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The UK Graduate Careers Survey 2006Survey Summary

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ACCA

Accenture

Addleshaw Goddard

Allen & Overy

Army

AstraZeneca

BAE Systems

BDO Stoy Hayward

Bloomberg

BT

Citigroup

Corus

Data Connection

Deloitte

Deutsche Bank

Dstl

Ernst & Young

Exxonmobil

Financial Services Authority

Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer

Fujitsu

GlaxoSmithKline

Goldman Sachs

HM Revenue & Customs

HSBC

Institute of Chartered Accountantsin England & Wales

JP Morgan

KPMG

Linklaters

Lloyds TSB

L'Oreal

Lovells

Marks & Spencer

Mars

Morgan Stanley

National Grid

Procter & Gamble

Police HPDS

PricewaterhouseCoopers

Royal Air Force

Royal Bank of Scotland Group

Rolls-Royce

Sainsbury's

Shell

Smiths Aerospace

Teach First

UBS

Unilever

Employers who participated in the 2006 research programme:

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3

The UK Graduate Careers Survey 2006

Page

Executive Summary 5

1. Introduction 7

Background 7

Survey Organisers 7

Organising the Fieldwork 8

2. The Class of 2006 9

Finalists’ Plans for After University 10

Applications for Graduate Jobs 12

Views on Employment 14

Expectations for First Job 16

Aspirations for the Future 18

3. Finalists’ Views on University 19

Views on Time at University and Life after Graduation 20

Graduation Debts 22

4. Job Hunting in 2005-2006 23

University Careers Services 24

Readership of National Newspapers 26

Contents

5


Foreword

Executive Summary

The UK Graduate Careers Survey 2006 is based on face-to-face interviews with 16,452 final yearstudents from the ‘Class of 2006’ studying at 30 leading universities in the UK and Ireland, carriedout in February 2006. The survey is the largest of its kind ever conducted and the sample includesone in five students graduating from these universities in the summer of 2006:

• The proportion of final year students expecting to enter the graduate job market this year hasincreased noticeably from last year. 40% of finalists believed they would either start a graduatejob or be looking for a graduate job after leaving university, compared with 36% in 2005 and 35% in 2004.

• High numbers hoped to stay on at university – 24% of finalists were planning postgraduate studyas an alternative to graduate employment.

• Students’ confidence in the job market continues to improve, but two-thirds of finalists stillbelieve that there are not enough graduate jobs available for those leaving university this summer.Around a fifth thought that there are only very limited graduate vacancies this year.

• More finalists made early job applications to employers during the 2005-2006 recruitmentseason. 47% of students had applied by the end of February, compared to 46% a year ago and theaverage number of applications made by finalists also increased. Together these results accountedfor a 5% rise in the overall volume of graduate job applications made in 2005-2006.

• Investment banking and accountancy attracted more early applications from finalists than anyother career area, but overall the most popular destinations for the ‘Class of 2006’ were careers inthe media and teaching. The accounting sector recorded the largest increase in total applications.

• Graduate salary expectations continued to rise this year. Final year job hunters expected to earnan average of £20,300 for their first job, 2.5% more than in 2005.

• London remains the preferred employment destination for 40 per of graduates and is the firstchoice for students at 23 out of the 30 universities included in the survey.

• The vast majority of students enjoyed their time at university and over three-quarters werepleased with their choice of degree course and institution.

• Graduates from the ‘Class of 2006’ expect to owe an average of £10,400 at the end of their degrees,the same as in 2005 but up from £10,100 in 2003, £5,900 in 2001 and £3,200 in 1999.

• More than a third of final year students said they wouldn’t have come to university at all if theyhad been faced with the new tuition fees of £3,000 that are to be introduced in autumn 2006.

• Local university careers services continued to be excellent focal points for job hunting andcareers activities on campus, and their facilities were used by a total 83% of final year students in 2005-2006 – either in person, online or via a careers module as part of their degree course.

