More Jobs for Graduates!

A recent Skills and Employment Survey by researchers at the Institute of Education shows that graduate jobs are at a record high and unskilled jobs at a record low. The full results will be launched on 20 May and last week the BBC published the first report on this change in the UK labour market.

According to the report, more than a quarter of jobs are now available solely to graduates – this seems to indicate that many more employers in the UK are recognising the skills and qualities a Higher Education degree gives people the chance to develop.

The change is indicative of a shift in the country’s economy towards a more skills based economy and a move away from unskilled jobs. This is a major shift from the situation for example in the 1980s where only one in 10 jobs required a degree level qualification.

This change doesn’t only affect full time jobs, in fact part time workers have seen the proportion of jobs available to unqualified workers fall by more than half since the mid-1980s

The report also shows that the number of people who are ‘under-employed’ i.e. graduates in non-graduate level jobs is falling year on year, meaning that more people with degree who find employment are likely to find it at the right level.

What this report does not address is those who do not find employment in the first place. It only looks at those graduates who are in a job at the moment.

Overall this is good news for graduates, it means less chance of under-employment, it means employers understand the value of a degree better, it means that there is a growing availability in jobs for graduates, and it means that your degree put you in a great position for jobs that come up. What is doesn’t mean is that there are more jobs out there. It shows a positive development for the future of the UK economy, but competition is still fierce, therefore it’s very important to think about your skills from an employer’s perspective, what is it about you that makes you a good graduate? How have you made the most of your University experience? How can you demonstrate the skills that you have developed and how they transfer to this particular post?

Those are just a few of the question to ask yourself when starting an application process, and don’t forget if you need any help with applications, interviews, CV writing and making the most of developing your Employability during your degree, contact the Careers Team on careers@cumbria.ac.uk with your questions and we’ll be happy to help!

Do degree scores relate directly to future earnings?

The Big Survey (of over 400 graduates) carried out by Gradcore has confirmed that this is not the case. Therefore if graduates are selected based on degree score as a measure of their overall work performance/potential, talent will remain unidentified. This view is further highlighted by the recent Target Jobs Breakfast where Simon Howard from Work Group suggested that "using the 2:1 as a recruitment filter can be bias against very good candidates on the basis of gender, ethnicity or even subject of study" Also, is a 2:1 from one University the same as a 2:1 from another?
In the light of this there is a need for other measures of graduate employability to be available to graduate recruiters. Two evolving offers are the HEAR (Higher Education Achievement Award) and Skills Awards.
The HEAR has a wide range of potential benefits but it is unclear how easily it will integrate into and add value to graduate selection processes. The "Skills Award" or "Graduate Award" has been instigated by Universities as a means of pulling together information on work experience, volunteering and extra-curricular activity into a certificate or accreditation. Again, the challenge of consistency could mean that it is hard for recruiters to know if an award from one University is the same as an award from another.
The route through this challenge lies in the strengthening of relationships between graduate employers and Universities. Then, by working together, awards/accreditations can be co-created and, as a result, a better understanding of the specific qualities of graduates from certain courses/Universities can be developed as well as the continued analysis by graduate recruiters of what makes a successful hire in their organisations. If this happens, could a 2:1 finally become a smaller part of the overall picture?

Getting Into Publishing

Applications to attend 'Penguin’s Annual Graduate Open Day: Getting into Publishing 2011' are now open.

The event will take place this year on 3rd November 2010 from 9:30am – 2:30pm at 80 Strand, London, WC2R 0RL. It is a chance for students and recent graduates, particularly those from ethnic minority and other diverse backgrounds to find out more about career options at Penguin and in publishing.

To apply, students and graduates should send a CV and a short covering letter no longer than 200 words on why they would like to attend to: gettingintopublishing @penguin.co.uk by 14th October 2011.

We will email to inform applicants if they are successful. Any queries should be directed by email to dele.fatunla@pearson.com

Job Prospects for Social Work Graduates 2011

Having heard suggestions that job prospects for newly-qualified social workers from the University of Cumbria are likely to be tougher this year, I have produced a brief information sheet giving a bit of detail on the likely situation in our own catchment area.

If you are qualifying in Social Work shortly and want to work in the area, please feel to request one from careers@cumbria.ac.uk marking your request f.a.o. Joanne Watson or Colin Taylor.

Campaign for Work Experience

A recent report from High Fliers Research stated that students who offer no previous work experience are unlikely or very unlikely to be offered a place on a graduate scheme or a training contract.

This campaign is aimed to highlight the importance of gaining as much work experience as you can before you leave university.

For more details, see the AllAboutCareers.com website.

For more help on finding work experience, try the following:

www.delicious.com/skillzone/work_experience

http://cumbria.prospects.ac.uk

graduatetalentpool.direct.gov.uk

Useful Discussion on You Tube

Are there any jobs for graduates? Public Sector Question Time with Graduates Yorkshire http://j.mp/fsUzDZ

Handy viewing for anyone applying for graduate traineeships this year.