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Evaluation of Employability Determinantsof Information Technology Graduates

in Metro Manila: A Strategic Business Model

By: Felicidad O. Ordoña DBA, SY 2013

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Introduction In a world where knowledge is a critical

element for nations to prosper and compete, excellence is based on the quality and relevance of education and how it can ensure that graduates have the knowledge, skills, attitudes, and values that industries need. The changing nature of work environments, the emergence of technology-driven processes, and the diversified needs of clientele are challenging the ability of Higher Educational Institutions (HEIs) to meet the demand for employable graduates (DeGuzman and DeCastro, 2008).

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Introduction The real problem of our country is not totally

unemployment, but the inability to generate qualified graduates to fill in the needed supply in the job market, and the Information Technology (IT) graduates’ is no exception in the increasing trend to the mismatch of education output and industry needs (Asian Development Bank, 2008).

Thus, the study will evaluate the employability determinants of Information Technology Graduates, if the skills and competencies acquired from HEIs match or fit those required by businesses and/or software industries.

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Theoretical FrameworkOld

New

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Conceptual Framework One very useful approach to educational

evaluation is known as the CIPP, or Context, Input, Process, Product approach, introduced by Daniel Stufflebeam in 1966 to guide mandated evaluations of U.S. federally funded projects because these emergent projects could not meet requirements for controlled, variable-manipulating experiments, which then were considered the gold standard for program evaluations. Since then, the model has been widely applied and further developed in 1983.

The CIPP Model for evaluation is a comprehensive framework for guiding formative and summative evaluations of programs, projects, personnel, products, institutions, and systems.

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Conceptual Framework

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Research Paradigm

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Statement of the Problem1. What is the company profile of the companies included in this research in terms of the

following: 1.1 Type of business, 1.2 Company size, 1.3 Total number of employees, 1.4 Products and services, and 1.5. System/software packages and language used?2. What is the professional profile of the respondents in this study in terms of the following: 2.1 Educational attainment 2.2 Position in the company, and 2.3 Length of service in their current jobs3. What is the level of preparedness of the respondents in this study in relations to the following: 3.1 Knowledge of computers, 3.2 Skills on the use of computers, 3.3 Other allied competencies, and 3.4 Attitudes and values?4. To what extent do the preparedness variables, namely; 4.1 Knowledge of computers, 4.2 Skills on the use of computers, 4.3 Other allied competencies, and 4.4 Attitudes and values significantly affect the employability of IT graduates of educational institutions?5. How did the respondents rate their level of employability vis a vis the computer education they

have acquired in their respective educational institutions?6. What “Strategic / Employability Business Model” can be drawn and designed for this study?7. Based on the results of the research, what Academic–Industry Program can be designed to

optimize the preparedness and consequently, the employability of Information Technology graduates, and the capabilities set by the Computer Software industries/businesses?

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Hypotheses of the Study1) There are no significant differences on the employability

determinants of IT graduates as perceived by the IT manager and IT personnel with respect to the level of preparedness on: a) knowledge of computers, b) skills on the use of computer software packages and languages, c) other allied competencies, and d) attitudes and values;

2) Knowledge of computers significantly affects the employability of Information Technology graduates;

3) Skills on the use of computers significantly affect the employability of Information Technology graduates;

4) Other allied competencies significantly affect the employability of Information Technology graduates; and

5) Attitudes and values significantly affect the employability of Information Technology graduates.

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Significance of the StudyThis study is going to be significant to the following, so that they will understand the role and

impact on the preparedness of Information Technology graduates in respect to their job responsibilities:

Institutional Executives. This study will give them impetus and insights on the role of technology in their institutions, thereby, realize and understand the multifaceted nature and management of technology in education and prepare students to make them employable and meet the demands of the industry.

The IT Faculty. This study hopes to enhance them to understand the conditions under which they work and aid their efforts to make the best uses of technology in their classrooms, laboratories, and offices. Only with these efforts can faculty defend against technologies threats to high quality teaching, academic freedom and supportive working environments.

The IT Graduates. Through the use of advanced technology, interactive learning does not only take place which can simulate students to think, get motivated and involved in enhancing their learning and problem-solving skills, but also will have access to high quality education including workstations, online learning, rich interactive information resources, excellent books and custom-published materials. These collaborative work challenges them to use the rich information resources available that meet their individual learning needs, abilities, preferences, and interests thus making them qualified for any job positions that are available in the industry based on their college degrees earned.

