The eight hundred alumni who were surveyed all completed master’s programs at TU/e before September 2015. 62 percent of them graduated between 2007 and 2014. It can be concluded from the reactions of the respondents that the labor market situation for Graduates from TU/e is very good. Only two percent indicated that they are unemployed or do not work and of them three quarters graduated before 2000.

Since their graduation four out of five respondents have worked continuously and almost thirty percent are still affiliated with the Brainport region. Slightly more than half have found jobs in another part of the Netherlands and one in eight works abroad. The top 3 of sectors in which people are active is as follows: construction industry (12 percent), information technology (11 percent) and machine and instrument building (10 percent).

More than twenty-five percent of the respondents earn a gross salary of 3,000 to 4,000 euros per month, more than one-fifth 4,000 to 5,000 euros, thirteen percent earn between 5,000 to 6,000 euros and nineteen percent earn more than 6,000 euros.

Satisfaction

A majority find their current jobs satisfactory. The relation between their current jobs and the study followed is characterized by more than half as ‘strong’, whereby the quality of the program is indicated as ‘high’. Nearly eighty percent of the respondents said that their study was a good basis for starting on the labor market. An even greater number indicate that their studies also formed a good basis for the further development of knowledge and skills.

The alumni are clearly positive about the width, the depth, the degree of difficulty and the options offered in their studies. A substantial part (43 percent) did find the proportion of theory rather high and the focus on the future a bit scant (31 percent). Even broader endorsement is expressed for the opinion that the attention devoted to career orientation and personal education was somewhat limited (60 percent).

The overall high appreciation for a TU/e study program is expressed in the average grade: a 7.9. Activities such as internships and experience gathered in executive jobs or abroad make a positive contribution to the career, say the alumni. A relatively large group still feels (strongly) involved in TU/e and is proud of having studied at TU/e. They would definitely recommend their Alma Mater to prospective students.

In 2017 under the auspices of umbrella organization VSNU also the National Alumni Survey (NAE) was conducted. In this survey master’s students of the cohort September 2015 to October 2016 were polled. 247 TU/e alumni took part in the NAE. With a response percentage of 29.6 this was the highest score of all Dutch universities. This survey also shows that the labor market position of recently graduated TU/e alumni is looking rosy. Nearly all respondents have jobs, for more hours and higher salaries than the average alumnus of other universities. In addition, they have permanent employment relatively more often and they are satisfied with their jobs more often than other alumni.