Standardised follow-up survey of education and training graduates, carried out after graduation or at the end of the learning action.
Comment
- The objective of a tracer study is to:
- assess the transition of graduates from education and training to the labour market;
- evaluate the relevance of education and training and lifelong guidance for the labour market;
- suggest improvements in the design and content of education and training programmes and curricula;
- inform potential pupils or students and their parents; o help graduates in their job search (career guidance);
- data collected during a tracer study may cover:
- education and training provisions and conditions (e.g. duration of courses, teaching and training methods, internships, financial support);
- transition from education and training to work (e.g. duration of search for the first job, method of job search);
- study or career progression (e.g. education and training path, position, employment status, remuneration, sector);
- participation in – and need for − further or continuing education and training;
- use and relevance of skills and competences acquired during education and training;
- link between qualification obtained and position occupied (horizontal and vertical match);
- current job and bonds of the graduates to their education and training institution;
- tracer studies are common in higher education, but are becoming increasingly popular in vocational education and training; they can be made in written or oral form;
- tracer studies are also referred to in the literature as: graduate study, graduate tracer study, alumni study, graduate follow-up survey, cohort study, cohort analysis.
Source
Cedefop.