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Students have an unrealistic expectation of their job prospects on graduating, a survey has found.
The Student Employability Index, which questioned 4,000 students at 20 universities, finds amost three-quarters (79%) expect to be in a graduate-level job within six months. But government figures show that only only around half (53%) of those who graduated within the past five years are in such jobs.
Men are even more confident than women: 83% of men and 77% of women expect to be in graduate-level employment within six months.
Students' salary expectations are more realistic, however, with most expecting to be earning between £15,000 and £24,999 within six months, in line with real graduate earnings.
Aaron Porter, director of external affairs at the National Centre for Universities and Business (NCUB) and author of the report, says the findings are surprising: "You can hardly fail to pick up a newspaper over the last five years and read how competitive it is to get a job, yet the overwhelming majority of students retain an optimistic view of how quickly they'll reach graduate-level employment."
Choosing a course
The survey also finds that students' choice of university is influenced by future employment prospects. While the quality of their preferred course is the most important factor in choosing an institution, 62% say they were influenced by job prospects after graduation. More than a third (36%) say that earning potential was an important consideration – though more so for men (42%) than women (32%).
Students are acutely aware of the importance of work experience and internships in helping them gain a job: 93% describe gaining an internship or work experience as either "essential" or "somewhat important" in helping them secure a job in their preferred sector.
Julian White, assistant head of the careers and employability service at Manchester Metropolitan University, says he has seen an increase in student awareness of employability at open days: "We've seen a lot more people asking, 'Will I get a placement with this course, and is the local economy the kind of place where I'll find a part-time job?' They've started to understand that success beyond university isn't just about grades, it's also about having a set of job-related skills, and the best way of demonstrating that is through work experience."
Tough job market
Emeric Bernard-Jones, 20, a new graduate in politics from Queen Mary University of London, has been finding out just how tough the graduate job market is. He would like a career in parliament or in the civil service, and has applied for dozens of jobs – many of them requiring A-levels but not a degree – without being called for a single interview. Of his friends, only one person so far has had an interview.
Bernard-Jones spent the second year of his degree at the University of Berkeley and the National University of Singapore, where he curated an exhibition for the university museum. "I thought this would be a good experience, but apparently not," he says. "I'm applying for internships that pay £6 an hour, but I'm not getting anywhere with them. I earned more working at McDonald's."
He can't afford to take unpaid work, and thinks this may put him at a disadvantage: "It doesn't seem to be that the people who get the best grades actually get the jobs, it's the people who can afford to stay here [in London] and wait it out."
James Pascoe, a second-year history student at York University who wants a career in law or journalism, recognises that the graduate job market is intensely competitive, but is still optimistic: "It's a tough time for undergrads, but I think that the industries I want to go into are meritocratic. As long as you're good enough, I think your luck will even out in the end."
He believes that his experience on the student newspaper will stand him in good stead: "I will keep looking for introductions and small unpaid work experience stints to keep the CV ticking over – I think that's important to show employers that you really care about what you want to do."
The survey suggests there is a mismatch, Porter argues, between what universities are offering and what students expect: "University is about more than just getting a job. It's about personal development, new networks and exploring a discipline.
"But students are saying that employment outcomes are the most important thing, and they're not always getting the chance to achieve success. I think the report asks questions of universities that collectively and individually they'll need to answer."
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