Group 2 Final Paper

THROUGH AN INTERN AND EMPLOYER’S VIEWPOINT: ASSESSING
THE GENERAL EMPLOYABILITY SKILLS OF THE GRADUATING

ACCOUNTING STUDENTS OF BULACAN STATE UNIVERSITY
A Thesis Presented to the College of Business Administration

of the Bulacan State University
City of Malolos, Bulacan
In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree

Bachelor of Science in Accounting
Information System
By:
Sionson, Chrisla Mae N.
Generalao, Jennifer M.
Quintos, Julia Rose M.
Santos, Rod Martin B.
Sayo, Joan Pamela M.
November 2022
APPROVAL SHEET
In partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Bachelor of Science in

Accounting Information System, this thesis entitled, “THROUGH AN INTERN AND
EMPLOYER’S VIEWPOINT: ASSESSING THE GENERAL EMPLOYABILITY
SKILLS OF THE GRADUATING ACCOUNTING STUDENTS OF BULACAN
STATE UNIVERSITY” prepared and submitted by JENNIFER M. GENERALAO,
JULIA ROSE M. QUINTOS, ROD MARTIN B. SANTOS, JOAN PAMELA M.
SAYO, and CHRISLA MAE N. SIONSON who hereby recommended for oral
examination.
MS. ALLEN GRACE M. SARMIENTO

Thesis Professor
Approved and accepted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of
Bechelor of Science in Accounting Information System by the Examination Committee.
DR. EVANGELINA CUSTODIO

Chairman
MONTE CARLO MANALO JOHN PIUS DONADO

Member Member
Accepted and approved in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of
Bechelor of Science in Accounting Information System.
DR. EMERLITA S. NAGUIAT, Ph.D

Dean
November 2022
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ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
Making this study is a difficult journey that requires patience, hard work, and
perseverance. Its accomplishment would not have been possible without the help of the
people behind it. The researchers would like to give the warmest thanks and acknowledge
the following:
First of all, thank God for watching over the group throughout the making of this
research paper and for making it possible to finish it on time.
The group would like to send their regards to Ms. Allen Grace M. Sarmiento for
her guidance and for supporting each decision that was made by the researchers.
The researchers want to thank Mr. Francesco Rafiel A. Mallari, their thesis
adviser, for his dedication, guidance, and advice. Also, his unwavering patience at every
turning point while writing this thesis paper.
To the panelists, Dr. Evangelina Custodio, Mr. Monte Carlo Manao, and Mr. John
Pius Donado, who assisted the group by correcting and improving their research paper.
To Dean Emerlita S. Naguiat, for approving this paper and for her help in its
fulfillment.
To Mr. Roi Vincent Montenegro for being their research statistician of the group
and for giving an immediate answer in every concerns and questions they had.
Lastly, thanks to the student interns and their employers for their time spent
answering the survey questionnaires and for being part of this study.
Thank You.
iii
DEDICATION
To Mr. Christopher & Mrs. Maila Sionson, Mr. Jerry & Mrs. Virginia
Generalao, Mr. Conrado & Mrs. Miriam Quintos, Mr. Lorenzo & Mrs.
Lorenzo Santos, and Mr. Dionisio & Mrs. Vicky Anne Sayo, who remained
to support the researchers emotionally and financially throughout their
study, for their unwavering support, unending love, and care, you inspired
and motivated the them to strive and complete this study. Thank you and
God bless!
- The Researchers
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ABSTRACT
Due to the ongoing competition for jobs and employment, modern workplaces expect
workers to possess 21st-century skills. Different industries and institutions increasingly
expect graduates to possess not only technical skills but a combination of technical skills,
soft skills, and values. However, undergraduate accounting degree programs have
historically placed a strong emphasis on the subject's technical skills.
The purpose of this study is to assess the general employability skills of
undergraduate accounting students at Bulacan State University studying BS accountancy
and BS accounting information systems. Moreover, the study determined whether there
are significant differences in students’ employability skills when grouped according to
sex, degree program, and work experience; and between the students’ self-assessment
and the assessment of their employers or OJT supervisors.
The study used the descriptive research method in order to determine the level of
general employability skills of student interns. The researchers employed survey
questionnaires in gathering data for the study. The findings reveal that the student interns
have excellent employability skills in all aspects. According to both respondents, there is
no significant difference in the three categories of employability skills when the students
are grouped according to their sex and degree program. When it comes to the student
interns' work experience, there is a significant difference in their fundamental and
personal management skills, but there is no significant difference in their teamwork
skills. In conclusion, the self-assessment made by the students and the assessment given
by their employers have a significant difference.
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TABLE OF CONTENTS
Page
TITLE PAGE…………………………………………………………………..……….. i
CERTIFICATION OF APPROVAL SHEET……………….……..…….……....…… ii
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT …………..………………………………………….…….. iii
DEDICATION ……….………………………….……………………...……..…...….. iv
ABSTRACT ….…………………………………………………………………..…….. v
TABLE OF CONTENTS …...…………………………………………….…….…….. vi
LIST OF TABLES ………………………………………………………………….....viii
CHAPTER I THE PROBLEM AND ITS BACKGROUND
Introduction ……………………………………...…………………..………….. 1
Statement of the Problem ……………………………..………………..……….. 4
Significance of the Study ……………………………………..…………..…….. 5
Scope and Delimitation of the Study………………………….…………..…….. 7
CHAPTER II THEORETICAL FRAMEWORK
Relevant Theories ….............................................................................................. 9
Related Literature ………………………………………………………………. 11
Conceptual Framework ………………………….………………...…….………23
Hypotheses of the Study ………………………………………………………...24
Definition of Terms ….......................................................................................... 25
CHAPTER III RESEARCH METHODOLOGY
Methods and Techniques of the Study …………………………………………. 29
Population and Sample of the Study …………………………...………..….….. 30
Research Instrument ……………………………………………………………. 31
Data Gathering Procedure ……………………………………………………… 32
Data processing and Statistical Treatment ……………………………………... 33
vi
CHAPTER IV PRESENTATION, ANALYSIS
AND INTERPRETATION OF DATA …………………………………………..……
36
CHAPTER V SUMMARY, CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS
Summary ……………………………………………………………………….. 57
Conclusions …………………………………………………………………….. 61
Recommendations ……………………………………………………………… 62
REFERENCES …………………………………………………………...……..…….. 65
APPENDICES ………………………………………….……………………………...
CURRICULUM VITAE ……………………………………………………….….…..
vii
LIST OF TABLES
Number Title Page
1 Frequency and Percentage Distribution of the

Profile of the Student Interns ………………………………………………. 37
2 Level of General Employability Skills in terms of

Fundamental Skills …………………………………………………………. 38

Teamwork Skills …………………………………………………….,….…. 42

Personal Management Skills ……………………………………………….. 44
5 Significant Difference in Graduating Accounting Interns'

General Employability Skills when Grouped according to
Sex ……………………………………….…………………….………….... 49

Degree Program ……………………………………………….………….... 50

Work Experience ………………….………………………………...……....
51
8 Significant Difference on the assessment of the General

