Socioeconomic Impact and Employability of Industrial Engineering Graduates from the Francisco de Paula Santander University

Abstract

The study arose from the lack of up-to-date information on the career trajectories of 725 graduates of the Industrial Engineering program at the Francisco de Paula Santander University from 2010 to 2017, a situation that limited the assessment of the program’s socioeconomic impact and the graduates’ employability rates. In response to this problem, the objective was to analyze the socioeconomic impact of the program’s graduates in the Cúcuta campus, Norte de Santander. Methodologically, a descriptive study was conducted, based on the administration of a descriptive survey to a sample of 216 graduates, supplemented with documentary information and supporting databases. The results showed favorable labor market integration, expressed in high labor market participation, alignment between education and occupation, and short timeframes for securing employment. Additionally, the study identified occupational positioning consistent with the Industrial Engineering profile, an improvement in graduates’ socioeconomic conditions, and an economic contribution that, while demonstrating income generation, still showed differences compared to external benchmarks. Similarly, entrepreneurship demonstrated the capacity for business creation, job generation, and contribution to regional development. It was concluded that the socioeconomic impact of the graduates was manifested in labor market integration, socioeconomic mobility, and entrepreneurship, establishing a favorable relationship between education, professional performance, and contribution to the community.