A TRACER STUDY OF BSAMT GRADUATES OF INDIANA

AEROSPACE UNIVERSITY FROM BATCH 1996-2002

A THESIS

Presented to the COLLEGE FACULTY

INDIANA AEROSPACE UNIVERSITY

Basak, Lapu-Lapu City, Philippines

In Partial Fulfillment of the

Requirements for the Degree

BACHELOR OF SCIENCE IN AIRCRAFT MAINTENANCE

By:

ARANAS, JANJAN

DELACRUZ, JAMES PATRICK

FABIANA, RIGIL KENTH

PALANAS, VINCE

VIOS, JOHN SETH

AUGUST 2017
 CHAPTER 1
The Problem
Introduction

In our generation today, our economy is ever changing and as with the highly

competitive labor market. Our country’s school system is challenged to be able to

produce educated men and women who would become the labor force of our time. It

appears however, that college education is seemingly lacking: there is a significant

supply of professions but a shortage of graduates with applicable or related skills and/or

education. In other words, the Philippine school system is failing to prepare and train

students to acquire employability skills that employers expect of workers and which

they, the employers, expect the development thereof through education.

Employability has been defined as "the capability of getting and keeping

satisfactory work"(https://www.kent.ac.uk/careers/sk/skillsintro.htm), it needs proper

sets of employability skills that has been expressed as "A set of achievements,

understandings and personal attributes that make individuals more likely to gain

employment and to be successful in their chosen occupations"( Peter Knight & Mantz

Yorke: HEFCE/DfES ESECT group).

There is a general belief that citizens are the most essential assets of every nation in

the world. This is because the success of the country in terms of economic stability and

progress is highly dependent on the quality of its manpower resources. Economic

development of a nation is one of the products of having educated citizens. The more

and the better educated people are the greater the chances of economic development.

The government is fully aware of this fact, which is why one of the basic thrusts of every

country is to provide quality education to its citizens. Education is the key towards
progress as it hastens power to liberate citizens from the grips of illiteracy, ignorance

and poverty. The Philippines, being one of the under developed countries in Asia, is

aware that it is also the best escape route from poverty.

On the most recent report of the International Labor Organization (ILO) “The

ILO’s Philippine Employment Trends 2015 report finds relatively high economic growth

rates of recent years, reaching 7.2 per cent in 2013 and 6.1 per cent in 2014. The

report also highlights that vulnerable employment, a measure of the quality of

employment, declined from 43.5 per cent in 2008 to 38.3 per cent in 2013. Likewise,

poverty rate among all Filipino workers saw a modest decline to 21.9 per cent in 2012

from 22.9 per cent in 2006.” Employment in the Philippines amounted to 38.1 million in

2013, a sizable increase of 4 million since 2008. The labour force also saw a faster

growth since 2008 among women (13.6 per cent) compared to that of men (10.1 per

cent).”( http://www.ilo.org/manila/public/newsitems/WCMS_362515/lang--en/index.htm)

so far it goes to show that the economy of the Philippines when it comes to employment

rates has been steadily increasing, but despite of all of this there are still a big

unemployment rate that is present in our country.

As of the moment there is a new commitment that is given by the Department of

Education (DepEd) saying from an article from December, 2016 “The Department of

Education (DepEd) reiterated its commitment to intensify efforts to provide quality,

accessible, inclusive, and liberating basic public education for all Filipino learners one

hundred days after the change of administration. “The role of education in improving

and uplifting the living standards of disadvantaged groups in the Philippines is not lost in

the administration’s agenda, in fact, it is the focal point of every reform and continuity
that we have been carrying out in our first 100 days,” Education Secretary Leonor

