Impact Study of Graduate Employability: A BSHRT Tracer Study

Abstract

The conduct of this tracer study will help determine the employability competency of the BSHRT graduates from 2012 to 2016 as assessed by the employers.To achieve the objectives of the study, the researcher used the descriptive method of research using the survey technique.The respondents of the study were the 226 Bachelor of Science in Hotel and Restaurant Technology graduates of Western Visayas College of Science and Technology which were composed of 42 from batch 2012-2013, 50 from batch 2013-2014, 63 from batch 2014-2015 and 71 from batch 2015-2016. The study has provided the evidences on the importance of aesthetic skills or appearance as an employable competency in the hospitality service sector. Prioritizing appearance as the top most employability competency that a student must possess is indicative of its prime contribution to the success of the business. Thus, most of the respondents attributed significant importance to the image of customer-facing staff. With employees now becoming a crucial part of the company image and service quality strategies of service companies there is the potential for judgements about the “right” kind of employee to be seen to be well-groomed and good looking.