1. GRADUATE TRACER STUDIES
AFRICAN CENTERS OF EXCELLENCE II
GRADUATE TRACER STUDIES
ACE II Technical and Advisory Meeting
Addis Ababa, April

2. WHAT ARE GRADUATE TRACER STUDIES?
ACE II
GTS are surveys designed to capture critical labor market information on graduates of HE and TVET institutions
Most ACEs and host universities do not systematically trace their graduates
A planning tool for ACEs
Can be expanded to include Employer Surveys to understand demand for skills and their feedback on the graduates’ performance and their suggestions on how to improve the skills

3. Example of employer survey questions
ACE II

4. Example of employer survey questions
ACE II

5. WHAT TYPE OF INFORMATION IS GATHERED
ACE II
The content of the GTS varies– the more detailed, the more interesting
Objective information:
Background information: gender, household size, household heads education level etc. (used in regression analysis)
Program information (first degree, field, was it first choice, type of program- part-time, full-time, day time, night time etc.)
Employment ( where they work, type of employment and status, how many months to find, remuneration etc.)
Subjective information:
Preparation level for work place in terms of skills, knowledge.
Rating of study provisions and conditions in the program
Identify weaknesses in program, incl. irrelevant courses
Suggested improvements to program

6. WHEN TO CONDUCT A GRADUATE TRACER STUDY?
ACE II
The points of data collection vary, depending on the predefined objectives of the institutions
Education program
Graduating cohort
Exit survey
Graduate Tracer Study
Graduation + 1 year
Graduation + 3 years
Ideally an annual exercise

7. WHAT ARE THE OBJECTIVES OF GTS?
ACE II
Information is empowering for the institution, the students
Evaluate the relevance of programs offered in labor market
Development of institution curriculum/ course
DATA FROM SURVEYS
Accountability mechanism which contributes to accreditation process [benchmarking]
Source of information for students, parents, lecturers and administrators
Based on University Kassel INGRANET schema

8. WHAT ARE THE OBJECTIVES OF GTS? (2)
ACE II
Accountability: Developing best practices at the institutional level.
Linked to DLR 2.8 : Institutions participating in benchmarking exercise which will include GTS
Information for students, parents, administrators and faculty:
Administrators may use the information as marketing tool for programs
Developing direct channels with employers/private sectors– jobs fairs, direct recruitment
Tool for administrators: e.g. using data from strong programs to support the creation of financing instruments with commercial banks to allow a greater number of students to enroll (repayment upon employment)

9. DESIGN OF GTS
ACE II
The design of the survey should be informed by the predefined objectives (what information is the institution seeking, how is it going to use the information)
Considerations:
All graduates or sample-based?
At what level? (Institution, Faculty, Department)
Cross-sectional or panel surveys?
Frequency- graduation+ 6months, graduation+ 1 year, graduation years, graduation+ 3 years…or combination

10. APPROACHES TO GRADUATE TRACER STUDIES
ACE II
Some of considerations/ trade-offs in deciding on the type of GTS:
Cost constraints: all graduates or sample-based, cross-sectional or panel, how many data points for each cohort
Capacity to carry out this exercise on an annual basis:
Developing in-house capacity within the planning and development departments of HEIs. Numerous customizable tools are available online (INGRADNET e.g.)
Contracting out the task: this allows to build on the expertise of companies specializing in this type of task, and may ensure greater efficiency and accountability (MYCOS has a portfolio of 900 universities)
Caveats: contractors should be well-versed in the context of the institutions and labor market
It may come at a higher cost

11. CHALLENGES
ACE II
Data, data, data: the single most important source of information to ensure a successful GTS is the student information.
Availability of exploitable student records at the HEI level is key. There is often inaccurate, incomplete or missing information on the student, including contact information which is key to ensure a successful implementation
Low response rates (especially through online)
The practice could be institutionalized. For example, requiring students to complete online data surveys prior as pre-requisite to conferring of degree
Develop incentives to motivate students to participate post-graduation

12. Thank You