utilized the cross-sectional retrospective survey method.
Philippines, there are also several attempts to conduct employability This research was conducted at Negros Oriental State University (NOrSU)
tracer studies among graduates of B.S. in Industrial Technology (Del Bayawan – Sta. Catalina Campus (BSC), Information Technology
Rosario, 2019), Bachelor of Secondary Education (Ca nizares, 2015; Department and Computer Science Department (ITD & CSD) located in
Navida, 2018), and Bachelor of Elementary Education (De Vera, 2018), the boundary of Bayawan City and Municipality of Sta. Catalina, province
to name a few. In fact, the studies of Del Rosario (2019) and Navida of Negros Oriental, Philippines. NOrSU is the only state-owned university
(2018) adapted the GTS questionnaire from the country’s Commission on in the province; it has campuses located across the province. One of its
Higher Education. However, the study of Navida (2018) has a very low campuses is Bayawan – Sta. Catalina Campus. ITD and CSD are de-
participation rate with only 29 out of 130 (22.31%) graduates completed partments under the College of Arts and Sciences (CAS), and are Level II
the questionnaire. Another local study which is noteworthy is that of Re-accredited by the Accrediting Agency of Chartered Colleges and
Balingbing (2014) because the respondents of her study were also B.S. in Universities in the Philippines (AACCUP) effective until September 2022.
Information Technology graduates which are similar to the respondents
of this study but with inclusion of B.S. in Computer Science graduates.
Billo et al. (2017) also conducted an employability tracer study of B.S. 3.2. Research sample and sampling
in Information Technology (BSIT) and B.S. in Computer Science (BSCS)
graduates of Batch 2014, 2015, and 2016. Two hundred twenty one out There were 204 BSIT and BSCS graduates who graduated from 2015
of 253 graduates participated in this study. They sought to determine the to 2017. All of them were targeted to be given survey questionnaires. The
socio-demographic profile of graduates, the employability of graduates survey yielded a response rate of 86.76% or 177 out of 204 targeted
(in terms of employment status, present occupation, companies gradu- respondents (see Table 1). Some of the graduates were working outside
ates are employed, reasons for staying in the job, reasons for accepting of Negros Oriental and were hard to reach which reduced the response
the job, length of time it took the graduates to land in the first job, gross rate and so electronic version of the survey questionnaire was sent thru
monthly income), and the reasons for not having a job. In this present their e-mails and/or social media (e.g., Facebook). Those graduates who
study, the researchers conducted an employability tracer study of BSIT were not reached were not considered as respondents in this study. The
and BSCS graduates (the same programs as the previous study) of Batch gathering of data was done in September to December 2018.
2015, 2016, and 2017. The following variables were determined: the
socio-demographic profile of graduates, employability of graduates (in
terms of employment status, present occupation, companies graduates 3.3. Tool
are employed, reasons for staying in the job, reasons for accepting the
job, length of time it took the graduates to land in the first job, gross The data-gathering instrument used by the researchers to get the
monthly income), and the reasons for not having a job. needed information is the standard Graduate Tracer Study (GTS) devel-
Other variables used in this present study that were not included in oped by the Commission on Higher Education (CHEd) of the Philippines.
the study of Billo et al. (2017) are the following: whether or not the Data was processed, organized, and analysed using MS Excel. Descriptive
curriculum the graduates had in college was relevant to their first job, statistics was used to summarize and organize data in frequency and
and whether or not the competencies they learned in college were found percent distribution tables.
useful by the graduates in their first job. Another gap that this present
study addresses is the paucity of published employability tracer studies
among B.S. Information Technology (BSIT) and B.S. Computer Science 3.4. Ethical consideration
(BSCS) graduates in the Philippines.
The following were the ethical issues of the study which were
2. Research questions addressed by the researchers. The researchers ensured that the re-
spondents read and signed the informed consent form that vouched for
This study aimed to determine the employability of Information the voluntary nature of their participation. The researchers, likewise,
Technology Education graduates (BSIT and BSCS) of Negros Oriental made sure that no person or organization was harmed throughout the
State University, Bayawan-Sta. Catalina Campus from year 2015–2017. conduct of the study. Also, the researchers protected the respondents’
Specifically, this study sought to address the following questions: identity by presenting the result in general and not mentioning individual
responses that may lead to their identification. Finally, the researchers, in
1. What are the respondents’ personal characteristics in terms of sex and the entire duration of the study, especially during data gathering,
civil status? respected the decision of the respondents who decided to withdraw their
2. What is the graduates’ status of employability in terms of: participation even if they have already signed the informed consent form.

