GRADUATE EMPLOYABILITY AMONG DIFFERENT FACULTIES OF EASTERN UNIVERSITY: TRANSFORMING UNIVERSITY EDUCATION TO COPE WITH MARKET DEMANDS.

Universities are expected to function to contribute to national development through high level relevant manpower training. University education is the core of the higher education. Since unemployment rate is a key macroeconomic indicator, with low unemployment rate taken to indicate a healthy economy, this study focused on the employability of graduates of different faculties of Eastern University. The study included four faculties viz., Agriculture, Commerce & Management, Health-Care Sciences and Science. Questionnaire survey was done among 207 graduates who had completed their degrees after 2011 from Eastern University to find out their employability. Discussions and telephone conversations with higher officials in government and private sectors was done to validate the study. Results revealed that percent employed was highest (92.6%) for the faculty of Health Care Sciences, while the lowest (70.6%) was for the Agriculture. median expected monthly salary of the graduands was between Rs. 30,000-40,000 for all the faculty graduands. And the preference level for different sector varies from faculty to faculty. All the faculty graduands faced several obstacles to get a job. It is recommended that courses should be designed to face the current job market.