Abstract:

There is a growing demand for career advice and guidance among college students. To help college graduates transition to workplace, a group of professors at the School of Pharmacy of the University of Granada, Spain, have designed a Career Guidance Program (PAT) called “FarmaEmpleo, NutriEmpleo y TecnoEmpleo” (PharmaJob, NutriJob and TechnoJob).

The purpose of this Program is to provide pharmacy graduates with detailed information and a practical overview of the variety of job opportunities available in their industry. PAT was developed with the financial support of the University of Granada during the academic years 2011-2012, 2012-2013 and 2013-2014.

To assess PAT validity and efficacy, a set of questionnaires that were designed by professors specialized in psychopedagogy were distributed among participants. On a 1 to 5 scale, respondents were asked to rate PAT contents, participation, duration, fulfillment of expectations and usefulness.

The results obtained allowed PAT designers to identify the strengths and weaknesses of the program to improve future editions of PAT. Most students reported to be very satisfied with the overall development of PAT’s last edition. More specifically, 100% of students indicated that PAT had provided them with appropriate information on job opportunities in their industry. As many as 93% pointed out that PAT had been useful to understand how their profile fits into the labor market. Finally, all students reported to have a clearer idea of the job they would like to get. As to the contents, methodology and usefulness of the scheduled sessions, up to 70% of participants considered these sessions to be satisfactory or very satisfactory in general. The strengths identified were the new activities included, the continuous feedback provided via the Program's website (www.farmaempleo.es), the Program's flexibility and adaptability to suit participant's timetable, and the cohesion of the group. In addition, PAT has raised interest from new research centers, companies and professionals of related fields. Finally, the main weakness identified was the duration of the scheduled sessions. PAT can be enhanced by providing an individualized follow-up program in future editions.

Students' acceptance, interest and good evaluation of PAT evidence the need for career advice and guidance activities among college students.