Employability Skills between the Self-Assessment of
Graduating Accounting Interns and the Assessment of their
Employer Internship Supervisors ……………………………………..……. 54
viii
CHAPTER I
THE PROBLEM AND ITS BACKGROUND
Introduction
In a fast-paced world of drastic globalization and technological advancements, a
greater emphasis on the necessity of general employability skills emerges. Despite the
status of the economy, competition for jobs and employment continues, and the
competitive nature of the modern workplace requires employees with 21st-century skills.
Employability becomes the primary goal for graduating students since the labor markets
in the Philippines have become so competitive that finding a job right after graduating
has become difficult. Hence, colleges and universities are required to offer education that
satisfies the requirements set by the companies to guarantee that students receive the
knowledge and employability skills they need to find employment. Employability skills
are a collection of conveyable abilities and critical character traits preferred by employers
and necessary for successful workplace performance. As stated by Sarimah and Dahiru
(2015), employability and technical knowledge are the most critical skills for competing
for work and maintaining a job in the global industrial market in the 21st century. These
skills define students' competencies and are vital to securing employment and having a
career that matches their degree.
As the graduating students of the Bachelor of Science in Accountancy (BSA) and
Bachelor of Science in Accounting Information System (BSAIS) venture to pursue their
careers, they must assess their inherent skills. They expect to gain, retain, and develop
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their general employability skills. It is in line with the findings that graduates of state
universities and colleges are not job-ready and require significant training from
employers (Espinoza et al., 2015). It also implies that a college education does not
eradicate the possibility of unemployment and job and skill mismatches. Maribeth et al.
(2015) stated that a structural or skills mismatch is the root cause of the high graduate
unemployment rate in the Philippines. One aspect of this mismatch is the lack of general
skills and knowledge among new graduates. These recent graduates are weak due to the
lack of the amount and quality of technical, communication, and job-specific skills
required in the workplace.
Having skills based on the expectations of the employers is a significant edge to
getting hired. Possessing other skills can be an advantage, but failing to have the
necessary skills is a big drawback. A lack of general employability skills can lead to
unemployment and impede job advancement. Philippine Statistics Authority (2019)
estimated the unemployment rate in the Philippines in January 2019 at 5.2 percent, and
20.9 percent of those unemployed were college graduates. Many Filipino college
graduates struggle to obtain employment despite having a college degree. It poses a
considerable challenge to the graduating students as the human resources of the country
and the future of work. Thus, assessing general employability skills is necessary to
produce quality human capital, resolve job mismatches, and address the issues they have
as they join the workforce.
Certain companies may have various requirements and qualities that they want
applicants to possess to advance their institutional goals. Employers will continuously
hunt for graduates who meet their standards, whether those graduates' skills are relevant
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to their field of specialization or not. According to Fajaryati et al. (2020), most employers
look for employees skilled in communication, technology, problem-solving, and
teamwork. Accordingly, perceived general employability skills of accounting graduates,
employers discern that they possess information technology (IT), communication,
teamwork, and personal skills (Ismail et al., 2020). However, as stated by Ekpoh (2015),
their acquisition level of ICT, teamwork, analytical, and leadership skills was low, while
communication skills were high.
The lack of awareness about the employer's expectations might cause a problem
because the importance of being prepared and equipped for the job is devalued.
According to Ajward, R. (2019), the employability skills of accounting graduates do not
match employers’ expectations. The stiff competition gives rise to a supply-demand gap
because, despite some similarities between employers' and undergraduates' perceptions,
there are also some significant gaps in their perception of the importance of general
employability skills. It is most especially in the onset of the COVID-19 crisis, wherein
both the US and the UK experienced a misalignment in the composition of labor supply
and labor demand (Pizzinelli & Shibata, 2022). Therefore, graduating students must be
equipped and aware of employers' expectations.
It just magnifies the need to assess students' general employability skills, giving a
clear view of the aspects they can improve or work on. The study can strengthen the
significance of determining the general employability skills the graduating students need
to be employed in the future. It can also serve as their additional preparation as they build
their resumes for their employment pursuits to land a job suitable for them. Aside from
the students assessing their skills, it is much more effective with their employers during
3
their On-the-Job Training (OJT). Their employers' input regarding their general
employability skills can produce a more credible measurement of their competencies.
This thought convinced the researchers to study the necessary skills for the students to be
employed by analyzing their self-assessment and the assessment of their employer
internship supervisors. Graduating student interns under the BSA and BSAIS programs
are the possible respondents of the study because they are emerging to step into the world
where they need to possess specific skills to be employed in a firm or company.
Furthermore, several studies focus on a specific employability skill of graduating
and student graduates. Which makes the study about the general employability skills of
the graduating student interns under the BSA and BSAIS programs have and must
possess become relevant. Likewise, the skills of accounting students but not concerned
with their employability become the topic of other research. The researchers see this as
an opportunity to learn more about the skills, perspectives, and expectations of the BSA
and BSAIS students today. The study distinguished itself from other studies by critically
analyzing the general employability skills of BSA and BSAIS.
Statement of the Problem
The general problem of the study is: How do the students’ general employability
skills, particularly the fourth year students of BSA and BSAIS programs undergoing OJT
in different industries or institutions be analyzed?
Specifically, the study sought answers to the following questions:
1. a. What is the profile of the student interns in terms of:
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1.1 sex;
1.2 degree program; and
1.3 work experience?
2. How may the students’ self-assessment of their level of general employability
skills be measured in terms of:
2.1 fundamental skills;
2.2 teamwork skills; and
2.3 personal management skills?
3. How may the assessment of the employer internship supervisors on the level of
general employability skills of the student interns be measured in terms of:
4. Are there significant differences on students’ employability skills when grouped
according to sex, degree program, and work experience?
5. Is there a significant difference between the student’s self-assessment and the
assessment of their employer internship supervisors?
Significance of the Study
Nowadays, one of the foundations of a graduating student when looking for a job
is their employability skills. Failing to adhere to employer expectations becomes an issue
because students are accountable for their skills. The purpose of the research is to analyze
5
the employability skills of graduating accounting students. The results of this study will
be beneficial to the following stakeholders:
Students. The study can help the graduating accounting students— specifically,
BSA and BSAIS students—be aware of their skills and be mindful of the benefits of
having employability skills. The results of the study may also help them get more
familiar with the skills they need to acquire, improve, and enhance to prepare for their
future jobs, which is also an essential chance for success. The study may also prevent
students from having poor employability skills.
Companies. The findings of the study determined whether or not BSA and
BSAIS students have the skills needed by the company. The results of the study suggest
that graduating students have high employability skills, which indicates they can be a
good asset to the company. Additionally, it can assist employers in setting their criteria
for selecting a qualified candidate for the position.
Curriculum Planners. The conclusions of the study which provides an overview
of employability among BSA and BSAIS students, could be beneficial to curriculum
planners. The study could also serve as a foundation for enhancing the current
curriculum. The findings indicate that graduating students have high employability skills.
Due to this, curriculum planners may be influenced to organize programs, seminars, or
training, or even adjust the curriculum as needed, to improve students' employability
skills and knowledge about employability as a whole.
Educators. The study could help teachers and professors as they implement
different teaching methods and strategies, specifically in the context of employability.
6
Since the first null hypothesis was true and the other is false, they might change their
approach to teaching to emphasize the application of students' employability skills.
Future Researchers. The study could be useful to future researchers as an
additional reference on the employability and employability skills of BSA and BSAIS
students. In addition, they could pursue the same study focusing on accounting graduates
instead of graduating students whose work experience is limited.
Scope and Delimitation of the Study
The study examined students' employability skills, particularly fourth-year BS
Accountancy (BSA) and BS Accounting Information System (BSAIS) students
undertaking on-the-job training (OJT) in various industries or institutions.
The independent variable of the study is students' self-assessment of their
employability skills. On the other hand, the dependent variable is the assessment of the
employer internship supervisors about the general employability skills.
Simple random sampling was employed in selecting the respondents of the study.
There will be 113 students from the accounting department of Bulacan State University
(Main Campus). Only fourth-year BS Accountancy and BS Accounting Information
System students completing their on-the-job training and their corresponding employers
were eligible to respond. A questionnaire was supplied to each respondent to evaluate the
general employability skills.
Adopted survey questionnaire from the study entitled “Employability Skills of
Graduating Business and Accounting Students of Batangas State University” by Romer
Castillo in 2014, which is based on the checklist, Employability Skills 2000+, developed
7
by The Conference Board of Canada, was used in gathering data for employability skills
of graduating BS Accountancy and BS Accounting Information System students in
Bulacan State University.
The research period of the study was between March and November 2022.
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CHAPTER II
REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE
This chapter presents the relevant theories, related literature, related studies, the
conceptual framework, the hypothesis of the study, and the definition of terms
Relevant Theories
To support the topic being analyzed, this study is anchored by Human Capital
Theory and Self-efficacy Theory.
Human Capital Theory. Human capital theory, first proposed by Becker and
Rosen (1962), contends that individual employees have a range of skills or competencies
with which they can enhance or accumulate through education and training (Human
Capital Theory-an Overview | ScienceDirect Topics, 2017). Human capital is a broad
term that refers to an employee's academic achievement, knowledge, insight, and
abilities. Human capital theory is a relatively new concept in economics and finance
(Ross, 2021). This theory makes some strides toward explaining some of the differences
in earnings among workers that cannot be explained solely by differences in education.
Human capital is primarily defined as the ability to adapt. According to Schultz (1961),
human capital is especially useful in dealing with "disequilibrium" situations, or more
broadly, situations in which the environment is changing and workers must adapt.
Noticeable indicators of human capital are more like a signal of ability than
independently useful characteristics in the production process (The Basic Theory of
Human Capital, n.d.).
9
Human Capital Theory is applicable to this study because it explains that
employability skills are attained through education and training. This theory's central
tenet is that graduates are more likely to find jobs as a result of having attained the
essential skills, understanding, and personal traits.
Self-efficacy Theory. Albert Bandura first introduced the self-efficacy hypothesis
in 1977 in an essay titled "Self-Efficacy: Toward a Unifying Theory of Behavioral
Change" that appeared in the journal Psychological Review (Self-Efficacy, n.d.).
According to Bandura (1977), a person's aptitude, knowledge, and even talents may not
lead to high attainment if they lack the confidence to apply them effectively. The self-
efficacy hypothesis places a strong emphasis on the individual and how that person views
his or her own personal skills as major factors in successful outcomes. Thus, self-efficacy
theory as well as the wider social cognitive theory that encompasses it both vehemently
support the democratic ideal that holds that everyone is competent and capable of
achievement so long as they have the resources and self-efficacy required to do so
(Gallagher, 2012).
Self-efficacy theory is relevant to this study because it explains how an individual
views his or her personal skills, and the involvement of the 'personal factor' in the idea of
employability is regarded as critical because these could have a significant bearing on the
student's future success; that is, what factors affect their perception of employability in
the workforce.
10
Related Literature
Profile of the Respondents
According to Poon (2016), a number of demographic factors have been found to
affect graduates' employment prospects. The self-assessment of the students' employment
skills can be influenced by factors such as their sex, degree program, and work
experience.
Sex. As defined by Mazure (2021), the term sex should be used to categorize
people as either male or female based on their reproductive systems and their functions.
Grouping people according to sex is a common practice, specifically in the academe and
sciences, due to the attributes that different sexes may or may not entail. It is significant
to the study because on-the-job training (OJT) students are classified according to their
sex, which can be a factor in their self-assessment of their employability skills. Students
of a certain sex may have better employability skills or there may be no significant
difference in skills between sexes, similar to the findings of Hussin et al. (2020), who
found that gender has no impact on employability skills.
Degree Program. The American InterContinental University (n.d.) states that the
first level of post-secondary education that students can pursue is an undergraduate
degree program, which consists of both general education requirements and courses
tailored to each student's chosen area of study or degree concentration. A program
consists of courses, each of which is assigned a unit value. The academic program
regulations specify the courses that must be satisfactorily completed in order to achieve
an award or degree (The University of Adelaide, 2019). In relation to the study, different
degree programs require varying skills, which can influence the employability skills of
11
students from different degree programs, namely Bachelor of Science in Accountancy
(BSA) and Bachelor of Science in Accounting Information System (BSAIS).
Work Experience. The term "work experience" broadly refers to a variety of
responsibilities played by students in a professional work environment, such as volunteer
work, internships, part-time jobs, freelancing, etc. (Mittal, 2018). Each of the college
students' varied employment experiences presents them with different roles and
challenges, which can be added to their profiles and eventually aid in skill development
and resume strengthening. In relation to the study, each student's work experience can
influence their employability skills. The skills that they have acquired during each of
their work experiences can contribute to their employability skills, having experienced
working first hand prior to their OJT.
Employability
Employability is the acquisition of knowledge, skills, and abilities that help
graduates gain employment and be successful in their chosen occupation. It includes self-
employment, though it usually refers to the employment of graduates. Harvey, L., (2022)
provides a broader definition referring to employability as the development of abilities to
make sure that graduates are critical-life-long learners, which includes any lifestyle
choice. This simply means that employability will assist students in not only discovering
and applying their skills in their chosen career, but also in developing them in the long
run. It pertains to employment (whether paid or not), which is about life choices, not just
paid employment.
Employability is the capability to realize potential through sustainable and
accessible employment by moving into or within labor markets. It depends on the
12
knowledge and skills that an individual possesses, their attitudes and personal attributes,
the environmental and social context within which work is sought, and the economic
