Determinants of the Transition to Employment among Engineering Graduates: Empirical Evidence from a Mixed-Methods Approach in a Peruvian Public University

Abstract

This study analyzes the determinants of the transition to employment among engineering graduates from a public university in Peru using a mixed-methods approach. The research addresses the gap between university education and labor market conditions, focusing on how academic training, institutional support, university prestige, and pre-professional internship experience influence early labor insertion. A sequential explanatory design was applied. Quantitative data were collected from 603 valid surveys and analyzed using multiple linear regression. Additionally, 125 open-ended responses were examined through thematic content analysis. Integration of both approaches was performed through methodological triangulation. The results show that the regression model is statistically significant (R² = 0.470; p < 0.001). The most influential factor in the transition to employment is the speed of entry into pre-professional internships (β = 0.570), followed by university prestige (β = 0.131), goal management effectiveness (β = 0.114), and perceived academic training (β = 0.109). Institutional support shows a negative coefficient (β = -0.086). Qualitative findings confirm that internships are the main pathway to employment, while institutional support is perceived as limited. The study concludes that the transition to employment is shaped by the interaction of academic, institutional, and experiential factors, rather than by academic training alone.