The Graduate Unemployment Maze

Many recent graduates are; to put it in a rather politically correct parlance: unlucky to have or be graduating during a period of economic chaos.

Of course it’s not their fault as the gloom is not peculiar to the United Kingdom but a global phenomenon.

It’s no surprise that even with the tiny evidence of green shoots appearing within a very small proportion of UK economy, the UK Office of National Statistics: the chaps who tell anyone who cares to know and including the government how the job market is doing, July 2009 Statistical Bulletin publication states the obvious; “The number of unemployed people, the unemployment rate and the claimant count have increased. The employment rate and the number of employed people have fallen. There are fewer vacancies. There are more inactive people of working age and the inactivity rate is up. Earnings growth, excluding bonuses, has fallen. Earnings growth, including bonuses, has increased.”

I have great sympathy for the various unemployed, (ie, those seriously seeking employment. I have no respect for any who’s given up believing in the dignity of labour.) However, promoting the plight of a few out of work University graduates above all others makes nostalgic reading in the media if put into perspective with those without degrees but qualified lifetime of on the job experience.

The You Magazine, a supplement of the Mail on Sunday Newspaper of 9 August 2009, dedicated 4 full pages, whinging about the poor job prospects of 3 of 5 young British graduates with an average age of 23. It was impressive to note that of the 2 who’d made success of their career choices, one is self employed, while the other was luckier than the previous 3.

Universities or any level of academia is not just an environment for learning, but also a preparatory ground for practical assimilation into the real world (aka the work place or business).

It still amazes me how many young people go to University for the heck of it. Then unashamedly make us all feel guilty by complaining about the amount of debt ridden accounts they have to repay afterwards. There are few questions that every potential University applicant should endeavour to consider before making that huge decision: Ask yourself truthfully; (a) Do I really need a university education to fulfil my potential? (b)Is my course of study relevant to the business world or not? (c)What are my other alternatives?

The amount of “irrelevant” courses that are allegedly non productive to the growth of any economy and society in general is the reason why Universities across the country are turning out graduates who become unemployable. What is the role of a philosophy graduate in the 21st century business world for example? Compare that with a level 3 qualification in care work and ask yourself which skill is better required within the economy? Why do we need Psychologists who are ever second guessing the human behavioural pattern but never come up with a permanent solution?

A young graduate with a 2:1 in languages for example should expect to probably work overseas, teach English or in translation. This by no means suggests that they may not be suitable as a personal assistant, local school teacher, an administrator or work in public relations. The underlining focus here is the relevance of the skill to the role.

The global economy that went into reverse gear should be an eye opener that the old notion of getting a University education paves the way for future financial security is still true in relative terms; but not straight forward as was 20 years ago. Albeit, the lesson learned from this economic crunch suggest that this is the time for a more redefined approach to our educational system. A University degree on its own is a fantastic achievement and should be pursued.

The new ideology should now focus on job creation after Uni and less on job seeking. Currently, just about 1 in 10 fresh graduates are looking to create employment for themselves and possibly others. The vast majority are depending on writing loads of applications, some of which will be on very poorly presented CVs and for jobs that require a few years practical experience. In the current economic climate, it’s tough out there and only the very persistent will thrive.