Trends for Placement in Field of Study - Research Paper

Problem Statement

The research organized by the college sought to investigate the employment challenges faced by the fresh graduates in the job market. Based on the data provided by a sponsoring college, the problem statement is as follows: The number of graduates employed in their field of study or continuing education in their field of study is declining.

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According to this research, 10-year research indicates an 86.25% average for the graduates who join employment after completing their studies. This is evident from the sample data conducted between 1992-2001, and 2002 and 2011. This is the data that excludes the number of graduates who opted to further their studies as well as those who opted to pursue employment off-field.

The 5-year average employment data according to the statistics is 85.7% for the number of graduates from the Central Pennsylvania College who got employment in-field. the 5-year average is calculated between a cohort of groups 1992-1996; 1997-2001; 2002-2006. The data excludes the graduates who failed to choose to further their studies and those who got employment off-field.

3-year average is 84.9%, following the same criteria from 1992-2017. This data is a clear indication fo the sharp decline of graduate employability in the system.

This information is presented to prospective students who seek to join the institution as an indicator of realities of the current job market. In fact, at times focuses on the ROI and percentage of possible career or continuing education placement. The academic Dean and Admissions Office is seeking a better definition of this trend.

Purpose

The purpose of this study is to validate or disprove the perception that there is a declining trend of graduates employability. The research also seeks to unearth the effect of classification of graduates and the chances of finding jobs in their field of study or the chances of being accepted in other institutions for those who choose to continue their education. If there is a statistically significant trend my task is to hypothesize or identify possible reasons why and to provide a recommendation for corrections.

This study focuses on providing critical empirical evidence and historical trends of the student college enrollment versus the job market trend. The researchers sought to determine the factors that contribute to the graduate enrolment to further studies. the empirical study will also help in realizing the factors that influence the graduates to pursue careers in off-field courses and success in such careers. The investigation of factors that influence an individual to pursue careers that they initially had not studied for in college helps in determining the variables that contribute to the student's ability to complete studies. This research will also help in ascertaining the relevance of classification to the availability of employment opportunities to the graduates as well as chances to pursue further studies. Most importantly, this study researches on variables for this learning institution and corporations related to graduate placement in their field of study or continued education acceptance. The final benefit of this research is learning how to provide better curriculum, career paths, and student support that assures the achievement of successful placement. The findings from this research will assist my sponsor college and other local colleges and universities to develop strategies to increase students' placement and completion rates in first career choice field. The findings will form guidance for students joining college to pursue relevant career lines that are befitting of their potential and interest, thus improving on their competencies in these fields against the stiff competition from some of the excellent graduates from the top universities and colleges across the country. The study will also provide the much-needed empirical evidence for educators and policymakers to utilize as a foundation to problem solve and develop more successful educational programs. This all ties to current responses given to the parent and student concerns about achieving an ROI on their education. The relatively high placement rate of this college is often the deciding factor for parents and students in hedging the current escalating costs of education.

Background Literature

After preliminary research, I have determined that my sponsor college's placement trendings might be reflective of a greater universal problem where many college graduates will not find employment in their area of study and many more will fail to succeed and develop as a professional in their area of professional study (Reporter, 2013; Salcito, 2014). Considering that my research sponsoring college is located in rural Pennsylvania, this study will either support or counter a previous study by Abel and Deitz (2014) defining limitations of rural colleges. I will control the variables to provide empirical evidence showing support for or refuting their claims that universities in Pennsylvania are not assisting their students to complete higher education and secure jobs. My sponsoring college prides itself on its rate of placement in the field of study or continued education acceptance. In fact, in the past as well as the present, placement and completion rates have been a focused marketing strategy for the college; thus, they are concerned if these rates are in fact trending downward as the cost of education continues to rise. If in fact, this is a reality, their concern might have merit and as indicated by the research performed by Leonhardt (2104) which revealed there is an alarming increased number of students with debt who lack their certificates because they did not complete their studies. from the data presented by the Central Pennsylvania College, it is sufficient to agree that the rate of gainful employment for graduates in their areas of expertise should be a matter that the society needs to take seriously. Also, the rates to which the students further their education is a moral obligation of the society at large. Considering that the debt value for households has increased from $3,517 to $8,500 a year, Leonhardt (2014) points to statistics showing how households with debt rose up to 14%. According to Carbone (2013), this problem exists only for low-income families, giving students from rich families an advantage since they do not acquire significant college debt. My sponsoring college addresses both these financial economic populations.

