Second Tracer Study of Skills Development Programme (SDP) Reveals Positive Employment Outcomes and Training Impact

SDP aims to improve access to decent employment and increase income opportunities for disadvantaged young women, men, and low-skilled workers. The programme contributes to improving the Cambodian TVET system and fostering more efficient engagement with the private sector. SDP recently conducted the second tracer study to assess the impact and success of the interventions and training provided to graduates. These studies aim to gather information about the employment outcomes of graduates, incomes, the relevance of their training to the workplace, training impact, and the overall satisfaction with the skills and competencies performance at the workplace of both graduates and employers.

Methodology

The tracer study employed a quantitative research method and randomly sampled 601 graduates and 29 employers from 27 enterprises. Graduates who completed their training six- and twelve months prior were included in the study. To gather data, telephone interviews were conducted with both graduates and employers. Final questionnaires were digitised using Kobo Toolbox and then downloaded and cleaned in Excel for further analysis. The data were analysed and visualised using Microsoft Power BI, providing an interactive and dynamic platform for the team and stakeholders to review the findings.

Study Areas

The tracer study focused on several key areas to provide a comprehensive understanding of the impact and success of the programme:

1. Graduates’ Employment Status: The study examined the current employment status of the graduates, including whether they were wage-employed, self-employed, or seeking employment.
2. Income Changes: The study investigated the income changes experienced by graduates after completing the training program to assess their earning potential.
3. Relevance of Training to the Workplace: The study assessed how the training provided was relevant to the graduates' work environment to identify practical applicableness.
4. Working Conditions (in case of wage employment): For graduates who secured wage employment, the study explored their working conditions to understand job satisfaction, benefits, and work-life balance.
5. Training Impacts: This analysis aimed to identify the acquired skills, confidence, and personal development resulting from their training.
6. Graduates' Satisfaction with Skills and Competencies: This assessment aimed to measure the perceived quality and effectiveness of the training.
7. Employers' Satisfaction with Graduates' Skills and Competencies: In addition to assessing the graduates' perspective, the study also sought feedback from employers to understand their satisfaction with their skills and competencies concerning their workplace needs.

Note:

1. The lower rate of 12-month graduates having employment contracts compared to 6-month graduates resulted from being employed in family businesses that could not provide proper employment contracts.
2. The lower rate of 12-month graduates’ satisfaction with working conditions compared to 6-month graduates came from different aspects, including incentives, average working hours, annual leave, and equal treatment at work.