• Over half of those who used careers services had a formal consultation with a careers adviser;three-quarters of finalists rated their careers services as either ‘excellent’ or ‘good’.

Birmingham •

Bristol •

• Newcastle

Nottingham •

• Sheffield

• Southampton

• Edinburgh

Exeter •

• Loughborough

Glasgow •

• Warwick • Cambridge

Oxford •

London •Imperial CollegeSchool of EconomicsUniversity College

• Durham

Reading •

• St Andrews

• Manchester

• Bath

• Aston

• Leeds

• Strathclyde

• York

Cardiff •

Lancaster •

Liverpool •

Belfast •

Dublin •

The UK Graduate Careers Survey 2006Universities included in the survey.

7


About the SurveyNow in its twelfth year, The UK Graduate Careers Survey isan innovative annual study of how the UK’s top studentsprepare for life after university, conducted by High FliersResearch, on behalf of up to fifty leading graduate employers.

It gives employers a unique insight into the career expectationsand aspirations of final year students, just weeks before theygraduate, and provides a definitive record of how they haveconducted their job search.

Devised originally in 1995, the research has now been conductedfor over a decade and is the UK’s largest and most detailed annual graduate recruitmentsurvey. It has become key source of information for major employers reviewing the success of thetheir graduate recruitment marketing and planning future recruitment campaigns.

Headlines from recent surveys have been widely reported in the national and local press, includingcoverage on Channel Four News, the BBC One o’Clock News and BBC News 24, and articles in TheTimes, The Independent, The Guardian and Financial Times.

The 2006 survey has been the largest study conducted by High Fliers Research and indeed is thelargest student survey ever carried out in the UK and Ireland. It is based on direct interviews with16,452 final year students from thirty leading universities, supported by in-depth research with 2,488student job hunters.

Survey OrganisersHigh Fliers Research Limited is an independent market research company which specialises instudent and graduate research. Established in 1994, the company has now worked with over 100leading employers to measure the impact of their recruitment activities on campus and help themunderstand their position in the graduate market.

Since 2002, High Fliers Research has also conducted regular surveys of employersto research current graduate vacancy levels, starting salaries and benchmarkgraduate recruitment practices.

Its latest study, The Graduate Market in 2006 reported a 10.8% increase in graduatevacancies for 2006 at Britain’s top employers and revealed that the largest recruitersduring the 2005-2006 recruitment season were the accounting & professionalservices firms and City investment banks.

A new venture for High Fliers Research has been the launch in of its first overseas student survey, The Australia & New Zealand Graduate Careers Survey. Following a successful pilot study in 2004,the survey is now being conducted annually at sixteen leading universities ‘down under’ and featuresface-to-face interviews with over 7,000 final year students each year. High Fliers Research is alsoworking closely with the Australian Association of Graduate Employers to carry out its annualsurvey of graduate employers.

Chapter 1

Introduction

8


Organising the FieldworkFieldwork for The UK Graduate Careers Survey is divided into two distinct phases during the year –the Employer Research and Graduate Recruitment Research.

The Employer Research is based on focus groups and online exercises conducted with final yearstudents who are actively looking for a graduate job. This research is conducted in the late autumnto assess employers’ recruitment materials such as brochures, websites and advertising, as well asresearch a number of specially commissioned questions for each employer. In all over 1,000 finalyear students participate in the group work, with a further 250 or so finalists answering questions foreach of the key career areas for which employers are recruiting graduates.

Much of the Graduate Recruitment Research is conducted through face-to-face interviews. This isclearly very labour-intensive but this approach is considered essential to guarantee that a largeproportion of final year students participate in the research. Interviewers for the fieldwork are drawnfrom the student community and over 700 were recruited by local university managers for 2006.

Interviews for the survey were timed to take place during the final week of February and the first weekof March. This was as late in the academic year as possible, to ensure that the survey recorded asmuch of students’ job hunting activities as possible. At each university, a team of up to 35interviewers conducted 25 interviews each during a six-day period.