Magtolis Briones stated…With a 32-percent increase in the 2017 proposed P567.56

billion budget for education, the current administration is determined to push the budget

allocation closer to the international standard of six percent of the gross domestic

product (GDP). Such increment to the public education fund has also driven the

administration to strengthen its financial management by establishing reforms that

ensure availability and delivery of learning resources in both formal and non-formal

education.”( http://www.sunstar.com.ph/pampanga/local-news/2016/10/29/deped-

reiterates-commitment-accessible-inclusive-education-506481), further more education

chief of DepEd stated” “Engaging the participation of every sector is ensuring the

delivery of quality basic education for every Filipino learner. We intend to review and

fortify every possible partnership to ensure that at the end of the day, our learners are

enabled to move past the limits of their background and to move toward a life of

competence and opportunities,”( http://www.sunstar.com.ph/pampanga/local-

news/2016/10/29/deped-reiterates-commitment-accessible-inclusive-education-

506481). We can see just how much emphasis our country is giving towards education

as this impacts a lot when it comes to our labor force market.

Setting of the study

This study was conducted in Indiana Aerospace University (IAU), located at

Kagudoy Rd. Basak, Lapu-Lapu City, Cebu.

“its President and Founder, Dr. Jovenal B. Toring, took great risks to see the

young students’ dream become a reality. True, it was almost next to impossible to
acquire technical facilities, but Dr. Toring was never discouraged even when his efforts

were insignificant, for years even when all odds were against him.

Indiana Aerospace University is happy to reminisce its early beginnings in 1992

when had only 2 small buildings that served its few college students in its old campus.

It was formerly named Indiana School of Aeronautics, which, from the start, has been

blessed. Although it offered only airline related courses, it attracted many other young

people in due time, men especially, to nurture their interest in aeronautics because

there was only one other school in Lapulapu City offering such courses.”(

http://iau.com.ph/college/history/) Figure 1 shows the map of Indiana Aerospace

university as this is where the researchers are making and finishing said thesis paper.

Figure 1. Map of Indiana Aerospace University

Conceptual Framework

The Input-Process-Output (IPO) Model will be used as the Conceptual

Framework for this study. In the IPO model, a process is viewed as a series of boxes

connected by inputs and outputs. What goes in is the input; what causes the change is

the process; what comes out is the output. In this case, the input is the statement of the

problem (SOP); the process is the questionnaire/survey: and output, the

recommendation.

Input Process Output

•Statement of the •Questionnaire/Survey •Recommendations

Problems

Figure 2. Conceptual Framework Showing the Paradigm of the Study

Statement of the Problem

This study was geared towards finding the employability status of BSAMT

graduates of the Indiana Aerospace University based on their employment,

their statuses, and relevance of IAU curriculum and student's competency

received from the institution according to the current trends and demand in the

employment sector.

Specifically, this graduate tracer study sought answers to the following

questions:

1. What are the biographic characteristics of IAU graduates with regard to:

1.1 Gender;

1.2 Age bracket;

1.3 Marital status;

1.4 City of residence;

1.5 Region of origin; and

1.6 Ethnic group?

2. What are the educational, training, professional licensing qualifications

and competencies of the respondents in terms of:

2.1 Whether currently enrolled in another degree program;

2.2 Training/advance studies;

2.2.1 Reasons for pursuing advance studies

2.3 Professional licensure/eligibility examinations passed;

2.4 Enrolment situation during tenure at IAU;

2.4.1 Regular or irregular;

3. What is the employment status of respondents in terms of:

3.1 Whether currently employed;

3.1.1 Reasons why if not yet employed

3.2 Present employment status;

3.2.1 If self-employed, skills learned in college they are able to

apply

3.3 Current employer;

3.3.1 Industry;

3.3.2 Place of work;

3.3.3 Income level;

3.3.4 Job level position;

3.4 First job; and

3.4.1 How found;

3.4.2 How long did it take to land their first job;

3.4.3 Reasons for accepting first job;

3.4.4 Income level;

3.4.5 Job level position;

3.4.6 How long did they stay at their first job;

3.4.7 Reasons for staying on the job at first job; and

3.4.8 Reasons for leaving (if no longer at first job)

4 What suggestion may be forwarded to further improve the IAU B.S.

Aircraft Maintenance curriculum

Significance of the Study

One of the important ways of evaluating the effectiveness of an educational

institution is to keep track of its graduates. It is necessary to find out whether they are

employed, unemployed or underemployed in their occupation or vocation for which they

were trained; what these graduates are doing and in what ways the school helped them

in their present employment are valuable information in determining whether or not the

school is achieving its goal of providing quality education. Moreover, this study was

geared towards finding the weaknesses and strengths of IAU curriculum through the

performance of graduates in the board examination and the academic adequacy

preparation of students. The relevant data which will be gathered in this study will be of

value to the following:

