Employers Still Hungry For Graduate Talent

Futuretrack, the most reliable and extensive piece of research to surface on graduate behaviour points to several reassuring findings for parents and sixth formers contemplating Higher Education. You will get a return on your investment on many levels and employers especially value the skills graduates bring to the workforce.

The ‘Futuretrack’ study was commissioned by the Higher Education Careers Services Unit and undertaken by Warwick University’s Institute for Employment Research. Starting with the 2005/6 population of applicants for full-time UK undergraduate study, they have succeeded in tracking 17,000 graduates and where they ended up 6 years later. The bottom line figures look reassuring with 71% of graduates snapped up by employers in a variety of roles across all sectors.

The research went into further detail about graduate’s experience of Higher Education. An overwhelming 96% of those who took part in the survey said that they are glad that they had taken their degree despite the financial cost. Two thirds also stated that they felt positive about their long-term career prospects. 29% loved it so much that they stayed on to do post graduate study!

Many sectors, like IT, have consistently found shortages and now sectors like Engineering and Banking are embarking on a war for talent, especially for numerate graduates, so it is vital Universities keep developing this talent for employers in the future. Dan Hawes, co-founder of Graduate Recruitment Bureau says: “We were delighted to be able to support the study and achieved the largest number of responses by any commercial recruitment consultancy. We believe it sends a strong message to all stakeholders anxious about the changes to Higher Education. Since 1997 we have served graduate recruiters, large and small, and have seen our business grow like many other intermediaries also providing valuable services over the last decade. The job market is definitely there for graduates so we are always surprised to hear about high calibre graduates struggling.”

“This survey also confirms our belief in the added value graduates bring not just to employers but the economy as a whole at a time when we need an injection of fresh blood. We track high calibre graduates that we place and this research confirmed what we are already seeing that graduates start their career in all sorts of places, not just on graduate schemes, but on other well paid, graduate level jobs. The problem is graduates simply miss these opportunities as they exist in a hidden market.”
Jane Artess, research director at HECSU says: “Graduates’ perceptions of the value of their degree in finding work changes remarkably after they have been in the labour market for some time, which helps us to understand the magnitude of the downturn on this group.”

Professor Kate Purcell at the IER adds “Students focus mainly on their studies while at university, particularly in their final year, so graduating into one of the worst recessions in history has hit them particularly hard.  The main finding for me is that even in the wake of the recession, the onset of higher fees and large debts, the graduates remain positive in the face of adversity with great confidence that their degree has been worth it."