context within which work is sought (Northern Ireland Department for Employment and
Learning, 2022).
Employability Skills
Employability skills are the core skills and traits necessary in most jobs. These are
the general skills that make an individual excel and are hired by the hiring managers in an
organization. Employability skills are also called foundational skills or job-readiness
skills, and include soft skills and professional skills that enable someone to be successful
in the workplace. These skills are also known as transferable skills and can be applied to
a job in any industry (Doyle, A., 2020).
The employability skills adopted in the study are categorized into three areas:
fundamental, teamwork, and personal management skills. Students must enrich and
maintain these skills in the workplace, as well as be motivated to pursue lifelong learning.
It is necessary for them to improve these skills and to anticipate and prepare for the future
skills they are expected to possess. Students need to be competent in using their
employability skills because it will determine their proficiency and mastery of the
acquired employability skills. The following factors that are used to measure the level of
employability skills of the students are adapted from a previous study entitled
"Employability Skills of Graduating Business and Accounting Students of Batangas State
University" (Castillo, R., 2014).
Fundamental Skills. Fundamental skills, also known as foundational skills, are
the basic, transferable skills that are necessary for communicating and receiving
13
knowledge that are required for training and professional achievement. The foundation,
the basis, for supporting further operations, tasks, and learning makes these skills
fundamental. They are transferable because they can be used to some extent in a wide
variety of occupations rather than being job-specific. Employees that acquire
fundamental skills are more desirable and competitive in the job market. Since the 1980s
up to 2018, a larger number of jobs required social, fundamental, and managerial skills
than the need for other skills within occupations (Kochhar, R., 2020).
Fundamental skills are a collection of knowledge, abilities, and academic skills
that are not industry-specific but are important to graduates' ability to adapt and apply the
skills they have learned in university to different contexts (Law Insider, 2022). A college
degree alone won't guarantee employment or professional success. Fundamental skills
can help an individual improve professionally and open the door to new opportunities.
The development of several fundamental skills is necessary for success in the field of
accounting, and a lack of these important accounting skills might hinder one's ability to
carry out their obligations in an effective and reliable manner.
Teamwork Skills. Employers prefer to recruit employees who are able to
cooperate, solve problems and work in teams. Less hierarchical organizations appear to
have project teams, self-managed work teams, and management teams, which makes
interactions and working with other people become significant in the workplace.
Teamwork involves working within a group, brainstorming, sharing responsibility, being
assertive, accepting corrections, and giving feedback to others. A successful team
consists of people with unique skills and strengths who help one another achieve a shared
goal in the most effective way. Having good skills can make someone a good team
14
player, and a great team has people with skills like communication and having a positive
attitude (Youth Employment UK, 2022).
One of the most important factors for getting a job is teamwork (Hashim, M.,
2015). Every job requires working with other people, even people who do not get along
well. Having an understanding of different team working styles and appreciating their
value is important. Employers recruit people who demonstrate the qualities and skills
they need. They ensure that teams will succeed and become effective, which will
contribute to the success of the organization.
Personal Management Skills. It is also known as self-management skills.
Personal management skills include self-confidence, persistence, resilience, patience,
perceptiveness, and emotional regulation. Having strong personal management skills can
assist in achieving one's goals and will eventually lead to opportunities. These skills
enable an individual to strive for a goal, become productive, independent, and provide a
healthy workplace environment (Kennedy, S., 2017). In addition, personal management
is important in showing one's reliability and can boost employees' morale by showing
positive contextual behaviors. It may influence the performance of non-job-specific
functions among employees (Abas, M. et al., 2016).
On the other hand, people without these personal management skills are
unpredictable, which has a negative effect on their job. Self-regulation aids in the
regulation of emotions and thoughts, which leads to better decision-making.
Understanding oneself and how it can influence work performance offers individuals the
opportunity to more meaningfully carry out their duties and fulfill their work
requirements (Wheeler, J., et al., 2019).
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Related Studies
A study conducted in 2012 by Abrahim Bakar, Abdullah Mat Rashid, and Muhd
Khaizer Omar entitled "Employability Skill Acquisition among Malaysian
Community College Students'' focused on determining the level of employability skills
among community college students of Malaysia. Employability skills that were included
in the assessment are basic skills, thinking skills, resource, informational, interpersonal,
system and technology skills, and personal qualities. In addition, the study also examined
the respondents' employability skills as a function of gender and work experience. A data
of 448 students was randomly selected for the study. However, only 325 were used for
the analysis. Furthermore, the results indicated that gender and work experience has no
significant difference on the employability skills of the respondents. The study also
concluded that the employability skills of the community college students are moderately
high. However, the results were lower than the findings of the other studies like Kazulan
et al. (2009) and Bakar and Hanafi (2007). Thus, the study recommended that institutions
must make a greater effort to help students acquire the employability skills required by
many organizations.
The previous study shares some similarities with the study that the researchers
conducted. Both studies believed that employability skills are crucial in employment.
Without these skills, youths and graduates can be considered handicapped in the race for
employment. Also, both studies examined the significant difference between
employability skills of respondents when grouped with gender and work experience.
On the contrary, previous study's respondents were from various courses while
current study only focused on two courses which were BSA and BSAIS. Aside from that,
16
the assessment of respondents' employability skills only included their fundamental
skills, teamwork skills, and personal management skills. In addition, the present study
had respondent's self-assessment and their employer's assessment regarding those skills
to gather and analyze data.
Furthermore, a study conducted by Atanasovski Atanasko, Trpeska Marina, and
Lazarevska Zorica Bozinovska in 2019 entitled "Accounting students' and employers'
perceptions on employability skills in the SEE country" focused on investigating the
major shifts in the most important skills and knowledge sets as per employers’
expectations and analyse the skills’ gap left by the formal education system. The study
examines the perceptions and views of the two interested parties for accounting education
in Macedonia, the accounting students and employers (from professional accounting and
auditing firms) in respect of skills and knowledge that must be possessed by accounting
graduates in order to increase their employability and workplace readiness. In order to
examine the perception of the two parties, the study used survey questionnaires created
and distributed online. The questionnaire consisted of 2 sections in respect of 13 technical
skills and 26 generic skills. Section 1 asked students and employers to rate on the 5–point
Likert scale the importance of each technical and generic skill (1 – not important; 5 –
very important), while section 2 required students and employers to rate their perceptions
how well the skills are being developed through successful completion of courses of the
accounting program (scores ranging from 1 – not achieved to 5 – substantially achieved).
The results of the study indicated agreement between the two respondent groups in
respect of the greater importance of generic skills. However, students gave more weight
to personal skills of time management, good presentation and characteristics of self-
17
confidence, motivation and self-promotion while employers valued more oral
communication, knowledge of foreign languages, ethical attitude and credibility and
commitment to life-long learning. As for the technical skills, both respondents considered
experience with the MS Office package as very important, but they were in disagreement
regarding the high importance of accounting software skills, as these were perceived
more important by the student respondents. Aside from that, both employers and students
agreed that in order to allow for better development of technical and generic skills among
successful graduates, the education process and program need improvements.
The previous study shares some similarities with the study that the researchers
conducted. Both studies are all about employability skills of undergraduate students. In
addition, both studies used survey questionnaires structured on a five-point Likert scale to
collect and extract data. Moreover, both current and previous studies have similar
respondents which are employers and accountancy students.
However, despite the similarities, both studies also have differences. The previous
study focused on both generic and technical skills while on the other hand, the current
study only focused on general employability skills of the respondents. Furthermore, the
related study focused on contrasting the perceptions and views of accounting students and
employers regarding employability skills while the present study focused on the
comparison of the self-assessment of the accounting students and the assessment of their
employers about their employability skills.
In addition, a study conducted by Jackling Beverley and Natoli Ricardo in the
year 2015 entitled “Employability skills of international accounting graduates:
Internship provider’s perspectives” focused on the perceptions of internship providers
18
with respect to the employability skills of international accounting graduates that
undertake a Professional Year Program (PYP) incorporating a 12 week (240 hour)
internship. This study involved a survey of internship providers that required an open and
closed ended questionnaire addressing perceptions of the skills of the interns. The
findings of the study revealed that from the perspective of the respondents, the most
highly developed skill of interns is team skills. However, over 40 percent of the interns
had failed to demonstrate the capacity to be “work ready” with respect to business
acculturation, capacity to handle unfamiliar problems and communication skills as
internship provider’s indicated.
Similarly, the study of Jackling Beverley and Natoli Ricardo (2015) and the
present study both assessed and examined the employability skills of accounting interns.
The present study also has the same objective as the related study. Both studies seek to
know the capacity of being work ready for the interns.
Although the study conducted by the previous researchers and the present study
have similarities, they still differ. The related study focused on international accounting
graduates that undertake a Professional Year Program (PYP) incorporating a 12 week
(240 hour) internship, while the current study focused on accounting and accounting
information system students that underwent an OJT program incorporating a 10 week
(400 hour) internship.
A local study conducted by Ma. Jasmine J. De Guzman, Carlos M. Abalos,
Christian Mark M. Cabaluna, and Randy Joy M. Ventayen in 2020 entitled “Tracer
Study on the Employability of Business Administration Graduates (2017-2019) of
Pangasinan State University Lingayen Campus” evaluates the employment situation
19
of program graduates from 2017 to 2019. The BS Business Administration program has
produced a total of 782 graduates. In the tracer study, 62 of them took part. The
descriptive-exploratory correlational research design is used in this study. The researcher
created the survey questionnaire. For data cleaning, the obtained data was exported from
Google Forms into Microsoft Excel. 93.33 percent of graduates who come from low-
income and lower socioeconomic classes are women, making up 69.35 percent of the
graduating class. 87.10% of graduates were working, either formally or informally. The
program outcomes that the graduates felt were most applicable to their current or future
careers were those that dealt with honesty, great communication skills, and shared
accountability. The promotion of Filipino culture, the use of ICT skills, and discussion of
recent advancements in the field of practice, on the other hand, were assessed as less
relevant and significant than other program outcomes. The researcher suggests that, in
order to give graduates the skills they need for the workplace of Industry 4.0, the BSBA
program should incorporate theories, concepts, and practical applications of information
and communications technology, innovation, and systems thinking into its curriculum.
Similarly, this related study conforms to the present study’s objectives, which
assess the employability of the respondents and to describe their profile. Both studies
took their sample population and respondents from the university.
However, the respondents of the present study are graduating fourth-year BSA
and BS AIS students undertaking on-the-job training, not business administration
graduates. The present study focused on the employability skills of the respondents
unlike in the related study where the focus is the status of employability of the business
administration graduates.
20
The study entitled “Employability Skills of Graduating Business and
Accounting Students of Batangas State University” by Romer C. Castillo in 2014
evaluate and assess the employability skills of Batangas State University's graduating and
senior students in the BS Business Administration, BS Accounting Management, and BS
Accountancy programs. It employs the descriptive study design, a survey questionnaire
as the data collection tool, and SPSS for statistical analysis. As determined by the
students themselves and their on-the-job training supervisors or employers, the results
demonstrate that the students' employability skills, notably foundational skills, teamwork
skills, and personal management skills, are above average. It also reveals the overall
finding that, when students are categorized according to their program, major and gender,
there are no appreciable differences in their employability skills. It's important to notice
that ratings from companies and students are remarkably comparable. The study suggests
that additional enhancements to curriculums, instructional techniques, and extracurricular
activities are still required if excellence is to be achieved.
Like Cervantes, et al.’s study, the present study measured the level of
employability skills of the respondents. Both studies described the demographic profile of
the respondents. Furthermore, the related study also determined if there is no significant
difference on the employability skills when the students are grouped according to gender
and program. The related study also used a questionnaire as an instrument in gathering
data for the research.
However, the related study described the respondents' major, whereas in the
present study, the respondents' work experience would be described. The respondents of
this study are only graduating BS Accountancy and BS Accounting Information System
21
students at Bulacan State University, while in the related study, graduating and senior BS
Business Administration, BS Accounting Management, and BS Accountancy students at
Batangas State University.
Another local study that was conducted by Maria Lina T. Ramoneda in 2017
entitled “Employability of Business Graduates in the Province of Pampanga”
examined how business graduate employees and employers view the precise
employability skills they believe business graduates should possess in order to close the
skills gap and lower the province of Pampanga's 11.6 percent unemployment rate. The
study used the descriptive research method in order to determine how much
Employability Skills-Based Work Performance Prediction (ESWPP) was required by
employed business graduates in order to perform their jobs. This method was validated
by the employers' evaluation of the significance of the same employability skills when
they hired business graduates. The findings revealed the respondents' degree of
agreement on the most crucial dimensions of effective listening skills and continuously
learning skills, as well as their level of agreement on the least crucial dimensions of
effective writing strategy and managing one's own learning. Graduates and employers
also did not agree on the dimension of organizational skills. The study made several
recommendations, including testing freshmen's listening abilities; providing faculty
development in teaching strategies; utilizing free software in student instruction; and
fostering an environment of openness and constant growth.
Ramoneda’s study shared similarities to the present study because it examined the
employability skills of the respondents. Both studies determined if there was a significant
difference between the students’ self-assessment and the assessment of their employers
22
regarding their employability skills. Furthermore, both studies employed a descriptive
research method.
However, the respondents of her study are graduates from Holy Angel University
in Pampanga, while the respondents of the present study are the undergraduates from
Bulacan State University in Bulacan.
Conceptual Framework
IV DV
Self-Assessment of the Student Assessment of the Employer