Alumni

The findings and recommendations would be used to inspire and encourage the

alumni of the university in that specific course to help and recommend their fellow

graduates and alumni’s alike to job-vacancies because they are provided with objective

information that the graduates are well prepared for employment.

Administrators of the Indiana Aerospace University

As a pioneering school which offers aviation related courses in the Philippines,

the findings of this study will provide reliable information about the employability skills of

their graduates. As well as a baseline in which they would be able to identify and see

their weakness and strengths in their current curriculum and improve on what needs

improvement.
Employers

Both the government and the private sectors could make use of the result

as a spring board in the recruitment, selection and placement of highly-skilled

aircraft maintenance graduates.

Parents and the Community

The information that is derived from this thesis can help both the parents and

overall the community when it comes to their decision of investing on the future and

career path of their child.

Students of Aircraft Maintenance

The end-product of this research, here you will be able to see the growth rate of

your chosen field as well as be inspired for those graduates ahead of you who have

made it. you will be able to see the needs and the important things that you would need

in order to make it in your chosen field of specialty

The Respondents

The respondents of the study were BS Criminology graduates of the IAU for Academic

Years of 1996-2002.

Definition of Terms

The following have been used as follows:

Curiculum. This refers to the formal and informal content and process by which

learners gain knowledge and understanding, develop skills and attitude, appreciation

and values. As generally accepted, a standardized curriculum consists of what is taught,

and also considers the teacher's materials, the student’s materials, and school

experiences.

DepEd. It refers to the executive department of the Philippine government responsible

for the management and governing of the Philippine system of basic education. It is the

chief formulator of Philippine educational policy and is responsible for the Philippine

primary and secondary school system.

Employability. It refers to the position of skills and knowledge that allow individuals to

be employed in an occupation, or the fitness or availability for employment.

Employability Skills. This is defined as skills required not only to gain employment, but

also to progress within an enterprise so as to achieve one’s potential and contribute

successfully to enterprise strategic directions.

Employment. Refers to the state of having a job for which one receives money or other

compensation.

Employment Status. Refers to whether an employee is holding a permanent,

temporary, provisional, contractual or casual position.

Nature of employment. It refers whether a graduate is employed in line with his

specialization, employed but not in line of specialization or under-employed,

selfemployed or unemployed.

Tracer study. It refers to the type of descriptive research that investigates graduates

who had left the institution after completing the course or field of specialization. It is

concerned with what has happened to them and what has been the impact upon that

institution and its program.

 CHAPTER 2

Review of Related Literature and Studies

This chapter presents resources and literature of which the study is significantly

related. These resources and literature comprise mostly of books, newspapers and

research studies made by other researchers from the internet.

Foreign Literature

Ross (2000) mentioned that “industries complain that new recruits from schools

sometimes do not have the basic tools that are required. The skills mostly in demand by

the employers, as measured by the wide range of skills asked of future employees, are

typically the least in supply, as measured by the skills, abilities and competencies that

university graduates bring to the job. He emphasized that the goal of education is to

equip children to the best of their ability, for a lively, constructive place in society, and

also to fit them to do a job for work.”(http://www.eee-or_employment_web_version.pdf)

(https://www.umanitoba.ca/faculties/education/media/kwok-2003.pdf) “Cameron

and Chickering (1996) pointed out that the notion of employability skills development in

the university environment continues to challenge traditional thinking and concepts on

higher education and raises the question of the role a university education provides.

