EMPLOYABILITY OF UNIVERSITY OF APPLIED SCIENCES GRADUATES

Employability as set of skills, knowledge, personal attributes and understandings that allow one find job position, obtain it or change it, is in crucial outcome of modern education, Both students and high education institutions are liable for acquiring mentioned set of skills and knowledge, but it is up to employers to determine which employees are desirable in certain moment at labour market. Therefore cooperation between education institutions, students and employers is essential for every country to create employable graduates. Introducing universities of applied sciences in Croatian high education system, lawmaker intended to offer to labour market more professionally skilled graduates in order to answer market need for more educated workers. However, implementation of new type of institution did not follow this intention, or positive European models such as Austrian or German Fachhochschulen. Based on present knowledge and experience the basic hypothesis is defined: Croatian labour market does not recognize professional high education as the labour market in Austria where some jobs require a degree from this type of study. This paper reviews employability of university of applied science graduates and their position in labour market. Review includes several database (OECD, Eurostat, Croatian Employment Office etc), and also empirical research on sample of 434 students and 49 members of high education institution management, conducted at 10 high education institutions. Since, 77% of graduates from Austrian Fachhochschulen find first job in 18 months, this paper compare !, Croatian and Austrian model of professional high education institutions in order to provide positive models that could be implemented in Croatia.