DEMOGRAPHIC PRESENTATION ON THE TRACER STUDY OF JOURNALISM GRADUATES OF THE NATIONAL OPEN UNIVERSITY OF NIGERIA: EMPLOYABILITY AND CORPORATE SOCIAL INTEGRATION IN THE WORKPLACE

This study investigates the demographic dimensions and the analytics on a survey conducted on the acceptability of NOUN Journalism graduates who went through ODeL into the global mainstream of the workplace and professional practice. To achieve this objective, a survey of three critical locations of NOUN Journalism graduates operating in Nigeria, namely, Abuja, Benin and Lagos, was undertaken. Consequently, this empirical research undertook a tracer study of the entire graduates of the M.Sc. and the PGD Journalism programmes in NOUN between 2015- 2020. The major objective is to examine the employability, competence and acceptability of this category of graduates in the professional and general job market comparatively to graduates of the same discipline from conventional universities. The methodology adopted was mixed method qualitative and quantitative in the survey design using a triangulation of quantitative and qualitative approaches. Using the Google Form platform, the research instrument was administered to 268 NOUN graduates. However, only102 of them responded, giving a return rate of 38% of the sample. The findings revealed that 174 of the 204 graduates who took part in the Tracer Study were employed (78.53%), and 69.78% indicated their first employment was associated with their degree programme. While, 89.5% of employers attested that they are satisfied with the performance of the NOUN Journalism graduates they employed and that they came with sufficient skills and knowledge. Similarly, in-depth interviews of employers were conducted using a well structured interview guide to complement, verify and validate the results of the quantitative data. The statistical analysis was done with the use of the ANOVA statistical tool for variance and Independent Sample t-Test. In the conclusion, the report suggested periodic curriculum reviews to ensure that graduates possess the knowledge and abilities required by the sector. The paper recommended that the NOUN Mass Communication Department should develop or update courses and adopt measures to fill the few current-knowledge gaps observed by employers of NOUN journalism graduates. This will further improve the employability of these graduates, career advancement and sustainability in the general and media job market.