More than half of 2022 TVET graduates are still unemployed. This is according to the TVET Tracer Report 2024. Among other reasons, the respondents said they remained unemployed owing to a lack of opportunities and not getting the preferred jobs. The report highlights that government jobs, overseas opportunities, and entrepreneurship are the most sought-after career paths.
TVET Tracer survey report 2024 reveals findings from a comprehensive survey conducted across ten institutions. It provides insights into the employment outcomes of the 2022 TVET graduates.
The report also examines the employment success rates based on the type of certification earned by the graduates.
Of more than 830 respondents, half of them found their first job within six months after the training.
Meanwhile, over 57 per cent of them found a job within a year after the training.
Currently, more than 40 per cent of the 2022 graduates are employed and more than seven per cent are self-employed.
The top sectors of employment include services, construction, and hotel and restaurant.
Over 12 per cent of the respondents were working as electricians, more than nine per cent as technicians and eight per cent as tailors.
However, 52 per cent of them are unemployed. They said there is a lack of opportunities and difficulty in securing preferred jobs. In addition, some TVET graduates remain unemployed as they prefer to pursue further studies.
According to the Executive Director of the Automobile Sector Association of Bhutan Karma Tenzin, lack of opportunities is not entirely true. He added that automobile workshops in Thimphu employ at least 20 per cent of the TVET graduates.
‘‘In the automobile sector, there are no challenges of employment opportunities. We have vacancies, and we are still facing shortage of workers. We employ them as per the requirement. We are facing shortage in painting and mechanical. We are employing as many people as the institutes are sending.’’
He also added that some graduates do not complete the probation period and leave to upgrade certificates while some leave the job for better opportunities.
TVET graduates BBS talked acknowledged that most youth obtain certificates to go abroad to earn better.
Jigme, TVET graduate said ‘‘I completed my training in 2022. It is not easy to survive in Thimphu with the salary I earn. As I live with my parents, I can manage somehow. I feel most youth are not interested in working after getting skilled. They are more interested in getting the NC certificate. In foreign countries, as it is a national certificate, it helps secure a job that pays well.’’
Moreover, he said that private organisations pay lesser salary compared to government agencies. He added that getting into a government job is difficult with government institutions only taking experienced people.
The report also shows that employment outcomes for accredited courses at the National Diploma and National Certification levels are significantly higher compared to short-term Institute Certificate courses.
According to the report, employment by National Diploma certification is the highest at 77 per cent and Institute certificate at lowest at 40 per cent.
Based on these results, the Ministry of Education and Skills Development, through the Department of Workforce Planning and Skills Development, plans to provide fewer institute certificate courses and more accredited courses that will constitute 80 per cent of the TVET courses.
Additionally, the ministry stated that the number of trainees enrolled in ten institutes across the country is expected to reach more than 4,700 by the end of the 13th Five-Year Plan.
Currently, more than 3,500 students are studying in ten public TVET institutes in the country.
Sonam Yuden
Edited by Tshering Zam