Every interviewer was provided with several university departments from which to select students atrandom to take part in interviews. This helped ensure that the proportion of students from differentsubjects at each universities interviewed for the survey mirrored closely the proportion of studentspresent at the university. Finalists studying medicine, veterinary science, pharmacy or dentistry wereomitted from the survey as their career paths are quite separate from mainstream graduate recruitment.

After the interviews had been completed, approximately 5 per cent of the original sample were re-interviewed by the survey’s full-time research team to confirm the validity of the data and makesure the fieldwork had been completed correctly.

The overall target for the survey was to interview between 15 and 20 per cent of the final yearpopulation at each of the universities in the study. In total, the 2005 survey included face-to-faceinterviews with 16,452 finalists, a sample of 19.8 per cent (see Table 1.1). A further 2,488 final yearjob hunters participated in additional in-depth research about their career search in 2005-2006.

Table 1.1 Final Year Students Interviewed for the UK Graduate Careers Survey 2006

AstonBathBelfast Queens UniversityBirminghamBristolCambridgeCardiffDublin Trinity CollegeDurhamEdinburghExeterGlasgowLancasterLeedsLiverpoolLondon Imperial College

Number of finalistsinterviewed for

the survey

326

339

435

864

453

657

616

337

691

648

589

508

518

848

465

352

Estimated numberof finalists

at university

1,180

1,700

2,830

4,830

2,600

3,560

3,160

1,510

3,000

3,330

2,460

2,670

2,870

5,600

2,800

1,320

% of finalistsinterviewed for

survey

27.619.915.417.917.418.519.522.323.019.523.919.018.015.116.626.7

London School of EconomicsLondon University CollegeLoughboroughManchesterNewcastleNottinghamOxfordReadingSheffieldSouthamptonSt AndrewsStrathclydeWarwickYork

SURVEY TOTAL

Number of finalistsinterviewed for

the survey

300

451

628

817

587

737

609

448

736

568

391

510

697

327

16,452

Estimated numberof finalists

at university

1,070

2,710

2,760

5,060

3,120

3,410

3,060

2,270

3,350

2,710

1,040

2,680

2,850

1,740

83,250

% of finalistsinterviewed for

survey

28.016.622.816.118.821.619.919.722.021.037.619.024.518.8

19.8

9


Chapter 2

The Class of 2006

BackgroundThe UK Graduate Careers Survey 2006 aims to give graduate employers an accurate and realisticpicture of what final year students expect to do after university and what they really want from theirfirst graduate employment. It can be hard for employers to do this themselves as students who have applied for graduate positions often tell recruiters what they think their interviewers andassessors want to hear, in order to increase their chances of success during the application andselection process.

One key indicator is the number of finalists who expect to enter the graduate job market in 2005, ascompared to those who have other plans such as postgraduate study or travel, and the number who areundecided about their plans.

Final year students were asked in detail about the business areas or job functions that they had beenapplying to or expected to make applications to later in the recruitment round. These results provideimportant data on the supply of new graduates in 2006 and the kind of employment which they aremost interested in.

Student job hunters were also questioned about their aspirations for their first employment afteruniversity – the elements of their first job and employer that were most important, their preferredlocation of work, anticipated starting salaries for a first graduate job, and their hopes and aspirationsfor the future.

The final part of the analysis deals with students’ confidence about the current job market and theirviews on whether there are sufficient graduate positions available for those leaving university thisyear, an important indication of the confidence levels of the ‘Class of 2006’.

Key Points• A total of 40% of finalists

thought they would bejoining the graduate jobmarket after university

• A quarter of this year’sfinalists are planning to do postgraduate courses

• Careers in accountancy &investment banking weremore popular than in2005

• London remains the firstchoice work destination

• Finalists’ average expectedstarting salary is £20,300

10


Finalists’ Plans for After UniversityThis year’s survey shows that there has been a substantial increase in the number of finalists expectingto join the graduate job market in 2006 (see Chart 2.1). The survey results show that 24 per cent ofthose leaving university this summer were expecting to start a full-time graduate position at the endof their degree, and a further 16 per cent thought they would be looking for a job after graduation (see Chart 2.2). This means that 40 per cent of the final year population are planning to join thegraduate job market this year, up from 36 per cent in 2005.

