A Markov Chain Model-based Study of the Impact of College Career Planning Courses on Graduates' Career Paths

Improving the employment quality of college graduates requires a clear understanding of their spatial distribution and influencing factors. This article takes Jiangsu Province, China, as its research object and explores the impact of career planning courses on the employment paths of college graduates. A graduate employment quality evaluation system was constructed, and the entropy method was used to assign weights to the indicators. The Dagum Gini coefficient, kernel density estimation, and Markov chain model were comprehensively used to explore the spatial differences, distribution dynamics, and influencing factors of the employment quality of college graduates in Jiangsu Province. The results indicate that the overall differences in the employment quality of college graduates in Jiangsu Province are narrowing, with regional differences being the primary cause of these differences. Additionally, the overall employment quality of graduates is accompanied by polarization. In terms of spatial distribution patterns, the overall distribution shows a “high in the east and west, low in the central and southern regions” trend, with the spatial pattern shifting from a “east-west” distribution to a “southeast-northwest” direction. In terms of distribution dynamics, there is a stable club convergence phenomenon in the employment quality of college graduates, and there is a “spatial spillover” effect in its development process.