SUCCESS IN THE UNIVERSITY-WORK TRANSITION IN EDUCATION, HEALTH AND ENGINEERING GRADUATES
M. Martins, C. Sampaio, M.C. Taveira, A.D. Silva
The success in the university-work transition has required some attention in the literature. It is important to understand whether the area of training can influence how this transition occurs. Areas such as health and education have been affected by different circumstances in recent times. Likewise, the engineering field has been revolutionized by the structure of its training and the growing interest in information technologies. Therefore, this study aims to investigate the role of success in the university-work transition for graduates in the fields of education, health, and engineering. The sample included 186 graduates, 127 (68.3%) of whom were female and aged between 21 and 64 (M = 25.84, SD = 5.357). Of the total sample, 48 (25.8%) were from the education field, 70 (37.6%) from the health field, and 68 (36.6%) from the engineering field, from different study cycles and higher education institutions in various regions of Portugal. The participants answered a sociodemographic questionnaire and a measure of success in the university-work transition. Descriptive and comparative analyses were used. Analysis of the results suggests that there are statistically significant differences in the dimension of Confidence in the Future of the Career among graduates. When comparing graduates from each field in this dimension, there are differences between health and engineering graduates, with the average being higher among engineering graduates. This is also visible when comparing graduates from the education field. It is important to continue this line of study. Firstly, to continue studies that can inform future career interventions. And secondly to implement career interventions that support a successful transition, especially in the fields of health and education.
Keywords: Success, university-work transition, graduates.