SECOND TRACER STUDY OF CHANCELLOR COLLEGES BACHELOR OF EDUCATION SCIENCE GRADUATES

Executive Summary

The aim of the second tracer study was to establish how Bachelor of Education (Science) graduates were performing in industry after their time at Chancellor College and how the College could work to improve the quality of the programme. Thus, the study was conducted with the following specific objectives: (1) get feedback from graduates on the environmental conditions regarding their training before and during their time at Chancellor College, (2) examine the current employment status of the graduates with the aim of establishing if Bachelor of Education (Science) graduates were employed, self-employed or whether they were still looking for employment, (3) assess the extent to which the Bachelor of Education (Science) programme equipped the graduates sufficiently for the workplace, and (4) determine the extent to which graduates were satisfied with the training at the College and with work. The two main techniques used to collect data were phone calls and online questionnaire. Out of the targeted population of 58 Education Science graduates, 47 graduates, representing 81% response rate, participated in the survey.

The findings of the study were that nearly 81% of the graduates who participated in this survey were employed and most of them were working in economic areas of education, health, banking, and tobacco industries. The Bachelor of Education (Science) programme equipped them with the necessary skills which they were then using on the job. However, respondents observed that internship and practical work were not strong enough in the programme, which made it difficult for them to meet the work practical demands at entry level of employment. Students in the study also rated very highly the quality of teaching and assessment at the College, although the quality of buildings, and availability of resources and books were rated poorly. In terms of graduate satisfaction with programme, 81% of the graduates indicated that they were satisfied with the Bachelor of Education (Science) programme and 77% indicated that they were satisfied with their job. To strengthen the programme, the study recommends that the internship or practical attachment programme should be made mandatory for the Bachelor of Education (Science) programme and that the programme should require each student to write a dissertation.