EMPLOYABILITY OF 2015 to 2018 GRADUATES OF NEUST SAN LEONARDO OFF-CAMPUS PROGRAM

Purpose — This research aimed to determine the employment status of NEUST Off-Campus Program San Leonardo Nueva Ecija graduates from 2015 to 2018 which also identifies the degree of contribution of skills and work-related values to the job placement of the 335 graduate respondents. Design/methodology/approach — Descriptive type of research was utilized in this research. Out of 500 questionnaires administered, 335 graduates returned answered questionnaires representing the three Colleges: Education, Management and Business Technology and Information and Communications Technology, and Associate in Hotel and Restaurant Management. Findings — Findings show that there is 86 percent of the graduates are gainfully employed locally with regular or permanent status who landed a job within 1 to 6 months. Likewise, the academic-acquired skills and competencies of the graduates are relevant to their chosen occupations. Practical implications — NEUST Off-Campus Program-San Leonardo, Nueva Ecija produces marketable and appropriately trained graduates with the majority landing in course-related jobs within a short period after graduation. Originality/value — The graduates possess the skills and competencies necessary to succeed in this competitive world. However, expansion of tieups with private business entities is made to at least maintain the high employability level of the graduates.


INTRODUCTION
Empowerment in terms of socioeconomic, political, and technical progress relies heavily on education. The economy of a country is fueled by the collective wisdom and expertise of its citizens. External investment, technological advancements, and globalization are all driving changes in the skillsets required. As the world around us evolves, people need to learn new skills in order to remain productive and earn a living.
Colleges and universities need to consider this when developing their curriculums for their student's educational needs. A tracer researchbased approach to course program quality assurance can have a significant impact on the long-term professional development of students who have already completed their studies. While many higher education institutions provide instruction to a range of clients, most of them forget about them when they graduate and leave the institution's surroundings without a way of contacting them any longer.
The majority of students, naturally, place a high value on their potential to find work after graduation and in the years to come. To help students enhance their employability skills and increase their ability to communicate with them, the campus has recently expanded its range of higher education courses to include a wide range of subjects. These abilities, once learned, must be practiced throughout one's career, not only during job searches and interviews but also in personal development plans and in making the most of work experience possibilities. There is no doubt that a student's ability to study and grow throughout his or her life is increased by the university. Nueva Ecija University of Science and Technology Off-Campus Program-San Leonardo, Nueva Ecija is an Educational institution that responds to the fast-changing demands of industries to competitive individuals. The demand prompted the institution to offer courses BS in Business Administration, Bachelor of This research also aimed to delivered achievements. This research aims to deliver on how graduates were in faring in their chosen field and further check on how effective the structure of the curriculum. The findings may be prime to the importance of the colleges they may be able to gain relevant knowledge to update their records of the graduates while at the same time they can assess the performance of their graduates.
This tracer study will also to provide new ideas to the alumni with regards to their employability readiness; this will help the teachers to update the standards who will take active participation in the globally competitive world for service and international development of the university. This tracer study has the following specific objectives: 1. Describe the profile of the respondents in terms of:

Importance of job creation.
Jobs in the private sector not only offer the labor force employment options and the purchasing power they receive as remuneration for their contribution to the product, but they are also responsible for creating the so-called multiplier effect through their employment. For example, the development of a new manufacturing plant will help bring about the usage of indigenous raw resources in the country, which in turn will contribute to the government's ability to fulfill its obligation to the people it strives to serve through taxes they pay.
Labor force aggregate purchasing power helps to stimulate the economy by raising production as they are all consumers, resulting in more efficient use of the country's resources when there is a high incidence of employment, but not full employment. With more people working, there is less time for crimes and criminality since more people are putting their time to good use. All of these benefits should be made clear to workers, who are entitled to a portion of them. If only for their own sakes, they have a moral obligation to ensure that businesses continue to operate, even if the owners of the business are not involved. Whenever a business closes or reduces its operations, it has a direct impact on workers and the economy. The knowledge gleaned from tracer studies can also be used to alter educational programs so that they better reflect the needs of the workforce and academics. Surveys have certain drawbacks, such as the difficulty of locating graduates and allowing them to fill out surveys.
Graduates may not always be able to identify the link between their studies and their professional lives, and research findings are significant only if they can be used to implement tangible reforms by planners.
However, the primary goal of this work was to investigate the employment situation of the graduates and discover how many of them had found their first job following graduation. It was necessary for the researchers to look at the graduates' important characteristics and judge whether or not these profiles had met their expectations so that whatever outcomes they could account for would be a useful forum for curriculum improvement and institutional advancement.

Graduate Employability
New graduates need more than academic knowledge in today's tough economy; they need skills that will help them land a job. As a result, colleges and universities must adapt to these shifts. Academia has been historically associated with the formation of moral and intellectual virtues and as a hub of civilization. They have become more utilitarian, with a concentration on professional training, as a result of rapid economic growth. Priority is to guarantee that education and training are responsive to the demands of the economy's varied sectors.

