Transition from Study to Employment: A Graduate Tracer to Enhance Effectiveness of the Computer Science Program Curricula

Graduate tracer studies are motivated by the need for more information on the transition of students from university to the labor market. Lyceum of the Philippines University – Batangas (LPU-B) has increasingly offered a wide spectrum of higher education courses that provide students with the necessary tools enabling them to develop employability skills, heighten own awareness of these skills and improve their ability to articulate them. The Bachelor of Science in Computer Science program prepares students to be IT professionals and researchers who are proficient in designing and developing computing solutions. The program is being offered by the College of Computer Studies of Lyceum of the Philippines University – Batangas and it includes specialization tracks: Game Development, Mobile Application Development and Data Science. The college has produced graduates who have fared well in the business sector, as evidenced by previous tracer studies. The study intended to determine employment data; assess the work-related values gained by graduates; and provide a means to enhance the relevance of present course offerings. BSCS graduates are qualified for employment in various sectors of the business industry and do well in terms of getting full-time employment after graduation. Respondents consider “Perseverance and Hard Work”, “Courage” and “Obedience to Superior” as top 3 choices for work-related values gained that are most relevant in their line of work. An action plan has been designed and proposed to continuously enhance the relevance of course offerings of the BSCS program, thus ensuring the high employability of its graduates.

Keywords – Computer science, Employability, Graduate tracer, Tracer study