Assessing Pre-Service Teacher Education and Graduate Employability

The pre-service education in teacher training institutions is vital in determining the graduate’s readiness to proceed to the teaching profession. One important indicator of graduates’ preparedness is their employment in jobs related to their college degrees. This paper assessed the pre- service education curriculum of a state college in Bicol region based on the educational experiences and employment status of graduates. Specifically, this study looked into the curriculum in terms of teachers’ performance and relevance of subjects; effectiveness of student services; adequacy of facilities and materials; and the employment-related experiences of graduates. The difference per batch in the assessment of the curriculum was also determined. The descriptive-survey method was used to trace 127 graduates from 2009-2012. The curriculum was effective on the development of personal and professional competencies, values formation and meeting educational standards. Teachers’ performance was rated good and courses were found very relevant to their work as teachers. Student services were considered effective while laboratories, equipment and instructional materials were found adequate. Readiness for the job contributed to immediate employment while lack of job opportunities caused the delay. There were significant differences in perceptions among batches on the performance of teachers in Languages, Humanities and Social Sciences and the adequacy of materials in science laboratories. The curriculum could be enhanced with the improvement of student services, in-house review for licensure examination, assignment of qualified teachers to handle professional education and content courses and development of entrepreneurial skills of students.

Keywords– Academic performance, Curriculum, Employment status