Interns in terms of: Internship Supervisors in terms of:
Fundamental Skills Fundamental Skills
Teamwork Skills Teamwork Skills
Personal Management Personal Management Skills
Skills
Profile of the Student Interns in

terms of:
Sex
Degree Program; and
Work Experience
MV
Figure 1. Conceptual Framework of the Study
23
Figure 1 shows the conceptual framework of the study as shown in the paradigm.
The paradigm shows the variables included in the study through the use of a correlation
framework. The left box shows the self-assessment of the Bachelor of Science in
Accountancy (BSA) and Bachelor of Science in Accounting Information System
(BSAIS) students; under that are the fundamental skills, teamwork skills, and personal
management skills. The right box shows the assessment of the employer internship
supervisors. Under that are the fundamental skills, teamwork skills, and personal
management skills of the students. Under the independent and dependent variables are
the moderating variables, namely, the profile of the students. Under that are: sex, degree
program, and work experience. The vertical line shows the relationship between the
independent and dependent variables, while the horizontal line shows the relationship
among the three variables.
Hypothesis of the Study
1. There are no significant differences on students’ employability skills when
grouped according to sex, degree program, and work experience.
2. There is no significant difference between the students’ self-assessment and the
assessment of their employer internship supervisors.
24
Definition of Terms
For clarity and better understanding, the following terms are defined conceptually
and operationally as they are used in the study.
Assessment. The term assessment pertains to the techniques or tools that
educators employ to evaluate, gauge, and record students' skill acquisition (The Glossary
of Education Reform, 2015). In the study, there will be a self-assessment of the student's
employability skills.
BSA and BSAIS students. According to Guagua Community College (2021), the
students of the Bachelor of Science in Accountancy (BSA) and Bachelor of Science in
Accounting Information System (BSAIS) have an academic background and skills in
applying accounting standards and techniques. The graduating BSA and BSAIS students
are the study's respondents, who will undergo internships per the curriculum.
Degree Program. The term "degree program" refers to a curriculum leading to
the award of an academic degree that is prescribed for students who must demonstrate
achievement of satisfactory learning outcomes established by the institution in order to
receive the academic degree. In the study, it refers to two specific courses which are
Bachelor of Science in Accountancy and Bachelor of Science in Accounting Information
System.
Employability. The term "employability" describes a collection of
accomplishments - abilities, understandings, and personal traits - that increase graduates'
chances of landing jobs and succeeding in their chosen professions, which benefits them,
the labor force, the community, and the economy. In the study, employability refers to the
abilities of the student interns to be employed.
25
Employability Skills. Employability skills referred to as technical, professional,
and life skills required for success in the workforce. Some examples of these skills
include oral and written communication, time management, problem solving,
professionalism, and teamwork. In the study, it refers to the fundamental skills, teamwork
skills, and personal management skills of the respondents.
Employer Internship Supervisors. It is also known as Internship Supervisors
which ”is expected to provide the intern with experiences and guidance that will help the
intern develop their competence and expertise while learning about the nature of
professional work” ( “Communication Internship Program”, n.d.). In the study Employer
Internship Supervisors are the ones who decide what employability skills a student has to
have.
Fundamental Skills. Fundamental skills are those that are required in order to
carry out a task or comprehend an idea since they serve as the basis for other abilities or
concepts (“APA Dictionary of Psychology”, n.d.). In the study, fundamental skills are
skills that a student must possess in order to be employed.
Job Mismatch. According to John (2013), job mismatch is a worker in a job that
does not correspond with his/ her level of education, experience, skills or interests. In the
study, job mismatch refers to work of the student that is not related to their profession.
On-the-job training (OJT). The term on-the-job training (OJT) is a program that
teaches skills, knowledge, and competencies needed for employees to perform a specific
job within the workplace (Lerios & Sapin, 2017). The study's respondents will undergo
OJT in their first semester, during which their employability skills will be assessed.
26
Personal Management Skills. Refers to the capacity to regulate one's feelings,
ideas, and actions. A person who possesses this ability can independently create goals
and take action to achieve them. Personal management abilities eventually aid in
determining a person's career path. In the study, it is one of the parameters which will be
used to measure the employability skills of the student interns.
Sex. Any of the two main groups (male and female) into which humans and the
majority of other living things are separated based on how they reproduce. In the study, it
refers to the student interns. Their employability skills might differ when group according
to their sex.
Skills Mismatch. The skills that individuals possess do not match the skills that
employers are looking for. There is a mismatch between skills and jobs. This indicates
that either education and training are failing to provide the skills needed in the workforce,
or the economy is failing to create jobs that are compatible with people's skills and
knowledge (International Labour Organization, 2020). In the study, it refers to the
existing problem of not reaching the expected skills of the employer internship
supervisors from the student interns.
Student intern. The term "Student Interns" refers to the persons recommended by
the University possessing a certificate of clearance who have been approved to engage in
unpaid educational service experiences under the supervision of a regularly credentialed
employee of the District (Law Insider, n.d.). In the study, BSA and BSAIS students are
interns who will serve as the respondents, aside from their employers.
Teamwork Skills. According to Duszyński, M., (2022), it consists of interrelated
abilities that work effectively in an organized group. It is important to employers within
27
many companies where teams are a basic organizational unit. It occurs when people
cooperate and utilize their individual skills to achieve common goals. In the study, it
refers to specific teamwork skills which will be used to measure the employability skills
possessed by the student interns.
Work Experience. A period of time that a young person, especially a student,
spends working in a company as a form of training (Oxford Learner's Dictionaries, 2022).
In the study, it refers to the experience of students when it comes to working in an
establishment or company before their on-the-job training (OJT).
28
CHAPTER III
RESEARCH METHODOLOGY
This chapter presents the methods and techniques of the study, the population and
sample of the study, the research instrument, the data gathering procedure, and the data
interpretation and analysis.
Methods and Techniques of the Study
The study utilized the descriptive research method, which is used to identify and
learn more about a specific group or situation's characteristics (Akhtar, 2016). The
purpose of this methodology is to determine and describe the employability skills of the
fourth-year BSA (Bachelor of Science in Accountancy) and BSAIS (Bachelor of Science
in Accounting Information System) students at Bulacan State University, who will
undergo on-the-job training (OJT) in different industries or institutions during their first
semester.
The researchers employed questionnaires in gathering data for the study.
According to Martin (2004), questionnaires are a common study technique for learning
about people's opinions, experiences, attitudes, and plans for thae future. In addition, the
researchers adapted the five (5) point Likert scale for the questionnaires. A Likert scale is
a method of assessing respondents' attitudes by asking how much they agree or disagree
with a question or statement (Losby & Wetmore, 2012).
29
Population and Sample of the Study
The respondents of the study were graduating Bulacan State University (Main
Campus) students, mainly from the College of Business Administration (CBA). The
respondents specifically came from the accountancy degree programs: Bachelor of
Science in Accountancy (BSA) and Bachelor of Science in Accounting Information
System (BSAIS), who underwent on-the-job training (OJT) in their first semester. The
two degree programs combined have a total population of 226 students.
As shown in Table 1, there were two accountancy degree programs. The study
obtained fifty percent (50%) of the total population from each degree program, for a total
of one hundred thirteen (113) students. Both programs were part of the study to ensure
that all the respondents were equally distributed and represented. The study utilized only
50% of the total population in determining sample size instead of Slovin’s formula to
have a smaller set of respondents. Likewise, the number of employer internship
supervisors depended on the number of student intern/s that they respectively supervise.
In turn, only 66 employer internship supervisors were able to answer the survey forms
out of 113, most of which handled more than one student intern.
Table 1
Distribution of Respondents
Degree Program Population Sample
Bachelor of Science in Accountancy 36 18
Bachelor of Science in Accounting Information System 190 95
30
Total: 2 degree programs 226 113
Moreover, stratified random sampling was used in the study as a sampling
technique for selecting the respondents. According to Thomas (2022), stratified sampling
involves the division of a population into homogeneous subpopulations known as strata
depending on specific characteristics, which will then be followed by the selection of
random samples from each group. This sampling technique suited the study since the
respondents came from different degree programs.
Research Instrument
The study utilized an adapted questionnaire from local studies as an instrument
for data gathering to determine the level of employability skills of the respondents.
According to Farnsworth (2021), "questionnaires are a set of written questions designed
to gather standardized information about the opinions, preferences, experiences,
intentions, and behavior of individuals, and can be devised for the purposes of a scientific
study." The questionnaire consisted of close-ended questions to make it easier for the
respondents to answer. Close-ended questions are questions that already have options or
choices from which to choose a response. In addition, questionnaires are a convenient
way to gather data from a target population.
Questions regarding employability skills and their measures, such as; fundamental
skills, teamwork skills, and personal management skills, were used in a study entitled
“Employability Skills of Graduating Business and Accounting Students of Batangas State
University” by Romer Castillo in 2014. The questionnaire was based on the checklist,
Employability Skills 2000+, developed by The Conference Board of Canada.
31
The questions in the survey questionnaire were formulated based on the research
questions about the employability skills and the profile of the respondents. There were
two sets of questionnaires: one for the student interns and the other one for their
corresponding employers.
Part I of the survey questionnaire consisted of the profiles of the students, which
included their sex, degree program, and work experience; and the profiles of the
employer internship supervisors, which consisted of their name and the name of the
student intern that they supervise.
Part II was composed of the same questions that were answered by both the
student interns and their employer about the students' employability skills. It was divided
into three parts to measure the level of employability skills, which included: fundamental
skills, teamwork skills, and personal management skills. The questionnaire was intended
for the students to assess their own skills and for the employer internship supervisors to
give an assessment about the general employability skills of the student interns.
Furthermore, the questionnaire used a five-point Likert scale to determine the
levels of agreement. Lastly, the researchers employed Cronbach’s Alpha Reliability
Coefficient Test to guarantee the reliability and consistency of each question in the
survey questionnaire.
Data Gathering Procedure
The researchers reached out to the College of Business Administration (CBA)
Local Student Council for the total number of students under the Bachelor of Science in
Accountancy (BSA) and Bachelor of Science in Accounting Information Systems
32
(BSAIS) programs at Bulacan State University-Main Campus during the school year
2021–2022. The researchers also utilized the Google Sheet file which contained the 4th
Year BSA and BSAIS List of HTE (Host Training Establishment), which was provided
and accessible to all BSA and BSAIS students. Upon having the lists, the researchers
selected the respondents of the study.
The researchers then prepared the survey questionnaires as per the study's
research questions. The researchers conducted separate pilot testing of the survey
questionnaires for the student interns and the employer internship supervisors, to
establish the reliability of the questions. Consecutively, the researchers gathered data by
sending a consent letter addressed to the respondents together with the survey
questionnaire through Google Forms. As for the employers who did not answer the
survey through Google Forms, the researchers personally went to their respective
establishments and handed out printed versions of the forms in hard copies.
During the data gathering process, the researchers catered to every question,
concern, and conflict encountered by the respondents while answering the survey
questionnaire, through e-mail or direct message. Moreover, the respondents were
reminded and encouraged by the researchers to complete and answer the questionnaires
truthfully and honestly in order to produce valid results.
Data Processing and Statistical Treatment
The data gathered through survey questionnaires were organized and classified
according to the research design to answer the study's general problem, which focused on
33
the employability skills of graduating BS Accountancy and BS Accounting Information
System students at Bulacan State University.
The following were the interpretations for the set of data regarding employability
skills, which were measured in terms of fundamental skills, teamwork skills, and personal
management skills:
To better understand the fundamental skills of the respondents, the questionnaire
used a five (5) point Likert scale. The respondents had excellent skills if the question
earned a mean of 5. If 4, it suggests that the respondents had above-average skills; if 3, it
indicates that the respondents had average skills; if 2, it suggests that the respondents had
fair skills; and if 1, it means that the respondents had poor or unacceptable skills.
For the questions under teamwork skills, if the question earned a mean of 5, it
indicates that the respondents had excellent skills. If 4, it suggests that the respondents
had above-average skills; if 3, it shows that the respondents had average skills; if 2, it
indicates that the respondents had fair skills; and if 1, it suggests that the respondents had
poor or unacceptable skills.
For the questions under personal management skills, if the question earned a
mean of 5, it indicates that the respondents had excellent skills. If 4, it suggests that the
respondents had above-average skills; if 3, it shows that the respondents had average
skills; if 2, it indicates that the respondents had fair skills; and if 1, it suggests that the
respondents had poor or unacceptable skills.
Statistical Program for Social Sciences (SPSS) was employed for data analysis. In
particular, the mean and standard deviation were used to identify the level of students'
employability skills. The Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) was used to determine if there
34
were significant differences in students' employability skills when clustered according to
the degree program and work experience. Lastly, T-test was used to determine if there
were substantial differences in male and female students' employability skills and
between the student's self-assessment and the perception of the employers about their
general employability skills.
35
CHAPTER IV
PRESENTATION, ANALYSIS, AND INTERPRETATION OF DATA
This chapter presents different tables that answer the specific questions under the
general problem of the study about the self-assessment of the accounting interns and the
assessment of their employers as an indicator of their general employability skills. Each
table was presented, analyzed, and interpreted. The researchers based their analysis and
interpretation of data on the related literature and studies.
This part of the research paper consists of four (4) parts. Part I presents the profile
of the student interns in terms of their sex, degree program, and work experience. Part II
presents the level of the general employability skills of the accounting interns by means
of their self-assessment and the assessment of their employers in terms of their
fundamental skills, teamwork skills, and personal management skills. Part III presents the
difference among the level of general employability skills of the student interns in terms
of their sex, degree program, and work experience, and Part IV is the difference between
the self-assessment of graduating accounting students and the assessment of their
employer intern supervisors.
Profile of the Student Interns
This part of Chapter IV consists of one (1) table that presents the profile of the
student interns. Table 1 shows the profile of the respondents in terms of their sex, degree
program, and work experience, with the corresponding frequency and percentage.
36
Table 1
Frequency and Percentage Distribution of the Profile of the Student Interns
Profile of the Respondents Frequency Percentage
Sex
Male 18 15.9%
Female 95 84.1%
Total 113 100%
Degree Program
BS Accountancy 18 15.9%
BS Accounting Information 95 84.1%

