Graduate Competencies, Curriculum Relevance, and Labor Market Alignment in Teacher Education

Abstract

The research explored how graduate competencies, curriculum relevance, and labor market alignment were interconnected with teacher education graduates. A descriptive, correlational study was conducted and 479 graduates from technical, vocational teacher education programs were surveyed using a tracer questionnaire. Pearson correlation and chi-square methods were used to assess the relationships between competency acquisition, employability factors, and curriculum relevance. Results show that graduates think that the curriculum fully addresses labor market needs, particularly in terms of skill development, industry alignment, and training in real work environment. However, correlation results did not find any significant statistical relationships between competencies, employability factors, and curriculum relevance (p >.05), which means these constructs are independent of each other. On the other hand, some factors still showed strong relationships. There was a strong connection between acquired competencies and academic performance, time to employment, and expected starting salary. Age, civil status, and employment transition variables such as job search method, employment timing, and job type were factors of employability. Curriculum relevance, on the other hand, had a strong association with licensure examination performance and teamwork skills, with teamwork being the major factor. The study implies that even though competencies and curriculum are constantly developed and perceived as relevant, labor market alignment is influenced by the complex interaction of personal characteristics, employability conditions, and structural labor market factors. This research underlines the importance of teacher education programs enhancing work-integrated learning, career support systems, and the development of transferable skills in order to increase graduate employability and alignment with labor market requirements.