Engineering Students Experiences of the Transition from Study to Work

A key concept in this study is employability. Several studies indicate a gap between different stakeholders´ definition of the concept. A common measure is the degree of establishment on the job market, with a minimum wage, at a specific time after graduation. In this paper we present data from a longitudinal study of four cohorts of engineering students´ experiences of the transition process and compare these data with national and international studies.

Our data show that students courses that were applicable and useful were considered important for their employability, and that the final master thesis was a ticket into the job market. The CDIO project courses, implemented in the curriculum from 2000, were considered the must useful, and the 2000 and 2002 cohorts felt more prepared for working life than the 1998 and 1999 cohorts did. They also to a higher degree did their thesis abroad and got a job through their thesis project. The skills of problem solving, critical thinking, managing heavy work loads and working in projects, were considered most transferable to job situations.

National data show that on an average, Engineering students in Linkoping to a high degree are employable, especially students in Electrical engineering. One year after graduation about 80% are established, and of those about 75% have a job that require a Master degree.