The mismatch between labour market demand and supply represents one of the biggest challenges and constraints to the employability of VET graduates. Timely and labour-market oriented policy responses to this regard should not be constrained by the lack of empirical data and information on the productive employment of recent graduates. To this regard, tracing of graduates serves as a tool for ensuring the quality of education and the relevance of skills to regional labour market demands. S4J has supported the implementation a provider-based tracer system in its partner providers as of September 2017. Some of the key findings from the 2021 Tracer Study covering the 2019-2020 cohort are summarized below:

• 63% of the 2020 graduates were employed or self-employed one year after graduation. The rates have increased from 33% in 2016 to 63% in 2020.
• 25% of the 2020 graduates were unemployed. For the 2020 graduates the unemployment rate has gone down to 25% compared to 31% in 2019.
• 11% were attending higher education or further trainings upon graduation.
• For the 2020 graduates, more than half or 54% transitioned to the labour market before graduation. Moreover, the vast majority or 79% of the graduates entered the labour market for the first time within three months of graduation.
• More than half or 54% of the 2020 employed graduates worked in occupations related to their education.
• 36% of the 2020 employed graduates earned in the range of 35,001-50,000 ALL per month. Other 23% earned over 50,000 ALL. Over time more graduates have earned over 35,001 ALL reaching 59% for the employed graduates in 2020. 11% of 2020 graduates are paid over 80,000 ALL, reaching the highest percentage among all the cohorts.
• Graduates typically felt secure and satisfied with their jobs one year after graduation. 56% of the 2020 employed graduates reported they felt stable at their job overall.
• 84% of the 2020 graduates would again choose the same field of study, while 81% would also choose the same school.