Modelling determinants of duration of School-to-Work transition among Public University Graduates

Abstract

In this study, we analyse Kenya STEP Survey 2013 data byWorld Bank. We seek to identify signi cant determinants of duration of school-to-work transition among public university graduates. We analyse a sample of 116 public university graduates, who reported to having taken between 0 to 60 months since graduating, to a acquire a rst job. We model the data using the proportional-odds cumulative logit model and observe that type of course taken at the university and reading score are signi cant determinants of transition from school-to-work among graduates. Graduates who studied science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) courses are 68.6% less likely to remain without a job in the rst six months following graduation from the university compared to those who studied non-STEM courses, and those who recorded high reading scores were 63.8% less likely to remain without a job for more than six months after graduating from university. Other factors like sex, parental level of education, university location, among others, were not statistically signi cance in determining the duration of time it took a public university graduate to acquire a rst job following graduation. This study, therefore, recommends to the government and other policy makers to consider creating relevant employment programs for graduates that can keep such graduates, for example those who study non- STEM courses and may take longer to become employed following graduation, engaged in such employment programs, at least for a period not less than six months upon graduating from the university.