Progression through HE into work
Emma Symes
Careers Adviser
A service provided by University College Falmouth on behalf of University of Exeter & University College Falmouth.
Content
• Value of University
• Current State of graduate labour market
• What are employers looking for?
• Employability / Transferable Skills
• Employability at UCF & Exeter
Why go to University?
• To get a degree
• To have a good time
• To get a good job
The value of University:
What your students should know
• Some jobs are only open to graduates
• Having a degree may give you faster promotion
• Jobs for graduates may be more interesting or
demanding
• Salaries will usually be higher for graduates
• Jobs may be more international
Myths
• Having a degree will automatically get you a
good job.
• All graduates work in big companies.
• Employers are only interested in vocational
degree subjects.
• Employers only look at the degree, not A-Levels.
Careers Open to all Graduates
70% of graduate vacancies in the UK do not ask for specific degree
subjects
Employers look for:
• A degree
• Transferable skills
• Work Experience
Armed Forces Retail Management
Marketing
Public Relations
Journalism
Banking
Accountancy
Personnel
Civil Service
Dave
Researching the effect
of deer invasion on New Zealand
forests
Clare
Wildlife Guide on island of Mull,
Outer Hebrides
Current state of the graduate labour
market
What information can you rely on?
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High Flyers Survey 2010
Association of Graduate Recruiters
Change in recruitment (HF)
•
2010
+11.8
•
2009
- 17.8
•
2008
- 6.7
•
2007
+10.1
•
2006
+10.8
•
2005
+ 10.9
Graduate targets rising for 2010
• Competition is tough with undergraduates competing
for posts with graduates from the past two years
• More than a quarter of all 2010’s vacancies have
already been filled by 2009 graduates who received
deferred job offers or by graduates will previous work
experience with employers
• Half of employers are increasing graduate
recruitment targets for 2010 and there are additional
roles in most industries. Most buoyant in the City
where vacancies in investment banking have
increased by a third
Improving Sectors
• Investment Banking – third increase
• High Street Banks – (up 30.2%)
• Accountancy & Management Consultancy - (up 13.9%)
• Retail – (up 21.3%)
Vulnerable Sectors?
• Consumer Goods Companies – (down 3.9%)
• Engineering & Industrial Employers – (down 2.1%)
• Public Sector – (down 4.3%)
Largest Recruiters in 2010
• Pricewaterhouse Coopers (1,039 vacancies)
• Deloitte (1000 vacancies)
• Army (735 vacancies)
• RAF (600 vacancies)
• Teach First (650 vacancies)
• KPMG ( 650 vacancies)
Salaries
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•
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Starting salaries unchanged for the first time
Salaries rose by 5.9% in 2009 & by 4.1% in 2008
Average salary remains at £27,000.
A fifth of top graduate schemes will pay more than
£30,000
• Average top salaries from: investment banks
(£38,000), law firms (37,400) and management
consulting firms (£31,000).
• Highest published graduate starting salary in 2010 is
retail firm Aldi which pay trainee area managers
£40,000
Student Views
• 35% think there will be fewer entry-level vacancies
than in 2009
• Less than half of finalists are confident of finding a
graduate job before they leave this summer
• A third are planning to give up their search and enrol
on a post graduate course instead
• A quarter of job hunters admit they have been
applying to employers they are not really interested in
in order to secure a graduate position
What are employers looking for?
How does an employer choose the right person?
• A degree alone is not enough
• According to a survey from the AGR employability
skills were more important to an organisation when
recruiting than the specific occupational, technical or
academic skills associated with the graduate’s
degree.
• The AGR review reinforces the importance of
completing an internship, industrial placement and or
work experience to improve graduates “soft skills”
AGR: shortfalls in hard skills
Writing skills
56.4%
Leadership skills
43.1%
Project Management
33.5%
Numeracy skills
27.7%
Fluency in a foreign language
23.4%
Administration
18.6%
Basic computer skills
9.0%
Other
3.2%
0%
20%
40%
60%
AGR: shortfalls in soft skills
55.1%
Communication
45.9%
Managing your own learning
Independent working
32.1%
29.6%
Motivation
26.5%
Problem solving
23.0%
Analytical skills
20.9%
Organisation
Team working skills
16.8%
Confidence
16.3%
Cultural sensitivity
14.8%
Other
14.8%
0%
20%
40%
60%
Success depends on:
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Choice of subject
Type of course (vocational vs non vocational)
Choice of university
Work Experience
Class of degree
A level grades
Skills and qualities
Employability at Exeter
• Six careers fairs including “Meet Your Future”
• Employer presentations
• Graduate vacancies
• Employer led training.
• Exeter Award
www.ex.ac.uk/employability
Employability at UCF
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Careers Fair “Meet Your Future”
Professional practice
Employer presentations
Graduate vacancies
Employer led training.
Opportunities for volunteering FXU
Part Time / Term time jobs
Graduate Vacancies
Work experience
www.careers.falmouth.ac.uk
Placements
Placement opportunities in the UK
• Unlocking Cornish Potential
• Shell STEP (Agency of the Year 2008)
• Student Associate Scheme
• Graduate Business Partnership
Placement opportunities abroad
• Erasmus
Questions