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A.C. Albina, L.P. Sumagaysay Social Sciences & Humanities Open 2 (2020) 100055

Table 1
ITD and CSD number of graduates and number of respondents from year 2015–2017.
Programs Batch 2015 Batch 2016 Batch 2017

No. of No. of % No. of No. of % No. of No. of %

Graduates Respondents Graduates Respondents Graduates Respondents

B.S. Information 33 28 84.85 40 36 90.00 40 33 82.50

Technology

B.S. 25 20 80.00 39 37 94.87 27 23 85.19

Computer Science
total 58 48 82.76 79 73 92.41 67 56 83.58

4. Results and discussion percentage is even higher compared to the 59.5% respondents in the
study of Woya (2019) who perceived that their work is directly aligned to
This section reveals the respondents’ personal characteristics (sex and their field of study.
civil status), whether or not the graduates are employed, whether or not As can be gleaned from Table 4, family concerns are the primary
the graduates’ first job is related to their program in college, reasons why reason why some graduates are not yet employed. Furthermore, family
some respondents are not yet employed, respondents’ employability concern was also the primary reason why some graduates are not yet
status, gross monthly earning in respondents’ first job, length of time it employed in the study of Billo et al. (2017). Interestingly, ranked at the
took the respondents them to land in their first job, whether or not the bottom of this category are “qualifications did not fit for the job,” “further
curriculum in college is relevant in their first job, and the competencies studies,” “health-related concerns,” and “did not look for a job yet”. This
learned in college that respondents find useful in their job. data implies that those who are not yet employed at the time this study
Table 2 below shows the sex and civil status distribution of ITD and was conducted did not perceive their qualifications, desire for further
CSD graduates. Among the 177 respondents of the study, 124 (70.06%) studies, health, and interest to look for a job as essential issues for being
were female and 53 (29.94%) were male. Only 11 got married (or 6.21%) unemployed (Table 5).
and 166 (93.79%) were single. Most of the respondents in this study (46.04% or 66 out of 139) have
As revealed in Table 3, 78.53% (or 139 out of 177) of the respondents regular employment status. This is a good development in the graduates’
are already employed. This percentage of employability is even higher career since they have already obtained security of tenure. The study of
compared with the findings in the study of Del Rosario (2019) which Woya (2019) recorded a much higher percentage of respondents with
reported 68% employability of Bachelor of Industrial Technology grad- permanent employment status which is 65.8% (52 out of 79) among
uates from year 2013–2016. The result in this study in terms of the statistics graduates from year 2012–2016 at Bahir Dar University in
percentage of employability is almost the same as in the study Billo et al. Ethiopia.
(2017), which is 82.05% (or 96 out of 117). The study of Billo et al. Likewise, most of the respondents (49.64% or 69 out of 139) are
(2017) covered the employability of BSCS, BSIT, and Associate in Com- earning P10,001 to 15,000 per month (as shown in Table 6). This finding
puter Science Graduates from year 2014–2016. This implies that BSIT is different from the study of Billo et al. (2017) which found out that the
and BSCS graduates are able to contribute to the growth of national and majority of the respondents (52.08%) were earning P5,001 to 10,000.
local economy. This implies that the monthly earning of graduates is increasing over the
On the other hand, when this study was conducted, 21.47% (or 38 out years.
of 177) of the respondents are not yet employed. With 21.47% who are Table 7 reveals that when it comes to the length of time it took the
unemployed in this study, such finding lends support to the conclusion of respondents to land in their first job, it took one year to less than two
Pan and Lee (2011) that “owing to the dramatic increase in enrolment years for the 28.06% (or 39 out of 139) of the respondents to land in their
rate of higher education, a diploma is no longer a guarantee of employ- first job. It is also noteworthy that it took 1–6 months for 25.90% (or 36
ment and higher education institutes are expected to equip students with out of 139) of the respondents to find their first job. The finding in this
employability skills and attributes.” According to Ahmad et al. (2012), study is contrary to the finding in the study of Billo et al. (2017) which
graduates are competing among themselves to meet the job market in found out that it took less than one month for most of the respondents
various sectors. Because of the limited amount of jobs available, many (48.95%) to land in their first job. However, this present study does not
graduates end up unemployed. argue whether or not the respondents’ first job is related to the program
However, the study of Balingbing (2014) yielded an interestingly low they graduated in. This is something that future studies may consider to
unemployment rate with only 2.60% (or 4 out of 155 respondents). include.
Nevertheless, 69.78% (or 97 out of 139) believed that their first job is On the contrary, Ahmad et al. (2012) found out that “within five
related to the program (BSIT or BSCS) they took up in college. This months after they graduated, the total graduates employed are 56%,

