Fewer young people out of work

Official figures have shown that there are fewer young people out of work, training or education since this time last year.

In the last quarter of 2012, there were 893,000 people aged 16 to 24 not in education, employment or training.

This is 64,000 fewer than the 957,000 in the same quarter of 2011.

In spite of the fact that the figure has fallen, many MPs are still concerned that this figure is not low enough.

Karen Buck, MP and Labour’s shadow minister for young people, commented: “Any headline fall in the numbers of young people out of work, education or training is welcome but there are still far too many young people who are dropping out.”

Many Warwick students are afraid of being out of employment when they graduate.

Third-year Law undergraduate, Thomas Messenger, said: “It’s something I’m really worried about but I’m still trying to remain confident – after all, we keep getting told time and time again that Warwick is high for employability!

“My main concern is the incredibly high level of competition for each graduate place and the very real danger that one may end up in a non-graduate position after investing so much in a university education.”

Rachael Ward, third-year Classics undergraduate, told the Boar: “I’m really worried about getting a job, it’s weird because it’s the first time in my life when I literally have no idea what I’ll be doing in 6 months time, and hardly anyone I know has managed to get something for next year.”

These concerns have also been expressed by first-year students. Kathryn Brooke, first-year Politics undergraduate, said: “All I can say is that I am not expecting to get a job straight away when I leave, and I will probably be living back home for a while.”

However, Anne Wilson, head of careers at Warwick, said that the University had many ways of ensuring that students were not left in a difficult position: “We have a number of schemes to help our students find the right employment post-Warwick, from the moment they start life here on campus to the years after they’ve departed.

“We host over 150 employer events on campus during the year so that students can meet recruiters, organise alumni and sector events and numerous skills sessions to support students developing their employability skills. Careers consultants provide one-to-one careers guidance in departments and centrally.”

In week three of the summer term the University will host its annual Summer Careers Fair, which will feature small- to medium-sized employers which will offer jobs and internship opportunities, as well as showcasing larger recruiters.

The careers department will also offer a ‘careers success toolkit’ to graduating students at the end of the summer term to help those who do not yet have a job offer or decision of what they want to do.

This includes talks, workshops, practical training, interview skills and opportunities for employment. There is also more intensive career coaching available.

Ms Wilson added: “This year we successfully supported more than 40 unemployed graduates by sourcing paid graduate-level work placements through our placement learning unit, many of whom have subsequently been offered employment.

“This scheme, which was financially supported by Warwick, will be on offer again for next year’s graduates.

“The free support offered by the University of Warwick extends for three years post-graduation, so we make every effort to help our people find the right path into employment.”

It is also of note that Warwick was ranked number one from the top 100 graduate recruiters.

Details of the 2013 careers success toolkit and coaching will be announced at the start of the summer term.