For seven consecutive recruitment seasons until 2004, the percentage of finalists heading for graduateemployment after university fell steadily. Although this trend has now been reversed and The UKGraduate Careers Survey has recorded two consecutive years of increasing numbers of finalistsexpecting graduate jobs, there are still significantly fewer finalists aiming for graduate-level jobstoday than there were in the late 1990s.

The 60 per cent of final year students from the ‘Class of 2006’ who are not preparing for graduateemployment after university are divided between further study, taking time off for travel, temporarywork, or had yet to confirm their plans. Nearly a quarter of all finalists hoped to continue theiracademic endeavours with a postgraduate course – the third highest level seen since the survey wasfirst conducted in 1995. Fewer final year students planned to take time-off or go travelling, 16 percent compared with 17 per cent in 2005 and 19 per cent in 2004. There were 8 per cent of finalistswho believed they would be doing ‘other work’ after graduation, typically a temporary job or avoluntary position. The remaining 12 per cent of students had no definite plans, a small reduction onthe 14 per cent reported in 2005.

The London School of Economics, Aston, Strathclyde, London’s Imperial College, Bath and Queen’sUniversity Belfast had the highest proportion of finalists planning to start work or look for a graduatejob after university – at least half of finalists at these universities thought they’d enter the job marketin 2006 (see Table 2.3). The lowest numbers were at Dublin’s Trinity College, St Andrews, Leeds andCambridge. Conversely, postgraduate courses were particuarly popular with students at theseuniversities and plus those at Glasgow, Warwick, London’s Imperial College and Oxford.

Perc

enta

ge o

f fin

alist

s

0

Base - The UK Graduate Careers Survey 1996-2006

Chart 2.1 Finalists who are Expecting to Join the Graduate Job Market

44

%

1996

42%

1997

49%

1998

43%

1999

42%

2000

40%

2001

39%

2002

37%

2003

36%

2005

20

40

60

80

100

35%

2004

40%

2006

11


Table 2.3 Finalists who expect Graduate Jobs

London School of EconomicsAstonStrathclydeLondon Imperial CollegeBathBelfast Queen’s UniversityLoughboroughLondon University CollegeNewcastleOxfordWarwickBristolEdinburghReadingCardiffManchesterSouthamptonYorkGlasgowNottinghamSheffieldLancasterLiverpoolDurhamExeterBirminghamCambridgeLeedsSt AndrewsDublin Trinity CollegeSURVEY AVERAGE

% of finalists

68615553525044424242403938383737373736363635353434333232322840

Table 2.4 Finalists who plan Further Study

Dublin Trinity CollegeSt AndrewsCambridgeGlasgowWarwickLondon Imperial CollegeOxfordBirminghamLondon University CollegeDurhamManchesterBristolSheffieldLancasterYorkEdinburghExeterReadingSouthamptonBelfast Queen’s UniversityCardiffLondon School of EconomicsLoughboroughLeedsNottinghamLiverpoolNewcastleBathAstonStrathclydeSURVEY AVERAGE

% of finalists

40343331302929282826262525242423232323222221212020191917131124

Chart 2.2 Finalists’ Plans for After University in 2006

Percentage of finalists

100806040200

No definite plans 12%

Taking time off or going travelling 16%

Expecting to take other work 8%

Expecting to be looking for a graduate job 16%

Intending to do a postgraduate course 24%

Expecting to start a graduate job 24%

Base - Face-to-face interviews with 16,452 final year students

12


Applications to EmployersThe survey measured applications to employers in 2005-2006 in three ways – finalists who hadalready applied to different career sectors by the time the survey took place in late February, studentswho stated that they intended to make applications later in the year, and a combination of all theseapplications.