Table 2
Sex and civil status of respondents.
Program Batch Profile

Sex (N ¼ 177) Civil status (N ¼ 177)

Male Female Single Married

f % f % f % f %

B.S. Information Technology 2015 7 25.00 21 75.00 27 96.43 1 3.57

2016 16 44.44 20 55.56 35 97.22 1 2.78
2017 11 33.33 22 66.67 33 100.00 - -

B.S. 2015 2 10.00 18 90.00 17 85.00 3 15.00

Computer Science 2016 11 29.73 26 70.27 34 91.89 3 8.11
2017 6 26.09 17 73.91 20 86.96 3 13.04
total 53 29.94 124 70.06 166 93.79 11 6.21

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A.C. Albina, L.P. Sumagaysay Social Sciences & Humanities Open 2 (2020) 100055

Table 3
Whether or not Respondents are Presently Employed and. Relatedness of Respondents’ First Job to the Program they took up in College.
Program Batch Whether or not graduates are presently employed and whether or not their first job is related to the program they took up in college

Whether or not graduates are presently employed (N ¼ Whether or not their first job is related to the program they took up in college (N
177) ¼ 139)

Employed Not employed Related Not related

f % f % f % f %

B.S. Information Technology 2015 22 78.57 6 21.43 17 77.27 5 22.73

2016 35 97.22 1 2.78 26 74.29 9 25.71
2017 19 57.58 14 42.42 15 78.95 4 21.05
B.S. 2015 13 65.00 7 35.00 9 69.23 4 30.77
Computer Science 2016 37 100.00 - - 23 62.16 14 37.84
2017 13 56.52 10 43.48 7 53.85 6 46.15
total 139 78.53 38 21.47 97 69.78 42 30.22

Table 4
Reasons Why Some Respondents are not yet Employed.
Program Batch Reasons why some graduates are not yet employed (N ¼ 38)

Further Family Health-related No job Did not look for a job Qualifications did not fit for
studies concern reason/s opportunity yet the job

f % f % f % f % f % f %

B.S. Information Technology 2015 - – 4 10.53 - – 1 2.63 1 2.63 - –

2016 - – 1 2.63 - – - – - – - –
2017 1 2.63 6 15.79 1 2.63 5 13.16 - – 1 2.63

B.S. 2015 - – 4 10.53 - – - – 3 7.89 - –

Computer Science 2016 - – - – - – - – - – - –
2017 - – 5 13.16 - – 5 13.16 - – - –
total 1 2.63 20 52.63 1 2.63 11 28.95 4 10.53 1 2.63

Table 5
Respondents’ Employment status.
Program Batch Employment status (N ¼ 139)

regular temporary Casual contractual self-employed

f % f % f % f % f %

B.S. Information Technology 2015 18 81.82 - - 2 9.09 2 9.09 - -

2016 27 77.14 3 8.57 1 2.86 4 11.43 – –
2017 4 21.05 1 5.26 4 21.05 7 36.84 3 15.80

B.S. 2015 5 38.46 2 15.39 1 7.69 5 38.46 – –

Computer Science 2016 9 24.32 2 5.41 4 10.81 21 56.76 1 2.70
2017 1 7.69 4 30.77 – – 8 61.54 – –
total 64 46.04 12 8.63 12 8.63 47 33.81 4 2.88

