Summary of Technical Education
Graduate Follow-up Survey
Summary of Technical Education
Graduate Follow-up Survey
Technical occupational program graduates and completers were mailed a survey one-year after graduating to determine their satisfaction with the training and education received while a DCCCD student. Approximately 33% of the surveys mailed to deliverable addresses were completed and returned by the former students.
Primary Educational Goal
Students were asked about their primary education goal while attending a DCCCD college. The following is a breakdown of 382 responses:
Satisfaction
Graduates appeared to be overwhelmingly satisfied with their goal progress, technical training, skills acquired for citizenship and critical thinking, as well as their overall education. In all categories, more graduates were satisfied than not.
The highest satisfaction ratings were given for "progress toward goal",
indicating a high degree of perceived program effectiveness (with respect
to helping students achieve their ultimate goals). The following charts
illustrate satisfaction levels based on percentages of the total sample
(n=382).
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Employment Status
Graduates from technical education programs did not have trouble securing
a job. Approximately 90% of the students are employed. The following is
a breakdown of employment status:
| Employed full-time (35+ hours per week) | 79.8% | |
| Employed part-time | 9.4% | |
| Unemployed/seeking employment | 5.2% | |
| Not employed (not seeking employment) | 5.5% |
Relevance of Technical Training to Job
Most graduates found jobs relevant to their field of study (68.5%).
Of those who’s jobs are not relevant, many retained the job they had while
attending school, or simply have not been able to locate a related job.
The following summarizes the data:
| Job Related to Training | 68.5% | |||
| Job Not Related to Training | 31.5% | Maintained old job |
33.9%
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| Found better paying job |
14.6%
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| Did not seek related job |
10.7%
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| Can't find related job |
20.4%
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| Not fully qualified |
13.6%
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| Other |
6.8%
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Comments
An analysis of respondent comments provides further insight into graduates’ satisfaction with technical education programs at DCCCD. Over half of the respondents (185) included written comments on their surveys. Most comments reflect positively upon the program and outcomes.
General comments are relatively broad, global comments about
DCCCD and its schools. Most general comments were generally positive (e.g.,
"I enjoyed my studies …") or neutral (e.g., I am still a DCCCD student…").
Relatively few were generally negative (e.g., "… I would not recommend
…").
| Neutral comments |
9.8%
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| Positive general comments |
10.3%
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| Negative general comments |
1.6%
|
Education outcome comments reflect graduates’ feelings about
the final outcome of their educational experience. Did the student complete
their goals? Did they develop the skills they sought? Most comments regarding
educational outcomes were generally positive (e.g., "I earned a two year
associate degree … and went on and earned a B.S."), while few were negative
(e.g., "I was cheated because I was told I would receive COOP experience
… and it was denied me.").
| Positive educational outcome |
9.2%
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| Negative educational outcome |
1.6%
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Occupational outcome comments reflect graduates’ feelings about
their education as it relates to the job world. Did their training result
in workplace opportunities (job openings, promotions), or did the education
experience leave them lacking in the workplace? Most comments regarding
occupational outcomes were very positive (e.g., "I increased my salary
by 2!"), while relatively few were negative (e.g., "I did not get enough
of the Networking Program to be a successful Network Administrator…").
| Positive occupational outcome |
9.8%
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| Negative occupational outcome |
2.7%
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Education experience comments focus on the graduates’ perceptions
of the education process. Specifically, their remarks reflect opinions
about the learning environment, the physical facilities, various administrative
issues (transfers, registration, etc.), student support services, program
issues (such as course offerings within a particular program of study),
and teacher issues. Responses were generally positive, except for facilities
(which students perceived as limited or outdated), administrative issues
(which students perceived as restrictive and burdensome), and student support
issues (often reflecting a lack of interpersonal skills of support staff).
| Positive education experience |
45.7%
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Positive environment |
2.7%
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| Positive facilities |
1.1%
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| Positive admin. issues |
1.1%
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| Positive student support |
4.3%
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| Positive program issues |
9.2%
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| Positive teacher issues |
35.3%
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| Negative education issues |
33.2%
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Negative environment |
0.0%
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| Negative facilities |
4.9%
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| Negative admin. issues |
7.1%
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| Negative student support |
7.1%
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| Negative program issues |
13.6%
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| Negative teacher issues |
7.6%
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Conclusion
The results of this survey are highly encouraging. Graduates and completers of the technical occupational programs expressed overwhelming satisfaction with their education and subsequent results. Most were able to find meaningful employment in their respective fields of study, while more than half of the unemployed were not seeking employment at the time. Graduates and completers who chose to comment on their experiences in the technical occupational programs expressed a high degree of satisfaction with their education and occupational outcomes. They also expressed a generally positive attitude about the education process itself (particularly with respect to the overall environment and quality of instruction); however, additional attention should be directed toward those student comments regarding facilities, support services, program and administrative issues.
Prepared by District Office of Research, October 1998