According to Luis Santos and Haycock (2016), the costs associated with tertiary education have increased exponentially. Therefore, the rate of successful placement in the field of study or continued education acceptance although not a guarantee is very important. A study by Contreras and Contreras (2015) demonstrated that college students' success and completion rates remained significantly low due to financial constraints and other factors. Other studies also show low completion rates among American university students, especially in low-income families (Armstrong & Zaback, 2014; Institute for Research on Higher Education, 2016). Therefore, it is such variables as the financial muscles and the economic conditions that dictate the decision of an individual to either pursue further education or to engage in a search for meaningful employment. This reality means that the majority of financially needy college students will always find it difficult to complete their studies all dependent on such factors as the family background from here they come. According to Vedder, Denhart, and Robe (2013), institutions with a significant success rate maintain a strategic advantage for enrolling students as compared to the ones with lower success rates.

This research seeks to use the affirmation from the NACE indicating a positive measurement of the impact of education on employment, earning or the choice to continue with studies. While the full benefits of full-time students are the personal growth for these students, it is also true that these students have plenty of benefits accrued on a lifetime basis upon their graduation. The graduating class composes of full or part-time students including the ones with permanent or temporary employment. The data indicate a strong linkage in employment for students in full-time programs compared to the ones in part-time courses. The employers prefer graduates who attended their classes fully as compared to the ones that had art time classes.

Lastly, my research seeks to analyze capstone projects versus internships in various institutions. This is similar to the longitudinal study by Materne, Henderson, and Eaton (2017) that demonstrated how Australian universities cooperated with healthcare facilities to improve the employability of students through student nurses' clinical placements. In a similar research, Trede and McEwen (2015) explored early placement experiences among Australian students by focusing on the ways to keep students enrolled and persisting with their studies. Other studies by Jackson (2016) and Elijido-Ten and Kloot (2015) also show how higher learning institutions can use placement as a good way of increasing students' completion rates. The evidence from Australia and other parts of the world can be used to create a framework for investigating rural Pennsylvania as an environment for learning and placement. As Trede and McEwen (2015) noted, the effectiveness of the collaboration between the employer and a university is critical to providing a favorable learning environment. This argument points out a possible challenge associated with rural areas, as my sponsoring school would be classified.

The National High School Alliance has designed a framework for stakeholders and leaders to plan and implement practices that align the school, community, state, and federal policy-based solutions (Liekar, 2012). It is logical that post-secondary institutions should follow the same footprint. In fact, my sponsoring college has focused on six critical principles which consist of empowered educators, learning environments suited for individual students, accountable leaders, integrated system of high standard and curriculum support, youth and community engagement (Liekar, 2012).

The Alliance argues that by encouraging students to pursue rigorous works in an environment where the six principles are followed, an automatic alignment will be developed between course content and assessment. Moreover, the students will test their capabilities and have an added advantage to obtain college credit and validation as well as access a post-secondary placement. The perceived alignment and these six elements might be a good resource for survey materials.

Conclusion

According to the AFT Higher Education (2016), it is the responsibility of the institutions to ensure the enrolled students achieve success after completion of their studies. The learning institution should have a shared understanding of the definition of student success. AFT members view student success as the ability of scholars not only to attain a degree but also to have the opportunity to participate in job training to improve their professional skills and have an added advantage in the employment sector. It is also essential for the faculty members of an institution to discuss how student success is articulated and refined to ensure students succeed in their educational journey. The current concern of my sponsoring college is the existence of evidence that might indicate trending in the wrong direction for addressing the issue of placement in the fiel...