Furthermore, the Philippines' Commission on Higher Education is
spearheading an effort to perform GTS among chosen HEIs in order to acquire data that would reveal if HEIs are producing graduates that fit the needs of industry and society. Furthermore, through the GTS, higher education institutions (HEIs) would be able to better connect their efforts with the industry's personnel demands (CHED CMO numbers 38, 2006, 11, 1999. Graduates will be more productive, efficient, and knowledgeable in their current jobs as a result of their undergraduate specialization knowledge, skills, and competencies. Employees are considered to be regular employees if they are engaged to perform activities that are necessary or desirable in the employee's usual business or trade; except where the employment has been fixed for a specific project or undertaking, and the completion or termination of which has been determined at the same time of engagement, the employee is not considered to be regular. More than a majority of

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graduates have found work in their chosen field, however, those who didn't get hired cited the following reasons for their lack of success: busy as stay-at-home moms, while some continue their education.

Research Design
This research used the descriptive research method to analyze

Research Locale
This research was conducted in San Leonardo Nueva Ecija. This municipality is where the 2015 to 2018 graduates studied their Bachelor's Degree, and the majority of the respondents lived.

Sample and Sampling Procedure
Total enumeration was utilized to collect data in this investigation. Australian Bureau of Statistics (2013) defined total enumeration as examining every unit, individual, or thing in a population. Additionally, it is referred to as complete enumeration, which simply implies a complete count. The researchers chose this sampling technique because the total number of respondents was sufficient to obtain accurate data and information.

Data Collection
The researchers collected secondary data and relevant information from the Internet. Before the distribution, the researchers asked permission from the heads of the travel agency associations through a request letter duly signed by the researchers. After the distribution, the answered questionnaires were retrieved, and the data were tallied for interpretation.       because most of the respondents are fresh graduates and they can easily find a job if they start in their own province (10%) were not employed and 3% were self-employed. According to the respondents, they want to earn more experience in their hometown and province so that if they want to go abroad or to urbanized cities, they are more prepared and competent.  Assistants (4%) are employed to Support the marketing manager, they will be at the heart of driving marketing campaigns for a product or

Employment Status of the Graduates
service. An important cog in the marketing wheel, they will be expected to be involved at all levels, including drafting press releases, updating clients, and organizing promotional events. Marketing Staff (4%) are employed to perform marketing programs of the company. Sales Specialists (4%) are in charge of establishing sales objectives and handle all sales activities to fulfill these objectives. Their main responsibilities include preparing promotional materials, handling sales, and coordinating and supervising sales staff in performing the daily task. Sales Agent (4%) they are employed basic pay and commission basis their duties is to assist the clients and closed sales for products or services. Senior Legal Clark (4%) is the one who administered the employee in different areas they are employed in the office or bank to keep records and accounts and to undertake other routine administrative duties. Teller (3%) is the employee of a bank or similar institution whose job includes the responsibilities of helping the bank customer with their banking needs, such as depositing a check or making a withdrawal. Most bank tellers are located behind a counter or desk at the bank and communicate with the customer across the barrier. Some banks have implemented a driver-through system where tellers can help the customers with their banking needs without the customer having to leave their car.   3. Determine the reasons of the unemployed respondents. Pursue studying 3 9

Total 35 100
According to Table 8, the majority of respondents during the course of this research had just resigned from their former work.
According to respondents, they are looking for a more environmentally friendly Pasteur. Others have taken on parental responsibilities and begun their own families. On the other side, other respondents were awaiting a call from a prospective employer. According to respondents, once they receive the call, they will seize the opportunity promptly.
4. Determine the problems encountered by the employed respondents in terms of Job Performance.

CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS
This tracer study was conducted to determine the current employment status of the graduates and how far they have gone particularly in their achievement. This research also aims to deliver on how graduate was faring in their chosen field and further checked on how effective the structure of the curriculum of the colleges. The research was composed of 335 respondents. The two-part questionnaire was used for gathering data from graduates. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics like frequency count and percentage. A greater percentage of the respondents work along their field of specialization while others are working not related to their completed course. Salaries, benefits, and career challenges are some of the reasons for changing their job. They were

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looking for other companies where they can apply their knowledge and skills which will give them competitive compensation and benefits.
In line with the above discussion, the researchers recommended continuously practicing the high standards of instruction that the school has been provided. This can be done by providing faculty members with the most current information that can assist them to adapt their teaching methods to the needs of their students.
Another recommendation is to reevaluate the university's curriculum, methods, and other tactics in light of the industry's lack of requirements. Increasing students' exposure to a variety of training to better prepare them to take advantage of emerging market trends and opportunities. This research can serve as a starting point for curriculum building and syllabus revisions based on the most recent needs of various business, IT, and education sectors.
Finally, it is suggested that a new tracer study be carried out on the results of graduates' performances as observed by employers.
Identifying which fundamental subjects should be reworked as part of the curriculum improvement can help.