Higher technological education specialties and graduates' vocational status and prospects

Abstract

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to focus on a thorough comparison of the broader specialties and subspecialties provided by Greek higher technological education, regarding the employment status and the vocational prospects of the corresponding graduates, and aims to identify and analyze the relevant existing differences. Design/methodology/approach: Original empirical data were collected from 5,183 graduates of Technological Educational Institutes of higher education through a national survey using telephone interviews and a structured questionnaire. The stratified sample consisted of graduates originating from all nine different broader specialties (faculties) and 45 subspecialties (departments). Descriptive, bivariate and multivariate statistical analysis was used for the elaboration of the collected information. Findings: The results showed that there are significant differences among the graduates of different specialties regarding some employment characteristics, such as professional status, type of employment, relevance between present work and Bachelor studies, and satisfaction from employment and wages. Additionally, the results identify distinguished clusters among certain broader specialties and subspecialties regarding graduates' employment status and characteristics. Practical implications: The revealed existence of strong relationships between broader specialties/subspecialties and their graduates' vocational prospects can offer justified advice/guidelines to secondary education graduates for applying to specialties presenting promising employment prospects. Originality/value: This work, being one of the very few nation-wide studies, reveals and highlights the most important higher education specialties regarding the vocational status and prospects of the corresponding graduates, providing a guideline for the selection of the subject of studies that leads to a more promising career. © Emerald Group Publishing Limited.