Factors Influencing Employability of Civil Engineering Graduates in China

The employability of graduates is a metric to assess the teaching achievements of higher education. Employability is complex, multi-dimensional, and is closely associated with specific industry characteristics. Thus, employability must be studied for a specific major in order to provide any practical guiding significance. The aim of this study was to determine the major factors contributing to the employability of graduates in civil engineering and provide the basis for setting appropriate goals to effectively cultivate civil engineering professionals by improving teaching strategies. Recent graduates of civil engineering programs who graduated between two and five years ago were selected as the subjects, and questionnaires were completed by 279 graduates. The results showed that 88% of civil engineering graduates are working in a position related to their specialty. Graduates were more satisfied with their current positions and work environments than they were with their salaries and future career development prospect. We analyzed the factors contributing to the employability of graduates, and defined three major factors of occupational quality, development potential, and professional capacity. These data suggest guidelines for the rational setting of goals to effectively cultivate civil engineering professionals, design an improved practical curriculum, adjust teaching methods, and modify course assessment indicators.