Tracer Study on Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering Graduates of a Polytechnic College in the Philippines from 2007 to 2010

The main objective of the study is to determine the present employment status of the graduates of BS Electrical Engineering from 2007 – 2010. It established among others, the level of employment , professional registration, labour mobility, job satisfaction and utilization of skills. The study also assessed the relevance of the Electrical Engineering program outcomes and school factors to the world of work. The study had 79 respondents which were purposively selected because they used the same curriculum. A big number of graduates are passers of licensure examination and other certificates and attend to various relevant trainings. Significantly, findings revealed that the graduates are highly employable in a wide range of industry such as Consultancy, Design and Inspection, Operation, Maintenance and Repair and Electric Utility and holding a position that varies from supervisor, designer, academician, technician, and staff engineer. Metro Manila and its suburb turned out to be the number one importer of manpower although a significant number are employed in overseas. A high mobility rate was found among the graduates for various reasons, among others, low salary, insufficient benefits and hostile environments. Respondents, in general, acknowledge the positive contribution of the program to their professional development. They admitted that it developed their ability to engage in life-long learning, critical thinking, problem solving and communication skills. Recommendations for the improvement of the program were given, notably exposure to modern electrical equipment with hands- on experience on the different software used by the industry, and provide a course that will prepare them to supervisory and managerial positions.

Keywords – electrical engineering graduates, tracer study.