Yueh-Kuei, Huang Lecturer, Yu Da University of Business

PhD student, Dept. of Industrial Technology Education, NKNU, Kaohsiung City, Taiwan

dawn@ydu.edu.twChu-Ho, Ting PhD student,

Dept. of Industrial Technology Education, NKNU, Kaohsiung City, Taiwantchuho@hotmail.com

An Analysis of Employability of Graduates from Taiwan

Higher Education

Introduction

• The number of higher education in Taiwan has been growing fast.

• During ten years, the number of college graduates has increased by nearly 263% and the number of master degree graduates has increase by nearly 362%.

Introduction

• In discussion about the relation between higher education and vocation, the graduates’ employability has gradually become a new hot issue.

employability

• In addition to the term “employability”, scholars usually also use some other synonyms, such as core skills, key skills, general skills skills, personal transferable skills, common skills, work skills, or employment skills, etc.

Research Objects

• The research objects chosen are higher education graduates who had graduated for one year since 2006, including college graduates and master degree graduates, both being full-time employees currently.

Sources of Data

• The study takes data from Taiwan Integrated Postsecondary Education Database.

• The survey and testing were implemented from June 2007 through February 2008, in the form of general survey.

Research Problems

(1) Analysis of current employment status of Taiwan’s higher education graduates;

(2) The level of employability of graduates with different academic degrees;

(3) Whether there is difference in employability of different sexes of graduates;

Research Problems

(4) Whether there is difference in employability of graduates from different types of colleges;

(5) Whether there is difference in employability of graduates from different educational systems;

(6) Whether there is difference in employability of graduates with different academic degrees.

Analysis of current employment status of college graduates

• There are 88,688 respondents filling in information about their current status

39,986 respondents (45.1%) currently at work 、 20,437 respondents (23%) as currently full-time student

s 、 11,930 respondents (13.5%) in active service (exclusive

of full-time military personnel) 9,079 respondents (10.2%) as unemployed 4,230 respondents (4.8%) as never employed 3,026 other respondents (3.4%).

Analysis of current employment status of college graduates

• Among them all, those respondents “currently at work” are more than the other categories of respondents.

Analysis of current status of master degree graduates

• A total of 11,912 questionnaires were collected 　 8,251 respondents (69.3%) currently at work,

　　 769 respondents (6.5%) as currently full-time students,

　 1,658 respondents (13.9%) in active service,

　　 513 respondents (4.3%) as unemployed,

　　 361 respondents (3%) as never employed,

　　 358 other respondents (3%)

Analysis of current status of master degree graduates

• Among them all, the currently employed respondents are more than the other categories of master degree graduates.

Analysis of college graduates’ employability

The domain name of employability is

　 1. the general abilities required at work

　 2. the professional abilities required at work

　 3. the attitude towards work

　 4. career planning and confidence.

Analysis of employability of college graduates

• the attitude towards work scores an average of 3.27 as the highest

Analysis of employability of master degree graduates

• the attitude towards work scores an average of 3.27 as the highest

Analysis of difference in employability of different sexes

• It is significant difference in the domain of professional abilities and the domain of career planning and confidence.

• Further examination of the difference finds that male graduates have a higher degree of possession of both domains than female graduates.

Analysis of difference in employability of different sexes

• According to analysis of the difference in different sexes of master degree graduates in employability, there are significant differences.

Analysis of difference in employability of college graduates

and master degree graduates

• In general abilities, professional abilities, and work attitude, three domains, master degree graduates have a higher degree of possession than those with ordinary college degree.

Conclusions

• In the four major domains of employability, both college graduates and master degree graduates have a high degree of good attitude towards work, and a low degree of career planning and confidence.

Conclusions

• The results of this study show that there is significant difference in the degree of employability of college graduates, both better by male graduates than by female graduates.

Conclusions

• With different academic degrees, general abilities, professional abilities, and good work attitude are better possessed by master degree graduates than those with college degrees

The End

Thank you