The strategy of Islamic economic colleges to prepare their graduates to work in Islamic banks

PurposeAcademic achievement is not a determinant of college graduates' work readiness, but it requires adequate knowledge and skills to be accepted to work in companies. The purpose of this study is to describe the phenomenon of recruitment in Islamic banking, the obstacles faced by applicants and recommendations for Islamic economics universities to adjust their curriculum to the needs of the labor market so that the absorption of alumni from Islamic economic universities can be maximized.Design/methodology/approachThe informants of this research were the study program management, lecturers of Islamic economic, students, student organizations, graduates, Islamic banking management and Islamic bank customers with purposive and snowball sampling techniques through FGDs and deep interviews. The research data were analyzed by data reduction, content analysis and drawing conclusions. In addition, researchers also used triangulation methods and in-depth observations to find the validity of the data by being directly involved in the FGD discussion.FindingsThe results of this study answered the problem regarding the low absorption of alumni from Islamic economic institutions which consisted of individual internal factors, university environmental factors and university external environmental factors.Originality/valueResearchers succeeded in providing information on strategies for increasing competency of Sharia economics graduates by optimizing the role of academic advisors, increasing hard skills and soft skills and synchronizing programs and curricula implemented by Islamic economics colleges and Islamic banks.