A
new study shows that graduates are being told to take low skilled
jobs during the
recession
A recently published report by the Citizens
Advice Scotland (CAS) has suggests that graduates are being advised
to take lower skilled non graduate jobs and even take off their graduate
degree from their CV.
The survey of 1000 graduates found that only
1% of graduates felt that jobcentres had assisted them in finding
skilled graduate job, with one law graduate told to leave their
degree off and “stop looking for graduate work and take a survival
job” and another history graduate felt that the jobcentre was
uninterested in their degree “Frequently they seemed to suggest
that, if anything, my qualification and level of education were a
deterrent to possible future employers."
Graduates were also dissatisfied by the level
of assistance and preparation for work from their
schools and universities, with around 60% feeling their school did
not prepare them for work and over 40% feeling that their
university had not prepared them.
The survey also found that a quarter of those
interviewed still out of work one year after finishing their
degree, with one in ten also unable to find work after 18
months.
The CAS chief executive of the study had this
to say; "Having been told a degree was the key to a
successful and prosperous life, and having worked hard and
sacrificed a lot to get one, many have become entrenched instead in
a culture of unemployment or low wages and short-term
contracts.
"It's heart-rending to read so many accounts
of people, once full of hope for the future, who feel their lives
are on hold. Some are even questioning whether it was worth the
time, money and effort they put into getting their degrees.”
Alastair Sim, director of Universities
Scotland has been quick to come to the defense of Scottish
universities, saying that the results of the survey are
“statistically invalid” and that it was “completely
unrepresentative of the graduate population as a whole.” Scottish
youth employment minister Angela Constance also commented that;
“More than 90% of
Scottish students graduating in 2010-11 went onto employment or
further study, with graduates from Scottish universities also
reporting the highest average starting salary in the UK at
£21,000."
Share and Connect
What are these?
|
Follow on Twitter |
 |
Link to us |
 |
Read our Blogg |
 |
Connect with us |
 |