Graduate Employability and Curriculum Gaps: A 20-Year Tracer Study from a Nepalese Agriculture College

Abstract

Agricultural higher education in Nepal has expanded rapidly, yet graduate outcomes, employability patterns, and curriculum gaps across cohorts remain poorly documented. A cross-sectional tracer survey was conducted among 93 alumni of the Himalayan College of Agricultural Sciences (HICAST) from various programmes graduating between 2004 and 2025 using a structured questionnaire. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics by cohort, binary logistic regression, and thematic analysis following Braun and Clarke (2006). Overall, 60.2% of alumni were in full-time employment, while 24.7% were pursuing further studies and 15.1% of graduates were seeking job. Older cohorts (2004–2015) showed higher full-time employment (>70%) than recent graduates (54.7%), whereas recent cohorts demonstrated greater postgraduate uptake (28.3% vs 14.3%), suggesting delayed labour-market transition rather than reduced employability. Most alumni (83.9%) worked in roles related to their field of study. Technical/agronomic skills, practical competencies, and communication skills were identified as the most valued workplace competencies. Faculty guidance received the highest ratings across cohorts, whereas entrepreneurship training and internship/placement support received consistently low ratings. Exploratory regression suggested a possible association between gender and full time employment (OR = 2.44; 95% CI: 1.01–5.89. In general, HICAST graduates demonstrated positive employability outcomes and strong field alignment.