Evaluation of Open and Distance Learners' Views on Employment

The rise in youth unemployment rates across the world is considered as an important problem. Higher education institutions tasked with raising the human profile needed for various business sectors are undergoing a digital transformation, supported by digital technology. The focus of this digital transformation is open and distance learning. Open and distance learning is becoming increasingly important, and is becoming an effective way to access the most up-to-date information, especially for working adult individuals. Open and distance learning, which covers mass education activities, reach more people than face-to-face education by its nature and so it produces more graduates. This important feature of open and distance learning necessitates studies to reveal the employment status of graduates in different countries. Using the basic qualitative model, this study aims to examine open and distance learners' views on employment. Thus, the employment-related views of 92 open and distance learning graduates from Anadolu University in Turkey, Open University in UK, and Indira Gandhi National Open University in India were analyzed. The themes obtained through content analysis were peer views, expectations for employment, gaining prestige after graduation, career planning, increasing diversity in the business sectors of open education, and the need for experience for employment. The study is concluded with suggestions for both application and research.