The results for applications already made show that investment banking was the most populardestination for the third year running, ahead of accountancy, consulting and marketing. It is worthnoting that although accountancy remains in second place, the volume of students who applied to thesector is at its highest level since 1999. Several other career destinations attracted significantly moreearly applicants in 2005-2006 compared with the last recruitment season, including consulting,marketing, finance, the media and actuarial work. Early applications were down, though, forengineering, law, the Civil Service and retailing.

In many career sectors, the number of finalists planning to make applications later in the academicyear is a little lower than was recorded a year ago. Fewer finalists intended making late applicationsfor the five most popular sectors – the media, teaching, marketing, research & development, andcharity or voluntary work. However, more students anticipated applying for last-minute jobs inaccountancy and at investment banks than did so at this point in 2005.

By combining these ‘early’ and ‘late’ applications together, the resulting table shows the top fivedestinations for 2006 are media, teaching, investment banking, marketing and accountancy (see Table2.5). This is the highest ranking for investment banking since the survey began in 1995 and the firsttime that the accountancy sector has appeared in the top five destinations. Comparing the full list ofapplications with the similar table from 2004-2005 (see Chart 2.7), it is clear that the level of interestin eight individual sectors has increased, it remains unchanged for two but has decreased in thirteen.

Table 2.6 Career Sectors that FInalists Applied to during 2004-2005

Teaching

Media

Marketing

Investment banking

Science, research & development

Civil Service

Consulting

Accountancy

Charity or voluntary work

Engineering

Solicitor or barrister

Human resources

General management

Sales

IT

Finance

Retailing

Police

Armed Forces

Buying or purchasing

Property

Actuarial work

Transport or logistics

% of finalists

12.7

12.7

11.7

10.8

9.9

9.9

9.9

9.3

8.6

8.1

7.6

6.5

5.9

5.6

5.2

4.9

4.1

3.6

2.9

2.5

2.5

1.7

1.6

Table 2.5 Career Sectors that FInalists Applied to during 2005-2006

MediaTeachingInvestment bankingMarketingAccountancyConsultingScience, research & developmentCharity or voluntary workCivil ServiceEngineeringLawHuman resourcesGeneral managementITFinanceSalesRetailingArmed ForcesBuying or purchasingPropertyPoliceActuarial workTransport or logistics

% of finalists

12.411.911.111.010.810.39.88.68.57.56.66.25.35.25.04.93.93.12.62.42.11.91.7

13


Percentage change in applications made or planned in 2006, compared with 2005

20100-10-20-30

Source - The UK Graduate Careers Survey 2005 & 2006

Chart 2.7 How Applications Levels have Changed in 2006, compared with 2005

Transport or logistics Up 6%

Consulting Up 4%

Buying or purchasing Up 4%

Actuarial work Up 12%

Armed Forces Up 7%

Accountancy Up 16%

RetailingDown 5%

IT No change

Charity or voluntary work No change

MarketingDown 6%

TeachingDown 6%

EngineeringDown 7%

General managementDown 10%

SalesDown 13%

LawDown 13%

Civil ServiceDown 14%

PoliceDown 42%

-40 30

Investment banking Up 3%

Finance Up 2%

Science research & developmentDown 1%

MediaDown 2%

PropertyDown 4%

Human resourcesDown 5%

14


Views on EmploymentWhen asked about their perceptions of the graduate job market in 2006, 20 per cent thought there were‘plenty of jobs for finalists leaving university this summer’ (see Chart 2.8), up from 17 per cent lastyear and double the number from 2003. A total of 61 per cent were more cautious and believed ‘thereare some graduate jobs, but not enough for everyone leaving university this summer’and 19 per centthought ‘there are only limited graduate jobs available for those leaving university this summer’.

Together these results suggest that students in 2006 are the most confident about the graduate jobmarket of any of their predecessors from the previous five years. The view that there aren’t enoughgraduate jobs to go round is certainly realistic though – whilst the number of graduates leavinguniversity has increased by almost two-thirds during the past decade of expansion in higher education,graduate level vacancies have grown by little more than 10 per cent over the same period.

