Placement of graduates of the Institute for Educational Planning and Administration in sectors of the Ghanaian economy : Insights from a nation-wide tracer study

Abstract

This article examined the determining variables Ghanaian employers gave considerations to in the job placement of graduates of the Institute for Educational Planning and Administration (IEPA). This research endeavour was undertaken against the backdrop of a dearth of information concerning how IEPA graduates were placed in the labour market to enable them contribute their quota towards Ghana’s developmental agenda. The concurrent mixed methods research design was employed, whereby semi-structured open ended interviews conducted with 16 employers were complemented by data derived from self-administered questionnaires distributed to 407 IEPA graduates. The data generated from the questionnaire responses were coded and analysed using descriptive statistics in the form of frequencies whilst the interview data were recorded, transcribed and analysed thematically. The findings revealed that the first three factors employers gave consideration to in the placement of IEPA graduates were degree specialisation, educational preparation and training, and experience of prospective employees. The findings suggested further that the professional training graduates received from IEPA were, to a large extent, aligned to/with their work schedules. In light of these findings, it was concluded that employers of IEPA graduates generally were consistent with the best practices admonished in the human resource development literature regarding placement of employees. It was recommended against this backdrop that IEPA intensifies its collaborative efforts with the Ministry of Education and its allied agencies to ensure she continually fulfils her mandate of preparing graduates for careers within the Ghanaian education sector as a whole.