Trailing the Gap between the Competencies of Bachelor of Science in Business Administration Graduates with Industry Demands: As Viewed by the Employers

Employees are increasingly seen as a company’s greatest asset. As a result, educational institutions must ensure that their curricula are in line with society’s demands and needs. A university’s ability to produce high-quality graduates based on the market demands can be assessed by the feedback that institutions obtain from the employers of the alumni. Besides, this assessment can be considered as the greatest approach to gauge the efficiency of the programs and the marketability of their graduates. Thus, this research aims to assess the performance of the 2019 and 2020 Business Administration Major in Marketing Management graduates of the Nueva Ecija University of Science and Technology—Tabon Annex as observed by their current employers. To assess the employer’s feedback on the performance of the graduates, the researchers employed a descriptive research method and the data gathered were interpreted using the frequency, percentage distribution, and weighted mean. The results gathered were established with the use of a survey questionnaire that was administered through the use of digital platforms. This study used two (2) sets of questionnaires: one for the graduates to describe their current employment situation, and the other for their current employers or immediate supervisors to assess their performance. The findings showed that the majority of recent graduates were employed and had been with their present employers for over a year at the time of the conduct of this research. More than half of the employed are regular workers and almost all of them are rank and file employees. Results of the survey revealed an exceptional rating from the employers in terms of work attitude, communication skills, numerical competency, information technology literacy, interpersonal skills, record keeping skills, and technical skills. Favorably, the employers positively evaluated the competencies of the graduates in terms of the Program’s Educational Objectives. Overall, there is no doubt that the graduates met or surpassed the organizations’ expectations in almost every quality demanded by the workforce. Hence, the researchers proposed that the university focus on combining educational training with industry and market demands. Furthermore, it is recommended that the business administration graduates should not be limited to functioning as employees; instead, they should be exposed to a variety of entrepreneurial activities. Lastly, the university should deliberate about revisiting, revising, and expanding the course curriculum to better prepare its future graduates for the real battlefield after graduation.