The Employability of Young Higher Education Gaduates: Social Problem/Quality Assessment Criterion

In order to evaluate the results of the teaching activity in higher education institutions, a very important criterion is the employability of young graduates. A look through the different documents and statistics on young graduates’ absorption in the labor market has led towards an investigation process with the purpose of identifying on what level this phenomenon can be defined as a social problem. It is justified to consider whether and in which circumstances a social problem can be used as an indication of quality .In this paper we try to identify a possible common ground between these two aspects, relying on the data supplied by the “Gheorghe Dima” Music Academy, Cluj-Napoca (AMGD) concerning the employability of this institution’s graduates: 85% in 2011 and 92% in 2012 - high values therefore. These results have caught our attention because, in terms of Bourdieu’s theory, the field of art production is one dominated by the economic field, especially in times of economic crisis; thus, the percentage of hired graduates could be negatively affected more than in other areas.

Keywords: employability, higher education, music, social problem, quality criteria