Unveiling the Realities of Unemployment among BTVTEd Graduates: A Qualitative Insight into their Lived Experiences

Bachelor of Technical Vocational Teacher Education (BTVTED) graduates face the perennial problem that presents a significant challenge, specifically in teaching and employment. The study explores the unveiling of the realities of unemployment among BTVTED Graduates from Sultan Kudarat State University. A descriptive phenomenology research design was used to analyze the unveiling experiences of unemployed graduates, especially on their employment experiences, challenges, and coping strategies. The six participants were identified through purposive sampling, and the data gathered was conducted through individual in-depth interviews, which provided comprehensive information about the struggles and strategies employed during unemployment. The results unveiled key themes: (1) Systemic and Structural Barriers in the Job Market, (2) Family responsibilities as Employment Barriers, (3) Impact on Personal and Professional Identity and self-Concept, (4) Professional Qualification Barriers, (5) Emotional and Psychological Impact of Employment, (6) Relying to Social Networks, and (7) Pursuing Alternative Income and Business Ventures. The result reveals that the graduates struggle with external restrictions, a sense of self, professional connections, insufficient qualifications, financial instability, and limited teaching opportunities. Moreover, graduates were forced to seek an alternative professional path apart from education. Despite these hardships, the participants employed coping strategies to overcome these challenges, including skills enhancement, alternative employment, and personal resilience strategies. The study emphasized reevaluation in hiring policies to ensure fair employment opportunities based on merit rather than personal connections, integration of entrepreneurial and business management courses into the curriculum, and government agencies may develop more accessible training and upskilling programs to enhance graduates’ employability and graduates should consider alternative career paths and skills utilization in non-traditional employment sectors. These findings provided valuable discourse on teacher unemployment and provided insights supporting future educators for significant employment.