Graduate Employment Blog

Best and worst universities for graduate jobs

Posted on November 18th, 2010

The number of young people out of work has hit the one in five mark. Time to look at the best and worst universities for graduate employment prospects.

Graduate tax represents fairer system for all

Posted on July 25th, 2010

The Government has rejected plans for a graduate tax to replace tuition fees. An independent review is currently examining whether tuition fees should be raised or even replaced. In regards to the proposed idea of a graduate tax, Tim Farron, Lib Dem MP said “Tuition fees are a poll tax and we need to change that. If [as a graduate] you earn £20,000, you should pay a bit and if you earn £220,000, you should pay a lot. The objective is fairness.”

Tim is right. In a time of job uncertainty, the disparity in salaries among graduates is exceptionally high. Many graduates coming out of university are getting jobs paying £18-20k while many others are earning closer to £50k after just a couple of years of working. It is only fair that a progressive tax policy ensures that those able to, pay more . The ~£3,000 tuition fees constitute a far larger piece of disposable income for those on lower incomes, who in many cases contribute far more to society in public sector roles such as health care.

SOURCE: The Guardian

Female graduates hit hardest by recession

Posted on July 13th, 2010

Recent public sector cuts by the Conservative Government are more likely to hit female graduates harder them their male counterparts. This is not because more graduate employers are hiring men but rather that women are more likely to seek a career in the public sector after university.

About 60,000 of graduates, accounting for 28% of university leavers got jobs in the public sector in 2007/2008. Of these graduates, about 75% were women. Typical jobs in the public sector may include doctors, teachers and nurses. These public sector cuts will do nothing to help issues for the amount of graduates in employment six months after university. An estimated 20,000 graduates are yet to find work six months or more after university.

SOURCE: Channel 4

UK graduates told to be optimistic

Posted on July 11th, 2010

With recent articles about the situation for graduates in the UK such as 70 graduates going after each position, one could be forgiven for having a somewhat pessimistic outcast on the prospect of securing a job after university. However Charlie Bull deputy research director of the Higher Education Careers Services Unit (HESCU) insists things aren’t quite as bad as it seems.

Charlie Bull claims that most graduates got jobs last year and further analysis indicates that those jobs required degrees. Despite this, no statistics are offered to support this claim. Certainly from the experience of GraduateEmployment.org it would be surprising if indeed ‘most graduates’ are in jobs requiring degrees immediately after graduating. Charlie wisely advises graduates to be best prepared for graduate schemes in researching schemes, perfecting their CV and preparing for interviews as best as possible.

SOURCE: Channel 4

Difficult time ahead for graduates with nearly 70 applications to one job

Posted on July 8th, 2010

Research papers published this week by the Association of Graduate Recruiters (AGR) shows that 500,000 graduates will be seeking jobs this summer, joining thousands already in the same situation. In addition the number of graduate vacancies has dropped by nearly 7 per cent leaving an average of 69 vacancies to one job – an increase from 31 two years ago.

Graduate employers demand at least a 2:1 classification

Posted on July 7th, 2010

Graduates are now being warned that a 2:1 or above is essential
A shortage of graduate jobs has increased competition for placements leading employers to demand higher grades of classifications than ever before. The Association of Graduate Recruiters discovered that 78% of graduate employers are now asking candidates to have at least a 2:1. This is following a 7% reduction in graduate employment opportunities.

A survey of 200 graduate recruiters found that 80% said they would be refusing to interview candidates with a 2:2 classification or below going forward into 2010/2011. This compares to 67% last year. In reality competition for top graduate schemes has always been intense and recruiters receiving hundreds or thousands of applications have always favoured with high classifications to eliminate candidates. This simply reinforces the importance of working hard and attaining a good degree.

SOURCE: Telegraph