cognizancejournal.com Lovelyn M. Bagares, Cognizance Journal of Multidisciplinary Studies, Vol.4, Issue.6, June 2024, pg. 305-313 (An Open Accessible, Multidisciplinary, Fully Refereed and Peer Reviewed Journal) ISSN: 0976-7797 Impact Factor: 4.843 Index Copernicus Value (ICV) = 77.57 ©2024, Cognizance Journal, cognizancejournal.com, All Rights Reserved 305 EMPLOYABILITY OF FINANCIAL MANAGEMENT GRADUATES ACCORDING TO INDUSTRY NEEDS AND COURSE OUTCOMES Lovelyn M. Bagares Faculty, Business Administration, Bukidnon State University Satellite Campus, Philippines lovelynbagares@buksu.edu.ph DOI: 10.47760/cognizance.2024.v04i06.017 Abstract— Employability of graduates is a result of their acquired skills through academic learning and experience. This study aimed to determine the employability of financial management graduates according to industry needs and course outcomes contribution to graduate skills. The study utilized descriptive correlational design to determine the significant relationship among variables. A Stratified Random sampling was used with a total sample size of 125 employed graduates and their immediate supervisors. The statistical tools employed in the study were frequency, mean and standard deviation, T-test analysis, and Pearson correlation analysis. Result showed a significant difference is found between graduates' employability and industry needs (t=-2.71, p= 0.007), specifically for problem-solving skills, numeracy skills, and attention to details. The study also showed a highly significant correlation between graduate employability and course outcome contribution (r=0.658, p< 0.001). In conclusion, this study established Gary Becker's Human Capital Theory, which highlights the importance of education and training in boosting people's productivity and employability where individuals' skills (human capital) are valuable assets that increase their marketability to potential employers. Hence it is desired to address the gap between the skills of the graduate and the industry needs by an enhancement of the curriculum. Keywords— graduate employability, industry needs, course outcomes, financial management, business education I. INTRODUCTION The employability of graduates is a result of their acquired skills through academic learning and experience. The evolving landscape in the business industries is a consequence of changes in human capital requirements (Briones et al., 2021), particularly in the financial industry, which is essential in promoting stability, innovation, and economic prosperity (Blind, 2015). The need for competent graduates is growing as economy become more integrated and complex. Graduates equipping themselves with skills from the academe, trainings, seminars and experience allow them to compete in the labor market. However, as industries evolve, the skills required to thrive in various sector undergo continuous transformation, which create gap between graduate skills and industry needs. Employability and quality education are believed to be complementary concepts rather than mutually exclusive ones. Chidinma et al. (2020) says a person's employability relies on knowledge, skills, and attitudes, defined as what they know, what they can do with that information, and how they go about things. It means a person's job outcomes are determined by how they use and present their knowledge and skills to employers. This study was grounded on Gary Becker's Human Capital Theory (1962), highlighting the importance of education and training in boosting people's productivity and employability. According to this theory, individuals' skills (human capital) are valuable assets that increase their marketability to potential employers. In support, human capital theory explains that capitalizing on one's education has explicit returns related to one's career path. It ensures that people, by capitalizing on their education, advance their skills and knowledge to increase their competitiveness in the labor market. The ability to accomplish activities to create economic value