Occupation and employability of Indonesian forestry science graduates (2008-2015)

Autor/Urheber	Barianti, Desiana Dwi
Titel	Occupation and employability of Indonesian forestry science graduates (2008-2015)
Quelle	(2019) PDF als Volltext kostenfreie Datei
Sprache	englisch
Dokumenttyp	online; Monographie
DOI	10.6094/UNIFR/151248
Schlagwörter	Forstwirtschaft; Ausbildung; Beschäftigungsfähigkeit; Kompetenz
Abstract	Background: Over the past two decades, a number of studies have drawn attention to the declining interest in professional forestry education and forest- and wood-based sectors. Indonesia is no exception. Factors contributing to this situation include the contraction of the forest- and wood-based sectors and the gap between graduates' competencies, types of their competencies and the demands placed on them. Objectives: The first objective is to describe graduates' employment and experiences finding employment after graduation. The second objective is to describe graduate employability, particularly in addressing issues of employment after graduation, from the perspective of forestry faculties. Finally, the third objective is to describe the issue and challenge of curricular relevance to the job market, particularly within the context of employment after graduation. Methods: We investigated the employment of Indonesian forestry graduates by exhaustively analyzing data from graduate surveys and interviews with stakeholders both within and outside forestry sectors following Schomburg's conceptual framework of mixed methods and statistical analysis of the graduate survey and interviews. Findings: The majority of respondents (73.2%) found employment within six months of completing their studies, which was slightly longer than average for fresh graduates in Indonesia. A vast majority of respondents used the internet, social media, and networking (alumni, friends, family) in their search for employment. The two biggest issues faced by respondents were the unavailability of jobs within their field of interest (39.8%) and respondents' lack of work experience. Interestingly, respondents said that they most frequently failed during job interviews (27.4%). They also believed that employers prioritized communication abilities (4.04/5), computer and IT skills (4.02/5), and practical skills (4.00/5) (e.g. mapping, GIS, fungiculture) in interviews. Surprisingly, graduates felt that mandatory and elective program courses contributed the least to their employability, while non-academic/extra-curricular activities such as internships and field work contributed the most. An approximately equal number of graduates (50.55% vs. 49.45%) found employment in the forest- and wood-based sectors and in the non-forest- and non-wood-based sectors during the studied years, and the majority of respondents (72.53%) worked for private companies. Overall, about 74% of graduates received a salary above the regionally-accepted minimum wage. However, looking at the trends from 2008 to 2015, respondents' salary growth decreased relative to the increasing national minimum wage, with the lowest salaries recorded in the survey being from 2014 to 2015 (-23.9%). The study also demonstrates that sociocultural factors (language, attitude) are valued highly, in accordance with local culture, policies, and requirements. Employers prefer hiring graduates from institutions that are attuned to their corporate culture and needs; as such, higher education institutions send signals to employers about credentials and qualifications on behalf of the institution and graduates. With regards to curriculum's relevance to the job market, we believe that the current curriculum set by the government (via DIKTI) is on track, i.e. being flexible, preparing students for more traditional jobs while simultaneously offering them more generic skills such as adaptability, problem-solving, analytical thinking, communication skills, and an understanding of social and cultural contexts. On the other hand, such "general" curricula may offer students vague career pathways and unclear information about what they should do upon graduation. Interpretation & Implication: This study's findings suggest that study programs might have over-supplied the job market with new graduates at a time when demand for such skills is decreasing, both due to declining growth in the forest- and wood-based sectors and a slow economy. Declining trends in salary may create problems; employees may lose the drive and confidence to update their skills and stay relevant in the forest- and wood-based sectors, and interest may wane. Findings also highlight shortcomings on curriculum relevancy in forestry degree programs, wherein the majority of respondents felt that mandatory and elective courses as well as their degree were irrelevant to the demands of their work, which indicates that the curriculum might be outdated and obsolete. While demand and interest for forestry graduates exists, the continuing decline in salaries raises concerns about study programs' future ability to attract a larger pool of good quality students and; this may create a shortage of forestry professionals in the long run. Keywords: forestry education, forest- and wood-based sectors, tracer study, graduate analysis, employability skills and attributes, competencies.
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