System
Total 113 100%
Work Experience
Working Student 27 23.9%
Non- Working Student 86 76.1%
Total 113 100%
Sex. Most student interns that are included in this study are female, representing
84.1% of the total respondents, and only 15.9% of the total respondents are male.
Degree Program. Out of 113 respondents, the student interns under the degree
program of BS Accounting Information System comprised 84.1% of the total respondents
37
to the study, while the remaining 15.9% represent those under the degree program of BS
Accountancy.
Work Experience. Majority of the student interns identify as non-working
students, representing 76.1% of the total respondents, while the remaining 23.9% identify
as working students.
Level of General Employability Skills of Accounting Interns
This part of the study presents the tables regarding the level of general
employability skills of graduating accounting students in terms of their fundamental skills
(Table 2), teamwork skills (Table 3), and financial management practices (Table 4). It
consists of the statistical mean, which represents the concentration of the data, the
corresponding standard deviation, or the spread of the data, and its verbal interpretation.
Range Interpretation
4.21 – 5.00 Excellent
3.41 – 4.20 Very Good
2.61 – 3.40 Good
1.81 – 2.60 Fair
1.00 – 1.80 Poor
Table 2.1
38
Level of General Employability Skills in terms of Fundamental Skills
Fundamental Skills
Student Interns Employers
Verbal Verbal
Statements Mean SD Mean SD
Interpretation Interpretation
I can read and understand

information presented in a 4.56 0.53 Excellent 4.89 0.31 Excellent
variety of forms
I can write and speak in a way

that others pay attention and 4.27 0.67 Excellent 4.68 0.47 Excellent
understand
I can listen and ask questions to

understand and appreciate the 4.60 0.54 Excellent 4.74 0.44 Excellent
points of view of others
I can share information using a

range of information and 4.44 0.57 Excellent 4.85 0.47 Excellent
communication technologies
I can use relevant scientific,

technological and mathematical
4.09 0.63 Very Good 4.85 0.36 Excellent
knowledge and skills to explain
or clarify ideas
I can locate, gather and organize

information using appropriate
4.38 0.56 Excellent 4.85 0.36 Excellent
technology and information
systems
I can access, analyze and apply

knowledge and explain or clarify
ideal skills from various
disciplines
I can decide what needs to be 4.19 0.65 Very Good 4.58 0.61 Excellent
39
measured or calculated
I can observe and record data

using appropriate methods, tools 4.25 0.59 Excellent 4.68 0.47 Excellent
and technology
I can assess situations and

