Employability of graduates :

Abstract

Busitema University is a multi-campus model public University located in the Eastern Region of Uganda. The University is composed of six operational campuses namely; Busitema, Nagongera, Namasagali, Arapai, Mbale, and Pallisa. Established by Statutory Instrument in 2007, the University focuses on relevant and critical study programs in Engineering, Science Education, Health Sciences, Natural Resources, and Environmental Sciences, Agriculture and Animal Sciences, Management Sciences, and Vocational Education. The university has constituted adaptive mechanisms to allow for feedback and continual improvement across the spectrum of its provisions. Some of the mechanisms include external examination, peer reviews, benchmarking, employer expectation surveys, tracer studies, graduate exit surveys, and students’ evaluation of teaching. These mechanisms are utilized to adapt the university's provisions to the requirements of its stakeholders. The university conducted the first tracer study in order to illuminate the complex transition from secondary school through university into work. This tracer study was conducted following the five sequential generic procedures for conducting tracer studies: Contact tracing; Compilation of sample frame; design of the questionnaire; administering the questionnaire and data capturing; cleaning and analysis. The total number of respondents from the Faculty of Engineering and Technology (FOET) was 228 against the total sample frame of 1177 representing a 19.4% response rate. The total number of respondents from the Faculty of Management Sciences (FMS) was 10 out of 22 (representing 45.5%) and 42out of 206 for the Faculty of Natural Resources and Environmental Sciences (FNRE) representing 20.4%.