The rapidly changing economy has fuelled the desire for university graduates to adapt

according this poses a problem for universities because of growing dichotomy between

the purposes of education for employment and education primarily based on content

knowledge for its own sake. Current students view the purpose of university education

as a step to career preparation. Many faculty members, on the hand continue to uphold
the creation of knowledge and the development of intellectual mind while employers,

demand highly skilled-workers.”

Local Literature

Of the present this was taken out from another research paper of the same

subject, all of which literature focused on local spoke persons, presidents and other high

rising persons of the relation of education to employment,” Camaro (1991) pointed out,

that the transition of the Philippines from an agro-industrial to a newly industrialized

country necessitates the acceleration of industrial development which requires the

development of highly skilled manpower that would bring about the modernization of

industrial production system. Industries are built to meet local consumption, produce

exportable goods, create job opportunities, provide income for the people and enhance

socio-economic development.

Gloria (1995) pointed out that one of the problems of college graduates is job

placement. Aware of this condition, the government, as well as educational institutions,

is doing its role so as to alleviate employment problems. The government is trying to

identify effective programs that will provide college graduates with employment which

could make them productive and relevant to their training skills. Colleges and

universities gear their curriculum towards the demand of economy. Innovations are

being introduced in the country’s educational system to make it more responsive and

relevant to the pressing needs and demand of the country.

As Santos (2000) puts it, there is, therefore a compelling need for education leaders to

face the challenge of “adaptive change” or be left behind by nations, which are trailing

us today. Speaking before the General Assembly of the Philippine Accrediting

Associations of Schools, Colleges and Universities (PAAECU), Gloria said that it is the

quality graduates that measure the quality of schools. He encouraged the used of

mechanism of voluntary accreditation, likewise the benefit of the accreditation now

granted to school by way of liberalizing administrative and academic regulations, as well

as grants of subsidies and other financial incentives. He also emphasized to the

delegates the role of voluntary accreditation in improving the quality of higher education

in the country. (Eddie Castro, “Quality Schools Equal Quality Education” Manila Bulletin,

Manila Publishing Corporation).

President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo (May 18, 2010), Cited the role of academic

community during the CHED’s 16th Anniversary, particularly the Commission on Higher

Education (CHED) in strengthening the economy and education must be the center of

any government platform. She pointed out the importance of working towards achieving

a main education highway towards a knowledge-based economy that will result in a

seamless education from reschool to tertiary level. She further recommends that there

must be consultation between academe and industry and business leaders to determine

new skills needs for present and future manpower. Thus, the objective of such

consultation is to make the skills of our college graduates more relevant to the jobs with

high demand, therefore closing the job-skills gap and improving the employability of

the graduates. She further stated “We want a seamless education highway toward a

knowledge-based economy because we are in the knowledge century and I desire to

see a brighter future for the hardworking men and women of his nation. I have an

abiding interest in seeing your clients and mine, in other words, the students of higher

education, come into their own, and seized the value of modernity and education and
use these tools to advance themselves and the

nation.”(https://www.scribd.com/doc/104634902/Criminology-Thesis-Graduate-Tracer-

Study-PCCR-Graduates)

According to a study of Asian Development Bank (2008) “labor mismatch slows

Philippines economic growth. Schools in the Philippines are producing the wrong kind of

skills for its labor market needs, which is hurting economic growth There are too many

educated .people chasing too few jobs. In the study made by ADB Hyun H. Son, he

found the per capita labor productivity plummeted between 1997 to 2003 as “those with

higher education have crowded out the less educated in terms of job opportunities”. He

also added that with higher education being an “important determinant of employment”

in the Philippine market “by productivity jobs are taken over by the more educated labor

force,” which in turn, has lowered the price for skilled labor over the period.” Further,

Son findings show “that current education sector does not supply the right kind of skills

that are demanded by labor market.” Accelerating growth would require government

action in addressing the labor mismatch. From policy perspective, going beyond

universal coverage in education is imperative because what is required is an expansion

of the supply of the right kind of skills.”( https://www.adb.org/data/main).