Stakeholders/Employers - This study will enable the employers to assess the employability and preparedness of information technology graduates to perform work responsibilities vis a vis their related IT course finished in tertiary education to meet the business and/or industry needs.

The Other Researchers. This study will enrich the dearth of studies on graduates employability and job preparedness of graduates to meet the challenging needs of the industry.

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Scope and LimitationsThe study will cover only the Employers/Managers and IT

personnel of fifteen (15) member–companies of Philippine Software Industry (PSIA) such as:(1) ACCENTURE(2) Advance World System (AWS) Information Systems(3) Computer Professionals Inc(4) Entertainment Gateway Group Corp (EGG)(5) FUJITSU Ten Solutions Philippines Inc(6) Hewlett-Packard(7) IBM Phils.(8) Innove Communications (Globe Telecoms)(9) LOGICA Philippines(10)Microsoft Philippines(11)MSIT Solutions(12)Netsuite(13)Orange & Bronze Software Labs(14)Novare Technologies and (15)TELUS International.

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Research DesignA descriptive study method of research will be

used. The structured and unstructured questionnaires will be used to gather data through email and direct interviews from respondents. Being descriptive, the study will find out the employability determinants that contribute to the preparedness of Information Technology (IT) graduates that will match the skills and capabilities set by IT software industry. These specifications will be analyzed to establish the extent of agreement or lack of agreement between groups of respondents.

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Locale of the StudyThis study will be conducted to only recognized institutions and the

software industry member–companies of Philippine Software Industry (PSIA) in Metro, Manila. These fifteen (15) member–companies of Philippine Software Industry (PSIA) include: (1) ACCENTURE(2) Advance World System (AWS) Information Systems(3) Computer Professionals Inc(4) Entertainment Gateway Group Corp (EGG)(5) FUJITSU Ten Solutions Philippines Inc(6) Hewlett-Packard(7) IBM Phils.(8) Innove Communications (Globe Telecoms)(9) LOGICA Philippines(10)Microsoft Philippines(11)MSIT Solutions(12)Netsuite(13)Orange & Bronze Software Labs(14)Novare Technologies and (15)TELUS International.

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Respondents of the StudyAs indicated in the “Locale of the Study”, the population will

include fifteen (15) member–companies of Philippine Software Industry (PSIA).

The sample respondents from each of the fifteen (15) companies will consist of :

(a) ten (10) I.T. personnel, and (b) two (2) I.T. managers / direct supervisors. Thus, the total expected respondents of one hundred eighty

(180) for the sample size consists of: (a) one hundred fifty (150) I.T. personnel, and (b) thirty (30) I.T. managers / direct supervisors.

The sample size is approximately ten percent (10%) of the estimated population, based on the Central Limit Theorem.

The analysis will lead to the industry-academe program that can be designed to optimize the preparedness and consequently, the employability of Information Technology (IT) graduates.

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Research Instrument The survey questionnaire was self-developed by the

researcher. It consists of seven (7) parts, namely: (1)Company Profile, (2)Professional Profile of the Respondent, (3)Knowledge on Computers, (4)Skills/Abilities on Computer Packages/Languages, (5)Other Allied Competencies, (6)Attitudes and Values, and Other Skills, (7)Evaluation .

Most of the question items in the instrument are in nominal scale and ordinal scale, where respondents are simply to indicate or encircle the response from a Four(4)–Point–Likert Scale consisting of : 4–Strongly agree, 3–Agree, 2 –Disagree and 1-Strongly disagree

The two (2) sets of questionnaires were constructed by the researcher to find out the employability determinants that contribute to the preparedness of Information Technology graduates that will match the skills and competencies required by the businesses software industries.

Survey questionnaires (Appendix B - For Executives - Form1) will be administered to employers/managers/supervisors of Philippine software industry companies, while (Survey Questionnaires for IT Personnel – Form2) will be given to graduates of Information Technology related courses.

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Statistical TreatmentIn analyzing and interpreting the data to

be gathered, the following statistical tools and techniques will be used.

1. Percentage2. Weighted Mean3. Kruskal-Wallis One-way Analysis of

Variance 4. T-test 5. Regression Analysis