Research into finalists’ expectations in The UK Graduate Careers Survey shows that students who areplanning to join the job market after university have a number of different aspects to consider whenweighing up which employers to shortlist for job applications. To help identify how influentialindividual issues such as work-life balance, training & development, and initial remuneration are, thisyear’s survey asked students who had already applied to employers the direct question “When youwere deciding which employers to apply to, which three factors were most important to you?”.

The results show a clear profile in terms of finalists’ priorities – ‘starting salary’, ‘content of work’,‘quality of training & development’ ‘location of jobs’ and ‘using degree subject studied’ were the fivefactors mentioned most often, by a third or more job hunters (see Chart 2.9). Interestingly, issues suchas ‘employers’ corporate social responsibility record’ and the ‘chance for further study’– both ofwhich were highlighted as being important to student job hunters in other parts of the survey, wereactually much lower down finalists’ concerns when deciding which organisations to apply to.

The results differed considerably by institution – content of work was the main preoccupation atthirteen universities including Oxford, Cambridge, Durham, Edinburgh, Nottingham, St Andrews andYork; starting salary was the dominant influence at fourteen universities including Bristol,Lougborough, Warwick and the London colleges; whereas ‘using degree subject studied’ was thepriority at the Queen’s University Belfast, Lancaster and Strathclyde.

Students who had not made applications by the time the survey took place (approximately half thefinal year population) were asked why not. Aside from those who weren’t planning to join the jobmarket at all, most replied that they had been concentrating on their academic studies at the expenseof looking for employment (see Chart 2.10).

Percentage of finalists

100806040200


Chart 2.8 Finalists’ Perceptions of the 2006 Graduate Job Market

There are plenty of graduatejobs for finalists leaving university this summer

20%

There are some graduate jobs,but not enough for everyone

leaving university this summer61%

There are only limited graduatejobs available for those leaving

university this summer19%

15


Percentage of finalists who had not made graduate job applications

100806040200

Chart 2.10 Finalists’ Main Reason for not making Graduate Job Applications

I’ve other plans for after university 49%

I haven’t decided yet whichemployers to apply to 11%

I’ve been concentrating on my studies instead 35%

The sort of jobs I’m looking forhaven’t been advertised yet 4%


Percentage of job huntersBase - Face-to-face interviews with 16,452 final year students

Chart 2.9 Most Important Factors when deciding which Graduate Employers to Apply to

Content of work 44%

Work-life balance 29%

Starting salary 44%

Chance for further study 14%

Quality of training &development programme 37%

Achieving a professional qualification 20%

Additional benefits package 16%

Location of jobs 36%

Using degree subject studied 35%

50403020100

Opportunity for overseas experiences 21%

Employer’s ‘corporate social responsibility’ record 10%

16


Expectations for First JobStudent job hunters were asked about the starting salaries and other elements of remuneration theywere expecting after university. The average anticipated starting salary was £20,300, a rise of 2.5 percent on the expected salary in 2005. One in six job hunters believed they would earn a modest£15,000 or less but at the upper end of expectations, 17 per cent of job hunters thought they would beearning at least £25,000 for their first job.

The most demanding students were those at the London School of Economics and Oxford whereaverage expected salaries topped £25,000 for the first time (see Table 2.11). Finalists at anothereleven universities were not far behind with average expectations of at least £20,000. It is interestingto compare these financial expectations with the graduate salaries actually being offered by employersthis year. A study of the organisations featured in The Times Top 100 Graduate Employers reportedthat average starting salaries for 2006 would be £23,800, well above many students’ apparentexpectations.

For the twelfth consecutive year, London was the leading destination for job hunters in 2006 and 40 per cent hoped to start work in the capital after graduation. There are a further 5 per cent of the‘Class of 2006’ who wanted to work in the south east of England, (see Chart 2.13) which means thatnearly half of graduate job hunters expected to be employed in or around the M25 this year.