identify problems
I can seek different points of

view and evaluate them based on 4.37 0.55 Excellent 4.76 0.43 Excellent
facts
I can recognize the human,

interpersonal, technical,
scientific and mathematical
dimensions of a problem
I can identify the root cause of a

problem
I am creative and innovative in

exploring possible solutions
I can readily use science,

technology and mathematics as
ways to think, gain and share 3.98 0.65 Very Good 4.67 0.56 Excellent
knowledge, solve problems and
make decisions
I can evaluate solutions to make

recommendations or decisions
I can implement solutions 4.19 0.68 Very Good 4.61 0.58 Excellent
I can check to see if a solution

works, and act on opportunities 4.25 0.41 Excellent 4.72 0.36 Excellent
for improvement
Overall: 4.25 0.61 Excellent 4.72 0.47 Excellent
40
Fundamental Skills. The table provides the student interns' self-assessment and
the assessment of their employer about their fundamental skills. Listening and asking
questions to understand and appreciate the points of view of others received the highest
mean of 4.60. On the other hand, being ready to use science, technology and mathematics
as ways to think, gain and share knowledge, solve problems and make decisions had the
lowest mean of 3.98. This indicates that the students are open when it comes to
sympathizing with others. However, they are not equipped when it comes to the
application of scientific, technology, and mathematics in their judgements. The student
interns assessed themselves and received excellent skills on most of the statements and
had very good skills in almost half of the statements based on the computed means. This
results in having the grand mean of 4.25 which states that the respondents still have
excellent fundamental skills.
Employers deemed the student interns to possess excellent fundamental skills. As
evident in Table 2.1, the intern’s ability to read and understand information presented in a
variety of formats was rated excellent by their supervisors, garnering the highest mean of
4.89. It was then followed by their ability to use relevant scientific, technological, and
mathematical knowledge and skills to explain or clarify ideas, as well as locate, gather,
and organize information using appropriate technology and information systems, with a
mean of 4.85. Meanwhile, the respondent’s ability to decide what needs to be measured
or calculated obtained a high mean of 4.58 despite being the lowest. This implies that the
employers observed students to have great comprehension skills, while their ability to
41
make thought-out decisions in determining what must be measured accurately still
needed to be polished. With a grand mean of 4.72, it is apparent that the employers have
discerned that the interns already exhibit exceptional essential proficiency even as
interns, which serves as the basis of their employability skills.
According to Kochhar, R. (2020), since the 1980s up until 2018, a larger number
of jobs required social, fundamental, and management skills than the need for other skills
within an occupation. Based on the results, respondents have excellent fundamental
skills. It can be stated that the respondents have one of the necessary skills that are
required by a wide variety of jobs and that can help them be employed in the future.
Furthermore, according to Law Insider (2022), fundamental skills are a collection
of knowledge, abilities, and academic skills that are not industry-specific but are
important to graduates' ability to adapt and apply the skills they have learned in
university in different contexts. From this, we can say that possessing and applying
excellent fundamental skills is useful and beneficial to improving professionally. These
skills are not only limited to a single or specific job but can be applied to a wide range of
occupations that can open doors to new and more opportunities.
Table 2.2
Level of General Employability Skills in terms of Teamwork Skills
Teamwork Skills
Student Interns Employer/Supervisor
Statements Mean SD Verbal Mean SD Verbal
42
I can understand and work within

the dynamics of a group
I can ensure that a team’s

purpose and objectives are clear
I am flexible, and I try to respect,

be open to, and be supportive of
the thoughts, opinions and
contributions of others in a group
I can recognize and respect

people’s diversity, individual
differences and 4.74 0.46 Excellent 4.94 0.24 Excellent
perspectives
I can accept and provide

feedback in a constructive and 4.57 0.56 Excellent 4.94 0.24 Excellent
considerate manner
I can contribute to a team by

sharing information and expertise
I can lead or support when

appropriate, motivating a group 4.31 0.67 Excellent 4.88 0.33 Excellent
for high performance
I can understand the role of

conflict in a group to reach 4.44 0.63 Excellent 4.88 0.33 Excellent
solutions
I can manage and resolve conflict

when appropriate
43
Teamwork Skills. The table provides the student interns' self-assessment and the
assessment of their employer about their teamwork skills. Based on the computed means,
the ability to recognize and respect people’s diversity, individual differences and
perspectives achieve the highest mean of 4.71. While leading or supporting when
appropriate, and motivating a group for high performance had the lowest mean of 4.31.
This shows that the student interns see themselves as someone who is respectful to others
but lacks confidence when it comes to leading them. In total, the student interns have
excellent skills in all of the statements in both assessments with a grand mean of 4.52 in
the students' self-assessment and 4.89 in the assessment of their employers.
The teamwork skills of the respondents during their internship was assessed as
excellent by their employers. As shown in the table, recognizing and respecting people’s
diversity, individual differences, and perspectives, as well as accepting and providing
feedback in a constructive and considerate manner, both attained the highest mean of
4.94. On the other hand, managing and resolving conflict when appropriate had the
lowest mean, at 4.79, although it was still considered excellent. This suggests that the
employers can attest to the open-mindedness of the interns regarding social diversity and
the acceptance and provision of feedback, while their ability to handle conflicts can still
be lacking. A grand mean of 4.89 gives a clear picture that overall, the employers
witnessed the excellent skills of the interns in contributing productively to the group
where they belong.
Based on the results, the researchers of this study found that the student interns are
excellent in all statements under "teamwork skills," both on their own assessment and the
assessment of their employer or supervisor. Their excellent listening, communication,
44
and collaboration skills, as well as their good attitudes, may have contributed to this
outcome. According to Youth Employment UK (2022), a successful team consists of
people with unique skills and strengths who help one another achieve a shared goal in the
most effective way. Having good skills can make someone a good team player, and a
great team has people with skills like communication and a positive attitude.
When looking for jobs, it is advantageous to have teamwork skills. Teamwork
skills are essential in almost every business. The value of collaboration is related to the
combination of abilities, traits, approaches, and procedures employees utilize when
cooperating to achieve a common objective. According to Mohamad (2015), one of the
most important factors for getting a job is teamwork. Employers look for candidates who
exhibit the traits and abilities they require. They make sure that teams are successful and
become productive, which will help the organization succeed.
Table 2.3
Level of General Employability Skills in terms of Personal Management Skills
Personal Management Skills
Student Interns Employer/Supervisor
Verbal Verbal
Statements Mean SD Mean SD
I can plan, design or carry out a

project or task from start to
finish with well-defined
objectives and outcomes
I can develop a plan, seek 4.19 0.58 Very Good 4.67 0.64 Excellent
45
feedback, test, revise and
implement
I can work to agreed quality

standards and specifications
I can select and use appropriate

tools and technology for a task
or 4.35 0.61 Excellent 4.88 0.33 Excellent
project
I can adapt to changing

requirements and information
I can continuously monitor the

success of a project or task and 4.35 0.53 Excellent 4.89 0.31 Excellent
identify the ways to improve
I can feel good about myself

and be confident
I can deal with people,

problems and situations with
honesty, integrity and personal
ethics
I can recognize own and other

people’s good efforts
I can take care of my personal

health
I can show interest, initiative

and effort
I can work independently or as

part of a team
I can carry out multiple tasks 4.21 0.74 Excellent 4.45 0.59 Excellent
46
or projects
I am innovative and
resourceful and I can identify
and suggest alternative ways to 4.20 0.67 Very Good 4.62 0.58 Excellent
achieve goals and get the job
done
I am open and can respond

constructively to change
I can learn from own mistakes

and accept feedback
I can cope with uncertainty 4.10 0.77 Very Good 4.45 0.59 Excellent
I am willing to continuously
learn and grow
I can assess personal strengths

and areas for development
I can set own learning goals 4.48 0.61 Excellent 4.74 0.44 Excellent
I can identify and access

learning sources and 4.49 0.57 Excellent 4.92 0.27 Excellent
opportunities
I can plan for and achieve own

learning goals
I am aware of personal and

group health and safety
practices and procedures, and
act in accordance with these
47
Personal Management Skills. The table provides the student interns' self-
assessment and the assessment of their employer about their personal management skills.
In the self-assessment of the student interns, it shows that the students are willing to
continuously learn and grow the reason why it has the highest mean of 4.82. On the other
hand, feeling good and being confident received the lowest mean of 3.91. This indicates
that the student interns have the willingness to be equipped with skills but do not have
confidence about themselves. The computed mean shows that they have excellent skills
on most of the statements and very good skills in six (6) out of twenty-four (24)
statements. Though the grand mean has a value of 4.40, the respondents still have
excellent personal management skills.
The employers considered the personal management skills of the student interns
excellent in all aspects. As depicted in Table 2.3, the supervisors rated the students’
awareness and appropriate conduct regarding personal and group health and safety
practices and procedures as excellent. Likewise, the interns’ ability to learn from their
own mistakes and accept feedback also garnered the highest mean of 4.94, implying that
the employers have deduced the interns’ outstanding awareness and strict observance of
their workplace’s health and safety protocols, as well as their noticeable improvement in
performance through constructive criticism. With regards to the interns’ ability to carry
out multiple tasks or projects as well as their ability to cope with uncertainty, the
employers have also observed the respondents’ excellence by giving a mean of 4.45, but
it was implied that the interns can still enhance their multi-tasking skills and the way they
face and deal with uncertainties at work. A grand mean of 4.77 has shown that the
personal management skills of the interns are the second highest employability skills
48
rated by their employers. It inferred that the personal skills, attitudes, and behaviors of
the interns are highly commended, which significantly affects their performance in their
work environment.
Based on the results of the study, the researchers found that the respondents have
excellent personal management skills, both in their self-assessment and assessment of
their employers. It can be stated that respondents have an excellent understanding of
themselves and have self-regulation that will greatly contribute to their jobs and help
them in the future. It also means that respondents have persistence, resilience, patience,
and good perception, all of which are important, especially in the workplace. As stated by
Abas, M. et al. (2016), personal management is important in showing one's reliability and
can boost employees' morale by showing positive contextual behaviors. It is important
because it may influence the performance of non-job-specific functions among
employees.
Furthermore, according to Kennedy (2017), these personal management skills
enable a person to strive for a goal, become productive and independent, and provide a
healthy workplace environment. It can be stated that having strong personal management
skills can help one achieve their goal and eventually lead to opportunities. On the other
hand, people without these personal management skills will have a negative effect on
their job because of their unpredictable behavior.
Difference in Graduating Accounting Interns' General Employability Skills when
Grouped according to Sex, Degree Program, and Work Experience
49
The tables determine the significant difference in the general employability skills
of the graduating accounting interns when grouped according to sex, degree program, and
work experience.
Table 3.1
Significant Difference in Graduating Accounting Interns' General Employability
Skills when Grouped according to Sex
Mea t- p-
N SD Decision Interpretation
n value value
Fundamental Male 18 4.27 0.43

