“Higher Education Quality Enhancement Project (HEQEP),” the flagship project of the Ministry of Education, works with the aim to improve the quality of teaching and learning of the tertiary education institutions of the country. The students of these institutes are supposed to be the ultimate beneficiaries of the various activities undertaken through this project. To gain broader knowledge about the employability of the students of the beneficiary departments the project authority aimed to carry out two rounds of ‘tracer study’ of university students and graduates, with a special focus on the impact of AIF1 support.

The broad objectives of this particular tracer study (round two) are: to analyze the current economic and labor market outcomes of university graduates and relevance of university education to the requirements of the labor market in Bangladesh.

The study analysis is largely based on quantitative research techniques. The study sample consists of AIF receiving universities and departments. To know the current employment status of graduates and assess their competencies from various perspectives we conduct surveys among current students, the most recent graduates, institute or departmental heads, and employers of the graduates of these universities. The survey approach includes structured questionnaires, and focus group discussions (FGDs) of selected current students. The objective of FGDs is to document detailed observations, opinions, and suggestions of students to supplement the findings of the quantitative data.