Satisfaction with the training, employability and linkage from the perspective of UTECO's geological engineering graduates

Abstract

The growing demand for the Geological Engineering career by high school graduates calls for reflection on the current situation and trends of this innovative program. In that order, the aim of this article was to measure satisfaction with the level of quality of the training received, their experiences in the field of the labour and professional market and their future expectations. To that end, a methodology was used based on the study of documents that were triangulated with the findings of a survey applied to graduates and an interview with geoscience experts. The consultation involved a survey instrumented by a questionnaire validated through the judgment of three experts who assigned 92.9% for coherence, 96.3% for clarity and 98.6% for relevance. In addition, it was validated with Cronbach’s Alpha Reliability Coefficient with a value of 0.823. The scope includes the 137 graduates of the second stage of the Geology Engineering program. The findings allow us to conclude that the scenario of the Geological Engineer training proposes the redesign of the study plan and a reengineering in management that leads to diversifying professional opportunities and articulating processes towards efficiency. Employability was found to be highly valued. However, measures are suggested to control admissions and increase graduation competencies to strengthen the sustainability of the program and to link with graduates requires the creation of more efficient mechanisms, such as the creation of the job market, systematic offer of formal programs and lifelong education, promote alumni meetings and integrate alumni into the operational dynamics of the university.

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.