Fail to Reject Not
Skills 0.259 0.796
Female 95 4.24 0.40 H0 Significant
Teamwork Male 18 4.48 0.38 Fail to Reject Not

Skills -0.416 0.678
Personal Male 18 4.29 0.35

Management Fail to Reject Not
-1.476 0.143
Skills Female H Significant
95 4.43 0.37 0
Male 18 4.35 0.35 Fail to Reject Not

Overall -0.561 0.576
p<0.05*
Table 3.1 exhibits the significant difference in the general employability skills of
graduating accounting students when grouped according to sex. Both male and female
students are excellent in fundamental, teamwork, and personal management skills with
the mean that did not fall behind 4.21. At 0.05 level of significance, the result shows that
there is no significant difference on fundamental skills, teamwork skills, personal
50
management skills and on overall employability skills. It means that gender does not
matter in their employability skills. All student interns have excellent employability
skills, regardless of their gender.
Based on the findings of the study, the researchers found that the sex of student
interns has no significant difference in their employability skills. The results indicate that
the general employability skills of the interns are not really indicated by gender. This
result is consistent with the findings of Hussin et al., (2020), who found that gender has
no impact influence to the employability skills.
Table 3.2
Skills when Grouped according to Degree Program
p-
N Mean SD t-value Decision Interpretation
value
BSA
18
Fundamental 4.20 0.40 -0.517 0.606 Fail to Reject Not
Skills H0 Significant
BSAIS
95
4.26 0.41
BSA
18
Teamwork 4.39 0.40 -1.508 0.134 Fail to Reject Not
Skills H0 Significant
BSAIS
95
4.54 0.39
Personal BSA 18
4.35 0.34 -0.706 0.482 Fail to Reject Not
51
Management BSAIS
Skills 95 4.41 0.37 H 0 Significant
BSA
18
4.31 0.35 -1.002 0.318 Fail to Reject Not
Overall H 0 Significant
BSAIS 95
4.40 0.35
p<0.05*
Table 3.2 discussed the differences in the general employability skills of the
interns when grouped according to degree program. Results show that BSA and BSAIS
students' fundamental skills were different. BSA students' fundamental skills were very
good with a weighted mean of 4.20 while BSAIS students were excellent with a weighted
mean of 4.26. Meanwhile, both BSA and BSAIS students' teamwork, personal
management, and overall employability skills are excellent with a mean that did not fall
behind 4.21. Although in all categories under employability skills, ratings of BSAIS
students were slightly higher than BSA students. However, the results still show that the
fundamental, teamwork, personal management, and overall employability skills of the
BSA and BSAIS interns have no significant differences. This result makes the null
hypothesis of no significant difference when grouped according to the degree program
accepted.
Based on the findings of the study, having different degree programs under
accounting courses does not necessarily predict the general employability skills of the
interns. This result is similar to the findings of Castillo (2014), where it asserted that the
degree program of the interns has no significant difference on their employability skills
as perceived by both the students and employers.
Table 3.3
52
Skills when Grouped according to Work Experience
Mea t-
N SD p-value Decision Interpretation
n value
Fundamental Working 27 4.41 0.36

Skills
2.409 0.018* Reject H 0 Significant
Non-Working 86 4.20 0.41
Teamwork Working 27 4.56 0.37 0.606 0.547 Fail to Not

Skills Reject H 0 Significant
Personal Working 27 4.54 0.31 2.180 0.031* Reject H 0 Significant

Management
Skills
Working 27 4.50 0.31 1.881 0.063 Fail to Not

Overall Reject H 0 Significant
p<0.05*
Table 3.3 discussed the differences in the general employability skills of the
student interns when grouped according to working experience. Both students with and
without work experience are excellent in teamwork skills and personal management
skills. The students with work experience are excellent in fundamental skills, while the
students without work experience are very good, with a mean of 4.41 and 4.20,
respectively. The results also show that there is a significant difference in fundamental
skills and personal management skills, but there is no significant difference in teamwork
53
skills. Even though there is a significant difference in the fundamental and personal
management skills, the overall employability skills still show no significant difference by
work experience. The table shows that the p-value is equal to 0.063, which is greater than
the p-value of 0.05. This means that the work experience does not affect the general
employability skills of graduating accounting students.
Based on the findings of the study, the researchers found that there is a significant
difference in the fundamental and personal management skills of student interns with and
without work experience. The student interns with work experience have slightly more
developed fundamental and personal management skills than students without work
experience. This supports a statement in a related literature which says that work
experience, internship, and extra curricular activities while at university were seen by
employers and graduates as particularly helpful in developing employability skills (Loh,
2011). However, student interns with and without work experience have no significant
difference with regard to teamwork skills. This proves that the teamwork skills of all
student interns were not far apart. In addition to this, the study made by Ricardo, N.
(2015) revealed that the most highly developed skill of interns is team skills.
Overall, the work experience of student interns has no significant relationship to their
employability skills, even though the fundamental and personal management skills are
significant. This result is similar to the findings of the study of Abrahim Bakar et al.
(2012), which showed that there was no significant difference in employability skills of
students by work experience. In addition, it was also mentioned that the employability
skills of the students in the previous study are moderately high which strengthen the
54
claim in this study that the difference in the work experience does not affect the general
employability skills.
Difference on the assessment of the General Employability Skills between the Self-
Assessment of Graduating Accounting Interns and the Assessment of their
Employer Internship Supervisors
The tables determine the difference between the variables of self-assessment of
student interns and the variables of the assessment of their employer internship
supervisors with regards to their general employability skills.
Table 4
Significant Difference on the assessment of the General Employability Skills between the
Self-Assessment of Graduating Accounting Interns and the Assessment of their Employer
Internship Supervisors
Employability Mean
Respondents N Mean SD t-value p-value Decision Interpretation
Skills Difference
Fundamental Student 113 4.25 0.41

-7.854 0.000* Reject H Significant 0.47
Skills
0
Employer 66 4.72 0.36
Teamwork Student 113 4.52 0.4

-7.23 0.000* Reject H Significant 0.37
Skills
0
Employer 66 4.89 0.28
Personal Student 113 4.4 0.37

