The caring hands : a tracer study of UM Bachelor of Science in Social Work graduates

Abstract

A tracer study is considered as the appropriate means of evaluating the results of the education and training provided by an academic institution. The BS Social Work graduates of the University of Mindanao needs to be evaluated based from where they are right now in their employment or social work practice and also to ascertain if their field of specialization and academic acquired skills and competencies are related to their present occupation. A modified Tracer Study Questionnaire was utilized to gather quantitative data and open-ended questions were given to graduates who were reachable. A soft copy of the questionnaire was also sent through email which facilitated data gathering even those from outside the country. A total of 223 graduates responded and simple statistical analysis was used to tabulate and analyze the information while qualitative analysis was utilized to analyze and interpret the open-ended questions. The findings revealed one of the graduates’ claims that their knowledge, academic acquired skills and competencies contributed greatly in their job performance. Majority of the graduates acquired their first jobs within one year and all of them are presently employed. The tenured ones are enjoying high positions either in public, private and Non-government organizations.

Keywords: Caring hands, tracer study, skills, graduates’ employability, Social Work, University of Mindanao.