Assessing the Employability of BS Accountancy Graduates of Notre Dame of Marbel University, South Cotabato, Philippines

This study was conducted to determine the employment status, career preparation, and employability of Bachelor of Science in Accountancy graduates of Notre Dame of Marbel University from the school year 2013 to 2020. Specifically, the study aims to describe the demographic profile, employment profile, level of educational experience, and level of satisfaction of graduates. It also aims to determine the level of job preparation of graduates in terms of undergraduate preparation from NDMU, professional competencies perceived to be useful in the job, quality of learning gained from NDMU, and other support services from NDMU. A descriptive research design was utilized to explore the key variables of the study. The significant findings reveal that the majority of the graduates are relatively young, female, and single. The majority of them have passed the Licensure Examination for CPAs and only a few are Master’s degree holders. Also, the majority of the graduates are currently employed and are currently hired as accountants in either a government or private organization with a regular or permanent status. The study further revealed that graduates have a very high level of preparation at NDMU in taking the CPA licensure examination and the skills and competencies necessary for their first job experience. Moreover, graduates perceived professional skills learned at NDMU to be extremely useful in their jobs. Graduates also rated the quality of learning gained at NDMU to be excellent as well as the other support services offered by NDMU as excellent. Overall, graduates are extremely satisfied with their academic experience and student life at NDMU and this indicates that the NDMU preparation significantly influences the graduates’ employability. Recommendations to further improve the curriculum of the program include longer OJT hours to expose students to the actual work of the profession and integrate accounting software that is widely used by businesses as well as improving the support services of the university. Ensuring that the graduates are equipped with the comprehensive knowledge, essential skills, and a strong sense of self-efficacy required by industry demands can significantly increase graduates’ chances of employability right after passing the board examination.