Bleak prospects for graduates, says report

**A recent report by Futuretrack at Warwick’s Higher Education Careers Service Unit (HECSU) has revealed that thousands of graduates may have spent six months or more on benefits.**

Those graduates are 50 percent more likely than those who graduated a decade ago to end up in non-graduate jobs, and with as much as 60 per cent more debt.

These findings stem from the first in-depth study of the graduates of 2006, often labelled the “guinea pigs” as they marked the first year of £3,000 tuition fees.

The report traced 17,000 students and showed that more than ten percent have faced substantial spells of unemployment, with men more likely to be receiving benefits than women.

12.4 percent of male graduates and 10.7 percent of female graduates have spent at least six months in continuous unemployment. Of those who took three-year degrees, 17.4 per cent of men and 13.3 percent of women had spent at least six months unemployed since graduating.

Overall around 40 percent had to take on non-graduate jobs, such as working in fast food restaurants or in cleaning jobs, in comparison to the 22-23 percent of those who graduated in 2009.

Jane Artess, research director at HECSU, said, “What’s gratifying is that even in the wake of the recession, the onset of higher fees and large debts, graduates remain positive in the face of adversity with great confidence that their degree has been worth it.”

As many as 96 percent said that given the choice again, they would still choose to do a degree, with 60 percent of 2006 graduates who took the survey commenting that they are satisfied with their jobs. Moreover two thirds of them were optimistic about their long-term career prospects.

However in wake of the increase of tuition fees to £9,000, the value of a degree is once more being questioned. Education officer at the Students’ Union, James Entwistle, commented, “It’s a scary reminder that the massive amount that many students now pay for higher education doesn’t necessarily result in better job prospects.

“With £9,000 it will be interesting to see if the pattern continues, with higher debts, few opportunities and a job market that’s working against young people, putting at threat the prosperity of our generation.”

Nevertheless first-year English student Andreas Avraam told the Boar, “I think that a degree is still worth it. I mean if you look at it exclusively form the monetary point of view its significance might be less than before because of unemployment, but with the people you meet and everything you learn, I still don’t think £9,000 is too steep a price.”

First-year History student Harry Haslam disagreed, “I think £9,000 is too much, especially since a degree for a lot of people is a necessity and some have no other way of making it or getting opportunities”.