This means the number of graduates aiming to work in other parts of the UK or beyond remains small– the next most-popular destinations were the north west of England, the Midlands and Scotland (eachwith 6 per cent). Indeed, London was the top destination for students at twenty-three of the thirtyinstitutions in the survey (see Table 2.12).

Table 2.12 Preferred Location of First Job

AstonBathBelfast Queen’s University

BirminghamBristolCambridgeCardiffDublin Trinity College

DurhamEdinburghExeterGlasgowLancasterLeedsLiverpoolLondon Imperial College

London School of Economics

London University College

LoughboroughManchesterNewcastleNottinghamOxfordReadingSheffieldSouthamptonSt AndrewsStrathclydeWarwickYork

Preferred Region

London

London

Northern Ireland

London

London

London

Wales

Ireland

London

London

London

Scotland

North West

London

North West

London

London

London

London

London

London

London

London

London

London

London

London

Scotland

London

London

Table 2.11 Average Expected Starting Salary

London School of EconomicsOxfordLondon Imperial CollegeCambridgeWarwickLondon University CollegeBathBristolDurhamNottinghamSt AndrewsManchesterDublin Trinity CollegeAstonEdinburghBirminghamLoughboroughExeterYorkReadingLeedsSouthamptonBelfast Queen’s UniversityNewcastleSheffieldGlasgowLancasterLiverpoolStrathclydeCardiffSURVEY AVERAGE

Average ExpectedStarting Salary

£26,700£25,000£24,500£23,900£22,600£22,400£21,400£21,400£21,100£21,000£20,800£20,300£20,100£19,900£19,900£19,600£19,600£19,300£19,300£19,200£19,100£19,100£18,700£18,700£18,600£18,200£18,200£18,200£17,800£17,700£20,300

17



Chart 2.13 Job Hunters’ Preferred Location for their First Graduate Job after University

South West4% of finalists

The Midlands6% of finalists

South East5% of finalists

London40% of finalists

Wales2% of finalists

Ireland2% of finalists

North West England6% of finalists

Yorkshire & Humberside4% of finalists

Scotland6% of finalists

Northern Ireland2% of finalists

North East of England2% of finalists

East Anglia1% of finalists

Overseas18% of finalists

18


Aspirations for the FutureStudent job hunters were asked about what they thought they might have done in their working andpersonal lives by the age of 30 – a point that must seem far-off in the future for the majority ofundergraduates. The results show that most finalists anticipated that they would own a house or flatand a fifth expected to have acquired at least two cars. More than half expected to be marriedalthough only a third believed they would have started a family.

In employment, almost half thought they would have achieved a professional qualification and 39 percent expected to have completed a postgraduate course. A quarter were confident they would havereached a senior management position and more than half would like to have lived and workedoverseas for a period. A sixth of finalists expected to have worked for three or more organisations.

Fewer than one in seven had aspirations to start their own business but 12 per cent of job huntershoped to be earning £100,000 by the age of thirty, An optimistic 4 per cent imagined they would haveearned enough to retire – not an inconsiderable challenge for less than ten years of employment.

Percentage of final year students

100806040200


Chart 2.14 Things Final Year Students Expected to have done by the Age of 30

Own two cars 21%

Lived and worked in a different country 52%

Have children 35%

Have completed a postgraduate course 39%

Own your own house or flat 77%

Set up own business 14%

Be married 57%

Have worked for three or more organisations 17%

Have achieved aprofessional qualification 48%

Be earning at least £100,000 per year 12%

Have taken a career break 17%

Have reached a senior management position 28%

Have earned enough to retire 4%

19


Chapter 3

Finalists’ Views on University

BackgroundOver the last six years since tuition fees of approximately £1,000 per year were introduced forstudents at universities in England, the debts for new graduates have risen from an average of £5,900in 2001 to £10,400 in 2005. During this period there has been much discussion about whether thishas turned the university experience into an ‘investment’ and whether or not it is a worthwhile one forstudents to make.

