Does a degree really helps graduates’ long-term career prospects?
It seems the debate rumbles on, with fresh stats announced today.
When Hesa (the Higher Education Statistics Authority) caught up with graduates who graduated in 2005, they discovered that:
– 1 in 4 is not in full-time work, three and a half years on
– 1 in 5 of those working is not employed in a graduate level job.
The jury seems to be out on the significance of these stats.
While Dude? is inclined to think they sound disappointing, a spokesperson for the Department of Business Innovation and Skills begs to differ.
The mystery source declares: “This latest survey of the long-term prospects for graduates clearly shows that their degree is a good investment for life, with unemployment rates remaining low and the vast majority (81.1%) of those working in graduate level jobs three and a half years after graduation.
“During these difficult times, graduates continue to do better than those with lower qualifications, with their average salaries rising about 36% compared to six months after graduation, and overall career satisfaction remains high.”
Hmm.
Decide for yourself by reading the story in the Guardian here
These comments from ‘Sculptor’ in Huffington Post were in response to the many new ‘for profit’ institutions popping up across the pond, but I fear it has parallels in more traditional academic settings in many other places. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/social/sculptor/degreed-and-jobless-for-p_n_673053_56444081.html
He or she said:
“How about instead, ALL colleges and vocational schools be required to produce a yearly survey of all their graduates and their salaries broken down by program and year of graduation. The survey should also include the graduation rate. The results would then be submitted to the government to be put in an online database. The colleges should also required to get a signed and witnessed statement that the student has seen and read the survey of his or her proposed desired area of study before granting admission. Note, the penalties associated violating this or producing fraudulent surveys would be paid to the students and would be 10 X the amount the students paid for their education.”
This sounds a little like some things Tanya and others here suggested! Any thoughts?