Management -7.225 0.000* Reject H 0 Significant 0.37
Skills Employer 66 4.77 0.31
Overall Student 113 4.39 0.35 -8.262 0.000* Reject H 0 Significant 0.40
55
Employability
Employer 66 4.79 0.29
Skills
Table 4 exhibits the difference between the student’s self-assessment and the
assessment of their employer internship supervisors in terms of their fundamental skills,
teamwork skills, and personal management skills. Using the data presented above, a
conclusion can be drawn that the null hypothesis of no significant difference between the
student’s self-assessment and the assessment of their employer internship supervisors
regarding their general employability skills was rejected. With the consistent p-values of
0.000 among all three general employability skills, it is magnified that there was indeed a
significant difference between their assessments despite having nearly similar ratings
interpreted as excellent in all statements. This insinuates that the way the student interns
assess their general employability skills extensively differs from their actual skills, as
seen and observed by their employer internship supervisors based on their performance
and behavior during their internship.
The assessment of the student interns and their internship supervisors about
teamwork skills differed the most with regards to the interns’ ability to lead or support
when appropriate, motivating a group for high performance. It garnered a mean
difference of 0.57. On the other hand, the respondents had a nearly similar rating with
only a difference of 0.15, referring to the interns being flexible, and about their efforts to
respect, be open to, and be supportive of the thoughts, opinions and contributions of
others in a group.
The assessment of the student interns and their internship supervisors about
personal management skills differed the most with regards to the interns’ ability to feel
56
good about themselves and be confident, with a mean difference of 0.74. This implied
that the students were having a lack of confidence which affects how they feel about
themselves. However, it was contrasting to what employers see, for they see the students
as confident and capable of carrying themselves appropriately. It can be inferred that the
student interns had the tendency to view themselves differently, as to how they present to
others. Their feelings did not translate outwards, as their employers did not sense any
unease or insecurity among them. In addition, the respondents had a nearly similar rating
with only a difference of 0.07, referring to the interns being willing to continuously learn
and grow, which implied that both the students and the interns agree with what each other
felt and observed.
Furthermore, through their mean differences, it was apparent that the student
interns and employer internship supervisors significantly differed the most with their
assessment about fundamental skills, with a 0.47 mean difference. The student interns and
their internship supervisors differed the most in their assessments with regards to the
interns’ ability to use relevant scientific, technological and mathematical knowledge and
skills to explain or clarify ideas. The students underrated themselves, it garnered a mean
of 4.09 and 4.85, respectively, and a mean difference of 0.76. On the other hand, the
employers had a nearly similar rating with only a difference of 0.14, regarding the
interns’ ability to listen and ask questions to understand and appreciate the points of view
of others.
Based on the findings of the study, intern's assessment of their employability
skills and employers' assessment of the employability skills of the interns have significant
differences. The students' assessment of themselves was lower compared to the
57
assessment of their employers. This indicates that students underrate their employability
skills. Also, as seen in table 2.3 above, it was apparent that the lowest mean rating of the
student interns about their employability skills was their ability to feel good about
themselves and be confident. This ability got the lowest mean of 3.91 as compared to the
other ability. This implied that the students were having a lack of confidence which
affects how they feel about themselves.
CHAPTER V
SUMMARY, CONCLUSIONS, AND RECOMMENDATIONS
This chapter presents the summary of findings, the conclusions based on the
results obtained from the analyzed and interpreted data presented in the previous chapter,
and the recommendations.
Summary
The general problem of the study is: How do the students’ general employability
skills, particularly the fourth year students of BSA and BSAIS programs undergoing OJT
in different industries or institutions be analyzed?
Specifically, the study sought answers to the following questions:
1. a. What is the profile of the student interns in terms of:
1.1 sex;
1.2 degree program; and
1.3 work experience?
58
2. How may the students’ self-assessment of their level of general employability
skills be measured in terms of:
3. How may the assessment of the employer internship supervisors on the level of
general employability skills of the student interns be measured in terms of:
4. Are there significant differences on students’ employability skills when grouped
according to sex, degree program, and work experience?
5. Is there a significant difference between the student’s self-assessment and the
assessment of their employer internship supervisors?
This study employed the descriptive method of research to determine and describe
the employability skills of the fourth-year BSA and BSAIS students at Bulacan State
University who underwent their on-the-job training (OJT) in different industries or
institutions during the first semester.
There were one hundred and thirteen (113) student interns, the ones who
underwent their on-the- job training and sixty-six (66) employers, the ones who
supervised the interns as the subjects of the study. The research instrument of the study
was a survey questionnaire adapted from the related studies.
59
The data gathered were analyzed with the use of Statistical Program for Social
Sciences, or SPSS, and the study utilized the mean, standard deviation, variance, and
comparative analysis.
Summary of Findings
From the research problem and the answers to the questions posited in
the study, the major findings can be summarized as follows:
1. Profile of the Student Interns
1. Sex. The majority of the student interns are female, with 84.1% of the total
sample, and male, with 15.9% of the total respondents.
2. Degree Program. Respondents from the Bachelor of Science in
Accounting Information System dominated the study, and only eighteen
(18) are from the Bachelor of Science in Accountancy.
3. Work Experience. Most of the respondents are non-working students,
and out of one hundred and thirteen (113) samples, there are only twenty-
seven (27) working students.
2. Students’ Self-assessment of Their Level of General Employability Skills
1. Fundamental Skills. With a mean of 4.25, the students rated themselves
as having excellent fundamental skills, which are the basic, transferable
skills that are necessary for communicating and receiving knowledge that
are required for training and professional achievement. It is also the lowest
rated employability skills of the interns’ self-assessment among the three.
60
2. Teamwork Skills. Based on the computed means, the student interns
assessed themselves as having excellent teamwork skills, which represents
their highest rated employability skill with a mean of 4.52. It involves
working within a group, brainstorming, sharing responsibility, being
assertive, accepting corrections, and giving feedback to others.
3. Personal Management Skills. Most of the student interns revealed that
they have excellent personal management skills based on the computed
mean of 4.40. It revealed that the student interns have self-confidence,
persistence, resilience, patience, perceptiveness, and emotional regulation.
3. Assessment of the Employer/ Internship Supervisors on the Level of General
Employability Skills of the Student Interns
1. Fundamental Skills. The employer/ internship supervisors rated the
student interns as having excellent fundamental skills based on the
computed mean of 4.72.
2. Teamwork Skills. Based on the computed mean of 4.89, the
employer/internship supervisors assessed the student interns as having
excellent teamwork skills, which also represents the highest employer
rated employability skill.
3. Personal Management Skills. With a mean of 4.77, the employer/
internship supervisors rated the student interns as having excellent
fundamental skills.
4. Significant Differences on Students’ Employability Skills When Grouped
According to:
61
1. Sex. Both male and female students are excellent in fundamental skills,
teamwork skills, and personal management skills. Having a p-value of
0.796 in fundamental skills, 0.678 in teamwork skills, 0.143 in personal
management skills, and 0.576 in overall employability skills shows that
there is no significant difference in the employability skills of male and
female students.
2. Degree Program. At a level of significance greater than 0.05, the
fundamental skills, teamwork skills, personal management skills and
overall employability skills of BSA and BSAIS students have no
significant differences.
3. Work Experience. There are significant differences with fundamental
skills, personal management skills, and overall employability skills since
the p-value computed is lower than 0.05, while there is no significant
difference in teamwork skills.
5. Significant Difference Between The Student’s Self-Assessment and the
Assessment of their Employer/ Internship Supervisors
● The computed p-value of 0 in fundamental, teamwork, personal management, and
general employability skills shows that there are significant differences between
the students’ self-assessment and their employer's or internship supervisors’
assessment.
Conclusions
62
Overall, the level of employability skills is excellent. The student interns' as well
as the employer's and internship supervisors’ assessment shows that the student interns
have excellent fundamental, teamwork, and personal management skills in all aspects. On
the differences in students’ employability skills, according to both student interns and
employer/internship supervisors, both male and female are skilled, and there is no
significant difference in their employability skills. Also, according to both of the
respondents, there is no significant difference in the three categories of employability
skills when the students are grouped according to their program. There is a significant
difference shown in fundamental, personal management, and overall employability skills
when it comes to the student interns’ work experience, but there is no significant
difference in their teamwork skills. The self-assessment made by the students and the
assessment given by the employers have a significant difference.
Recommendations
In light of the findings and conclusion of the study, the following
recommendations were drawn:
Students.
1. The result of this study will give an awareness to the BSA and BSAIS
students about the importance and benefits of the general employability
skills that they possess and should possess.
63
2. Also, this study will help them to know the specific skills that they should
focus on improving to be equipped and to avoid poor skills when they
apply for a job in the future.
Companies.
1. The findings of the study shows that the student interns have the general
employability skills needed by companies through the assessment made by
their employers.
2. In addition, this result makes the BSA and BSAIS students a good asset in
the companies of those who will hire them in the future.
3. Furthermore, the employers may use this study in setting their criteria
prioritizing fundamental, teamwork, and personal management skills when
choosing the best applicants for open positions.
Curriculum Planners.
1. To ensure that students and graduates have even better employability
skills, additional curriculum and instruction changes should be developed.
The administration, instructors, and students should all engage in
educational procedures and activities that will help students enhance their
skills.
2. In addition, faculty and staff from the two programs, BS Accountancy and
B Accounting Information System should keep striving to assist their
students develop their employability skills.
64
3. Furthermore, the general employability skills of the students should be
enhanced by giving them a greater understanding of the variety of
workplaces and by giving them practical job experiences relating to their
area of specialization.
Educators.
1. The result of this study will help the educators in implementing different
teaching methods and strategies, specifically in the context of general
employability.
2. Given that the null hypothesis of this study was accepted, they might
consider changing their approach in teaching and emphasize the
application of students' employability skills.
3. Furthermore, this study recommends that educators should conduct self-
enhancing activities to equip the students to be confident with their skills.
Future Researchers.
1. Future researchers may aim to do a study in a larger context. They may
increase the population of the study.
2. Also, they could pursue the same study focusing on accounting graduates
instead of graduating students whose work experience is limited.
3. In addition, this study could be useful to future researchers as an
additional reference on the employability and employability skills of BSA
and BSAIS students.
65
4. Lastly, future researchers are encouraged to focus on the various elements
influencing the development of each employability skill. To evaluate the
employability skills that BSA/BSAIS graduates possess, a cross-sectional
research could also be developed. This might result in closing the gap
between what universities do and what businesses need.
66
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THROUGH AN INTERN AND EMPLOYER’S VIEWPOINT: ASSESSING

THE GENERAL EMPLOYABILITY SKILLS OF THE GRADUATING

A Thesis Presented to the College of Business Administration

In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree

In partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Bachelor of Science in

MS. ALLEN GRACE M. SARMIENTO

DR. EVANGELINA CUSTODIO

MONTE CARLO MANALO JOHN PIUS DONADO

DR. EMERLITA S. NAGUIAT, Ph.D

research paper and for making it possible to finish it on time.

turning point while writing this thesis paper.

workers to possess 21st-century skills. Different industries and institutions increasingly

historically placed a strong emphasis on the subject's technical skills.

The purpose of this study is to assess the general employability skills of

undergraduate accounting students at Bulacan State University studying BS accountancy

are significant differences in students’ employability skills when grouped according to

and the assessment of their employers or OJT supervisors.

general employability skills of student interns. The researchers employed survey

interns' work experience, there is a significant difference in their fundamental and

personal management skills, but there is no significant difference in their teamwork

by their employers have a significant difference.

Number Title Page

1 Frequency and Percentage Distribution of the

2 Level of General Employability Skills in terms of

3 Level of General Employability Skills in terms of

4 Level of General Employability Skills in terms of

5 Significant Difference in Graduating Accounting Interns'

6 Significant Difference in Graduating Accounting Interns'

7 Significant Difference in Graduating Accounting Interns'

8 Significant Difference on the assessment of the General

THE PROBLEM AND ITS BACKGROUND

In a fast-paced world of drastic globalization and technological advancements, a

career that matches their degree.

As the graduating students of the Bachelor of Science in Accountancy (BSA) and

Bachelor of Science in Accounting Information System (BSAIS) venture to pursue their

required in the workplace.

Having skills based on the expectations of the employers is a significant edge to

unemployment and impede job advancement. Philippine Statistics Authority (2019)

graduates struggle to obtain employment despite having a college degree. It poses a

as they join the workforce.

applicants to possess to advance their institutional goals. Employers will continuously

look for employees skilled in communication, technology, problem-solving, and

teamwork. Accordingly, perceived general employability skills of accounting graduates,

employers discern that they possess information technology (IT), communication,

communication skills were high.

According to Ajward, R. (2019), the employability skills of accounting graduates do not

because, despite some similarities between employers' and undergraduates' perceptions,

equipped and aware of employers' expectations.

employability skills can produce a more credible measurement of their competencies.

employed by analyzing their self-assessment and the assessment of their employer

where they need to possess specific skills to be employed in a firm or company.

Furthermore, several studies focus on a specific employability skill of graduating

analyzing the general employability skills of BSA and BSAIS.

Statement of the Problem

in different industries or institutions be analyzed?

Specifically, the study sought answers to the following questions:

1. a. What is the profile of the student interns in terms of:

1.2 degree program; and

1.3 work experience?

2. How may the students’ self-assessment of their level of general employability

skills be measured in terms of:

2.1 fundamental skills;