By Joe Rukin
Whilst more and more students are working to provide the money to get through their studies, more and more are finding that there is no job for them at the end of their degree as job prospects slide.
As if you needed the proof, a report has concluded that student debt and the obvious consequence of an increase in students in part-time work is hitting performance at university. Universities UK reckon that over half of undergraduates work during term-time and that their need for employment is damaging their studies. A third of respondents said that it was a "constant struggle" to survive financially and about the same proportion said they had to miss lectures to go to work. Baroness Warwick, the chief executive of UUK, said;
"At a time when the government is finalising its 10-year strategy paper for higher education, these early findings are a strong signal that changes in student funding policies are required to achieve a socially diverse student population."
With so many undergraduates working, graduate unemployment has risen for the first time for 10 years. A report, "What Do Graduates Do?", compiled by the Association of Graduate Careers Advisory Services, the Higher Education Careers Services Unit and the Universities and Colleges Admissions Service quoted a .8% rise in graduate joblessness to 6.3%.The survey looked at 176,415 2001. The careers service said they were not surprised with the figures. Chief executive Mike Hill said:
"We predicted last year that graduate unemployment had levelled out and was unlikely to dip any lower. This current increase follows two years where graduate unemployment remained at an all-time low and is still a long way from the highs of 8.2% five years ago and around 12% 10 years ago."
The report also concluded that only two thirds of graduates in jobs are using their degrees. Although 67.7% of 2001 graduates found work within six months of graduation, only 65% were in jobs that required a degree. Julie Ingham, the marketing and communications manager of the Manchester based Careers Service Unit said;
"There are a lot of students out there studying a less vocational degree who take time to decide what to do, and they are leaving it later in their degree to consider their future. In the past, after three years, 90% are in professional employment. This is about student behavioural patterns, not the wider economic environment."
The report concludes:
"Much of the drop in employment was due to decreases in opportunities in finance, IT, engineering and technology services and management consultancy. London and the South-east, where many of the vacancies were concentrated, were the two hardest-hit regions. However, despite the economic and recruitment slowdown, the situation may not be as gloomy as first appears."
The DfES dismissed the findings. A spokesperson said;
"The fact is that graduates are less likely to be unemployed and more likely to earn more over their lifetime than non-graduates."
NUS national president Mandy Telford said;
"NUS is obviously concerned about a rise in unemployment figures, especially as graduates find themselves in such a perilous financial position. Starting their working lives with a £12,000 debt hanging around their necks means that many recent graduates will be forced to seek any job that pays the bills and the interest on the overdraft, rather than one they have studied for three years to pursue."
BBC, Graduate job prospects slide
epolitix, Student debt 'hitting standards'
Guardian, Graduate unemployment continues to rise
Independent, Number of jobless graduates rises