Table 6
Gross monthly earning in respondents’ first job.
Program Batch Gross monthly earning in graduates’ first job (N ¼ 139)

less than P5,000 P5,001–10,000 P10,001–15,000 P15,001 to 20,000 P20,001 to 25,000 more than P25,000

f % f % f % f % f % f %

B.S. Information Technology 2015 1 4.55 13 59.10 8 36.35 - – - – - –

2016 - – 10 28.57 21 60.00 3 8.57 – – 1 2.86
2017 - – 2 10.53 11 57.89 6 31.58 - – - –

B.S. 2015 - – 2 15.38 7 53.85 3 23.08 1 7.69 - –

Computer Science 2016 3 8.11 16 43.24 17 45.95 1 2.70 - – - –
2017 1 7.69 2 15.39 5 38.46 4 30.77 1 7.69 - –
total 5 3.60 45 32.37 69 49.64 17 12.23 2 1.44 1 .72

another 10% decided to further their studies at master’s level, and the whether or not the curriculum they had in college is relevant in their first
remaining 34% are still unemployed”. Also, in the study of Del Rosario job, majority of the respondents (69.78% or 97 out of 139) declared that
(2019), p. 42% of their respondents was able to find jobs in 2–5 months the curriculum of the program they had in college is indeed relevant (See
after graduation. Table 8). The result in this study lends support to the idea that
Table 8 demonstrates how the respondents evaluated in retrospection “competitive graduates in the job market often depend on a strong cur-
the relevance of curriculum to their first job. It emerged that when asked riculum of the programs” (Ahmad et al., 2012).

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A.C. Albina, L.P. Sumagaysay Social Sciences & Humanities Open 2 (2020) 100055

Table 7
Length of Time it Took the Respondents to Land in their First Job.
Program Batch Length of time it took the graduates to land in their first job (N ¼ 139)

less than 1 month 1–6 months 7–11 months 1 yr to less than 2 years 2 years to less than 3 years 3 years to less than 4 years

f % f % f % f % f % f %

B.S. Information Technology 2015 1 4.55 3 13.63 9 40.91 6 27.27 2 9.09 1 4.55
2016 9 25.71 5 14.29 2 5.71 16 45.71 3 8.57 – –
2017 1 5.26 10 52.63 4 21.05 4 21.05 - - - -

B.S. 2015 4 30.77 4 30.77 2 15.38 3 23.08 – – – –

Computer Science 2016 7 18.92 9 24.32 5 13.52 9 24.32 7 18.92 - -
2017 2 15.39 5 38.46 5 38.46 1 7.69 – – –
total 24 17.26 36 25.90 27 19.42 39 28.06 12 8.63 1 .72

Table 8
Whether or not the Curriculum is Relevant in the Respondents’ First Job.
entrepreneurial skills, critical thinking skills, and problem-solving skills
with a percentage of 5.04%, 7.19%, and 15.83%, respectively. This
Program Batch Whether or not the curriculum is relevant
finding is contrary to the finding in the study of Ca nizares (2015) where
in the graduates’ first job (N ¼ 139)
critical thinking (along with literacy skills, problem-solving skills,
Yes, the No, the curriculum is
numeracy skills, and content specific knowledge) emerged excellent as a
curriculum is not relevant
relevant
skill being developed by the graduates. In conjunction to that, Siraye
et al. (2018) concluded that “supervisors desire employees who can
f % f %
identify problems and their essential components at the workplace”.
B.S. Information Technology 2015 18 81.82 4 18.18
2016 29 82.86 6 17.14
5. Conclusions
2017 14 73.68 5 26.32

