What Do Graduates Do?

Although graduate employment levels for 2010-11 were slightly down on the previous year, there were considerable variations between different subjects of study, according to "What Do Graduates Do?" (WDGD) 2012, based on the annual survey of Destinations of Higher Education Leavers that takes place each year.

One career area that clearly bucked the downward trend was Computer Science and IT which showed an 8.5% rise in graduate employment and e-skills UK have forecast that growth in IT employment will grow at twice the UK average until 2020.  Of course, not all entrants into the industry will have studied IT as a main subject at University.

Less good news came unexpectedly from the public sector with a big fall in entrants and the trend extended to include occupational therapists, physiotherapists, radiographers, teachers and probation officers.  These areas each offered over 100 posts less than 2010-11 but the biggest drop was in the number of social work entrants, which fell by 420.  This is certainly not great news for the University of Cumbria, which offers courses in all the professions listed except probation.

The report once again showed the importance of self-employment to graduates from performance arts, media production and art and design. 64.6% or artists and 85.3% of musicians were recorded as being self employed or freelancers six months after graduation.

The Business Studies area is one that exemplifies the "mixed message" theme identified in the WDGD report.  Although it shows up with a higher level of unemployment than average (10.1%) and a sharp drop in the numbers going on to further study, each of the key disciplines of Accountancy, Business Management and Marketing showed high levels of graduates going straight into relevant employment.

They were also some of the subjects that produced less graduates working as Retail, Catering, Waiting and Bar staff, a denomination which covers a large number graduates yet to find a suitable career opportunity by the date of the survey - although longitudinal studies show that many succeed in doing so over a longer period of time.

Public Finance - Drop in Recruitment

Unsurprisingly, public bodies are recruiting less Accountancy trainees due to the recession and economic difficulties. The work of the Audit Commission has also declined, resulting in a drop in numbers of graduates being taken on. Some private sector firms have taken on public sector work but overall recruitment numbers are down.

A few local councils have set up in joint schemes to recruit graduates. The Society of London Treasurers run a graduate scheme which aims to recruit 25 graduates to work in a number of boroughs across London. Professional body CIPFA (Chartered Institute of Public Finance and Accountancy) is now working with other regions to look at similar schemes it can work with to deliver the qualification particularly in the Midlands and Wales.

Graduates looking for a career in Public Finance Accountancy need to offer at least a 2.1 degree or an alternative qualification in the accountancy field.

Source: AGCAS/CIPFA

Accountancy Training with Cumbria Partnership NHS Foundation Trust

In a previous post on the NHS Graduate Management Training Scheme it was noted that Cumbria Partnership NHSFT will also accept CV applications from qualified Accounting Technicians who wish to apply for Accountancy traineeships with them.

If you come into the above category or similar, you can submit your CV and covering letter to our University of Cumbria email address careers@cumbria.ac.uk and we will forward your details to the Trust.  Just remember to say that you read about this opportunity on "Col's Blog".

We would also be keen to hear from any local students or graduates who would be interested in applying for the NHS Graduate Management Training Scheme next year i.e. for entry in 2013.   Just use the same email address and we will endeavour to keep you informed of any local events to promote this scheme when they arise.

NHS Graduate Management Training Scheme in Cumbria

The deadline for this year's applications closed last Friday but, for future applicants, some useful information was provided by reps from Cumbria Partnership NHS Foundation Trust at last week's Mini Careers Convention.

The Trust is keen to support future Management Trainee placements for all four streams of the programme - General Management, Financial Management, Health Informatics (ICT) and HR.

Management Accountant Simon Norbury tells me that Financial Trainees can chose to qualify with the following Accountancy professional bodies: CIMA, CIPFA or ACCA. I also gather that, separate from the Graduate Scheme, Simon is willing to receive CVs from applicants who hold the Association of Accounting Technicians (AAT) qualification and wish to become fully qualified accountants.

News from the Financial Services Sector

A recent meeting of Carers Advisers with members of the Association of Graduate Recruiters turned up some interesting facts about attitudes of employers in the Financial Services Sector:

-Some employers have started recruitment schemes for school leavers, sometimes including degree sponsorships

-Accountancy firms are often not keen to recruit applicants who are already part-qualified and the same attitude applies generally to applicants with postgraduate qualifications

-Several employers report that graduate recruits from 'non relevant' degrees perform just as well as those who have studied relevant degrees

-Barclays Corporate are no longer using UCAS points as a selection tool

-All firms are predicting increased recruitment of graduate trainees, and for 12 month and summer internships over the next two years

-The quality of applications is rising but key student failings are the inability to explain their motivation to work for a particular company or to provide evidence of competencies

Comment: Some clear evidence here that job opportunities in the finance area are on the move. However, standards for many companies will remain demanding and good preparation is the secret of success.