In the survey conducted by Personnel Management Association of the

Philippines (PMAP) (as cited by Mr and Ms Magazine, 2001) it presented three (3) main

findings. First, first jobbers have a low level of competence especially in handling and in

the use of the state-of-the-art technology such as computer software and new

instruments. Ii this regard, there is a mismatch between the educational preparedness

of the graduates and the demands of employment in this respect. Second, the
graduates’ analytical skills are not sharp enough, particularly in problem-solving and

decision-making. Third, the first jobbers have underdeveloped work values. They lack

enthusiasm, innovativeness and selfconfidence. It is quite clear from these findings and

recommendations by the PMAP that the fresh graduates have a lot of thing to excel as

first jobbers. Salalila, et.al. (2007) conducted a tracer study on the employability of

Bachelor of Secondary Education and Bachelor of Science in Industrial Education

graduates from years to 2002 to 2006. They revealed, among others, the following:

1. The BSIE major in different technology courses have a wider opportunity ‘in finding

employment in the industrial manufacturing sector than BSED graduates;

2. Majority of the graduates of the two programs are gainfully employed in line with their

fields of specialization;

3. A big number of licensure examination for teachers (LET) passers ate teaching their

major fields while the non-passers and non-takers in the year they graduated were

underemployed and a handful of them were unemployed due to non-availability of jobs

related to their specialization; and

4. Only a few of BSIE graduates were self-employed due to lack of capital. Sadac

(2003) conducted a follow-up study of the civil engineering graduates of the University

of the Assumption from school year 1995-1996 to 1999-2000. She found out that an

alarming 30% are not presently employed. Of those employed, 76.8% are involved in

jobs or tasks related to civil engineering related jobs. Most of the graduates landed their

first job within two years after graduation. Findings revealed the five most common

problems in obtaining employment: 1) salary offer is too low; 2) there is little or no

advancement; 3.) job is to far from home; 4) there are no job opportunities, and 5)

working conditions are not satisfactory.

Rodriguez (2001); analysed the school and soda-psychological determinants of the

employability of the graduates of the technical vocational education program of two

institutes of higher learning in region 1, and revealed that there was no significant

relationship found that exist between employability and school characteristics. Positive

and significant findings were established between employability and social

characteristics.

As this is not the first tracer study that was conducted we can see already the

factors that impact the employment rating of graduates from all kinds of degrees and

courses. Some even when as far to see the kind of education that we have here by

tracing it all the way back by profiling highschoolers: On the profile of high school

graduates, Rapenet (2000) also found out that the typical high school graduate was 17

years old at the time that the study was conducted. This means that he/she was able to

finish elementary and high school levels of basic education without repeating any grade

or year, and about one-fourth of the total number of graduates were over age (18-37)

when they graduated. Many of these graduates might be those who benefited from the

putting up of barangay high schools or who had taken advantage of the vocational

secondary schools that were accessible in the rural areas. On the proportion of male

and female graduates in the different career paths with 2,262 graduate subjects, 1,138

or 50% are enrolled in college. Of the 1,138 in college, 464 or 41% are males; 674 or

59% are females. There are more females enrolled in college than males.
Relevance of the Reviewed Literature and Studies

The readings from the different literature both foreign and local had given the

researchers greater justification to conduct a tracer study of the 1996-2002 graduates of

Indiana Aerospace University (IAU). Considering that the aim of this educational

institution (IAU) is to provide quality education and develop proficient, legally and

licensed professionals in the field of Aircraft Maintenance, the school must be made

aware of the current status of their graduates. With the outcome of this research, the

school could come-up with a concrete solution to address the flaws that the institution

has. It is deemed relevant to the above cited literatures in a sense that they both reflect

the significant role of school in producing quality graduates and status of the graduates

in terms of employment, the relevance of the program that the students had from the

institution to the previous and present job of the graduates.

 CHAPTER 3

METHODOLOGY AND RESEARCH DESIGN

This chapter is a presentation of the methodology of research and research

design, as well as the sampling of the respondents, tools for the data collection

procedure, instruments/ toots of measurement and the statistical treatment of data.