B.S. 2015 7 53.85 6 46.15 The insights gathered from this present study are significant for
Computer Science 2016 20 54.05 17 45.95
2017 9 69.23 4 30.77
various reasons. First, the results of this study are significantly important
total 97 69.78 42 30.22 to recognize and address curriculum-related issues, reasons for gradu-
ates’ unemployment, graduates’ employment status, monthly salary, and
duration of job search. Second, competencies in greatest need of curric-
It goes beyond telling that the curriculum has to be relevant in rela- ular attention according to the perception of the respondents are entre-
tion to the demands of the industry, because “impractical university preneurial skills, critical thinking skills, problem-solving skills, and
curriculum is one of the factors that cause graduates’ skills gap, along human relations skills. Third, current and prospective students of Infor-
with other factors like constant changes in the labor market, and stu- mation Technology Department and Computer Science Department in
dents’ passivity in planning and developing their career” (Tran, 2018). NOrSU BSC shall have a basis for curricular and career preparation
Table 9 indicates that communication skills are considered by ma- considering the fact the previous graduates of the said departments have
jority of the respondents (58.99%) as the foremost competency they good employability and they found the curriculum relevant to their jobs.
learned in college that they find useful in their job. It is noteworthy that Lastly, results of this study may be used in improving NOrSU BSC’s ac-
some respondents who participated in this study are employed in IT-BPO ademic and career guidance program and student services especially in
companies where communication is a highly valued competency. This enhancing students’ capability with regard to job entry skills by con-
finding is parallel to the claim of Martin (2014) “that communicative ducting a seminar-workshop before they graduate.
competence can greatly help new graduates to develop their potential, The researchers conclude that the 177 graduates of Information
both socially and occupationally”. His study further suggests that “the Technology Education (B.S. Information Technology and B.S. Computer
importance of communicative competences should be included in the Science programs) who served as respondents in this study are employ-
new educational context to enhance the employability and productive able with jobs which are related to their program in college. Further-
force of future graduates” (Martin, 2014). more, family concern was perceived as the primary reason why some of
Aside from communication skills, “information technology skills” is the respondents are not yet employed at the time the survey was con-
the second-highest competency (27.34%) believed by the respondents to ducted. Fortunately, most of the respondents have regular employment
be useful in their job. Ranked at the bottom in this category are status, which consequently provides them the so-called security of

Table 9
Competencies Learned in College that Respondents Find Useful in their Job.
Program Batch Competencies learned in college that graduates find useful in their job (N ¼ 139)

Communication Human relation Problem-solving Information Tech. Entrepreneurial Critical thinking

Skills skills skills skills skills skills

f % f % f % F % f % f %

B.S. Information Technology 2015 14 46.70 3 10.00 3 10.00 7 23.33 1 3.33 2 6.67
2016 15 35.71 5 11.91 8 19.05 14 33.33 – – – –
2017 14 48.27 7 24.14 2 6.90 4 13.79 - - 2 6.90

B.S. 2015 24 61.54 3 7.69 5 12.82 4 10.26 2 5.13 1 2.56

Computer Science 2016 6 21.42 4 14.29 4 14.49 6 21.43 3 10.71 5 17.86
2017 9 50.00 5 27.77 – – 3 16.67 1 5.56 – –
total 82 58.99 27 19.42 22 15.83 38 27.34 7 5.04 10 7.19

Note: Every respondent answered more than one competency.

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A.C. Albina, L.P. Sumagaysay Social Sciences & Humanities Open 2 (2020) 100055

tenure. Most of the respondents are also earning P10,001 to 15,000 per Sources of funding
month – an amount modest enough to enable them to live decent lives.
However, as compared with previous studies, it took the respondents in This research did not receive any funding from any agency.
this study more prolonged time (1 year to less than 2 years) to land in
their first job. CRediT authorship contribution statement
Regarding the curriculum content of Information Technology Edu-
cation programs, it can be concluded that it is relevant to the re- Albert C. Albina: Conceptualization, Methodology, Writing - original
spondents’ job. The respondents’ first job is also related to the program draft, Investigation, Visualization, Project administration, Writing - re-
they took up in college. Finally, the two most identified competencies, view & editing. Lilian P. Sumagaysay: Conceptualization, Data cura-
which the respondents found useful in their jobs are communication tion, Validation, Investigation, Supervision, Writing - review & editing.
skills and information technology skills.

6. Recommendations Declaration of competing interest

The following recommendations are made taking into consideration The authors of the correspondence do not have any conflict of interest
the results in this study. to declare.

a. To further enhance the marketability of BSIT and BSCS programs and Acknowledgements
the employability of the graduates they produce, periodic review of
curriculum by academic leaders, alumni, and industry representatives The authors would like to thank all the respondents for their partic-
is imperative to ensure that graduates are equipped with the neces- ipation in this study. They also thank those students who helped the
sary knowledge and skills to make them highly employable in the researchers in data gathering.
industry.
b. Industry immersion of faculty members during semestral or mid-year References
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