Methodology of Research

The researchers utilized the descriptive method of research. According to

Calderon and Gonzales (1993, 61), descriptive studies are purposive processes of

gathering, analyzing, classifying and tabulating data about prevailing conditions,

practices, processes, trends and cause-effect relationships and then making adequate

and accurate interpretation about such data with or without the id of statistical tool.

The primary aim of the study was to determine the status of the employability of

graduates; their professional examination passed; the relevance of their course with

their current employment. Employability of graduates will be described in terms of the

nature of employment, type of work, job satisfaction and reasons for job satisfaction.

The study presented facts about the level of responsiveness of the program to the

manpower needs of the industries, factors contributory to its responsiveness and the

suggestions of the graduates to further enhance the program.

Respondents of the Study

The Bachelor of Science in Aircraft Maintenance of Indiana Aerospace University

from academic year 1996-2002 totaling one hundred twenty-one (121) based on the

master list given by the registrar, of this a total of SIXTY (60) respondents will compose

the research sample, or a total of 50% of the whole research population.

 Table 1 shows the total number of graduates and total number of respondents

thereof.

Table 1

Distribution of Respondents Relative to the Number of Graduates

Academic Year Total Number of Number of Sample

Graduates Respondents

1996-2002 121 60

Sampling Scheme

The researchers made use of the convenience and accidental sampling

methods. Convenience sampling is a process of picking out people in the most

convenient way to immediately get their reaction to a certain hot and controversial

issue. In accidental sampling, there is no system of selection. Only those whom the

researchers or interviewer met by chance are included in the sample. Sampling was

done by:

1. Getting a list of the total population;

2. Facebook messaging or emailing randomly, those from the list with contact

information. In cases where respondents are unavailable or unwilling to cooperate,

others were chosen using the same procedure, repeating the process until ample

responses were collected.

Data gathering instrument

The major instrument used in gathering the data was the questionnaire. The

questionnaires were all made up from the researchers and minor revisions were done

as the research came by. The instrument that used on the presumption that

respondents are literate and clearly motivated and willing to participate.

The reasons of the researchers for using the questionnaire are:

1. It is a less expensive procedure, requiring less skill to administer and

could be administered to a large number of respondents simultaneously;

2. it ensures some amount of uniformity from one measurement situation to

another because of its standardized wording, order of questions and

instructions for recording responses;

3. In completing questionnaires, respondents have confidence in their

anonymity so that they will be free to express their views; and

4. It exerts less pressure on the respondents to provide immediate response

Data gathering procedure

The following procedures had been undertaken in gathering data after the

validation of the instrument:

1. Submitted letter request to the Office of the Registrar to obtain the

name of respondents;

2. Uploaded the questionnaire through Facebook, a social networking

internet site; and looked for respondents there, messaging them and asking them to

participate in the study

3. Scanned, sorted and tallied the responses;

4. Tabulated arid computed the data gathered with the assistance of the

adviser and thesis professor;

5. Analyzed and interpreted the data; and

6. Presented the data in textual and tabular presentation with due

consideration of the sub-problems and hypothesis of the study.

Statistical Treatment of Data

The following statistical procedures were used to attain an in-depth analysis of data:

1. Frequency count. This determined the number belonging to a group.

2. Percentage. This was used to determine the magnitude of a portion of a variable to

the whole, following the formula:

Percentage: % = f/n x 100

Where:

f = the frequency

n= the sample size

3. Ranking. This was used to determine the category of responses depending on the

magnitude of the variable. The method of ranking comprised of assigning numbers (or

rank) according to their value relative to the others in the array. The greatest value is

ranked as ‘1’, the next, ‘2’, and so forth. For variables that share the same rank

(duplicate ranks), the subsequent rank adjusts down according to the total duplicate

ranks. E.g., if there exists two variables ranked as ‘5’, the subsequent rank assignment

will be ‘7’.