The debate has been fuelled further by the announcement that from the autumn of 2006, new entrantsto university will be expected to pay much higher tuition fees – typically £3,000 per annum at manyuniversitities in England – although the fees will not be collected until a graduate leaves universityand enters employment. This means that in addition to the debts built up from living costs atuniversity – currently estimated to average around £2,250 per year – those studying on four-yeardegree courses can expect to owe a further £12,000 for their tuition fees. This implies a totalgraduation debt upwards of £21,000 for those finishing university in 2010 or beyond.

In anticipation of these significant changes, the 2006 survey asked this year’s finalists about theiropinions on their time at university – their views on their degree course, how they feel university hasprepared them for life after graduation, whether they’ve developed the skills and qualifications thatwill help them find a good graduate job, and their motivations for attending university in the firstplace. It also explored their attitudes to the new tutition fees, in light of their own experiences atuniversity.

The survey also records the level of debt that the ‘Class of 2006’ graduates expected to have whenthey finish their degrees this summer.

Key Findings• The vast majority of final

year students enjoyedtheir time at university

• Over three-quarters werepleased with their choiceof course and institution

• Fewer finalists felt theirtime at university had prepared them for work

• xxx

20


Finalists’ Views on University and Preparing for Life after GraduationThe results of this part of the survey shows that the vast majority of finalists were very positive aboutthe university experience – an impressive 91 per cent agreed with the statement ‘I’ve enjoyed beingat university and would recommend it to others’. The majority of these were pleased with their choiceof degree course and were happy with the content of their course and the standard of teaching they’dreceived (see Table 3.3).

Over 80 per cent believed that the university they had attended and the course they’d studied wouldhelp them secure a good job after university. However, noticably fewer felt that their time atuniversity had equipped them with the skills that employers wanted and just 10 per cent stronglyagreed that ‘being at university has prepared me well for the working world’. Just under half offinalists thought they’d had enough support from their university in planning what to do aftergraduation (see Table 3.4).

It is striking that although across the full survey more than two-thirds of finalists said that their mainreason for coming to university was to improve their career prospects, there were very considerabledifferences at local level (see Table 3.1). For three-quarters of students at Liverpool, Southampton,Bath, Loughborough, Strathclyde, Aston and Queen’s University Belfast, improving their careerchances was the primary motivation for starting a degree. By comparison, just 42 per cent of finalistsat Cambridge and 54 per cent of those at Oxford said getting a better job was the main reason theywent to their universities.

Belfast Queen’s University

AstonStrathclydeLoughboroughBathSouthamptonLiverpoolExeterGlasgowLondon School of Economics

BirminghamSheffieldCardiffLondon Imperial College

NewcastleLondon University College

ManchesterReadingBristolLeedsLancasterNottinghamWarwickDublin Trinity College

DurhamEdinburghSt AndrewsYorkOxfordCambridgeSURVEY AVERAGE

% of finalists

88838379777776737373727271717170696968666564636261616161544268

Table 3.1 Finalists whose main reason for going to university was to improve career prospects

Belfast Queen’s University

AstonGlasgowReadingSheffieldSouthamptonLiverpoolLoughboroughNewcastleLancasterStrathclydeManchesterCardiffLeedsEdinburghLondon University College

BristolBirminghamExeterLondon Imperial College

St AndrewsDublin Trinity CollegeLondon School of Economics

YorkBathNottinghamDurhamOxfordWarwickCambridgeSURVEY AVERAGE

% of finalists

64584949484847464643423938383737363533323231292926252423231338

Table 3.2 Finalists who would not have come to university if faced with new £3k tuition fees

21


Table 3.4 Final Year Students’ Views on Preparing for Life after Graduation

Strongly Strongly Don’t TotalAgree Agree Disagree Disagree Know Agree

% % % %

The university I’ve attended will help meget a good job after graduation. 31 58 6 1 4 89

The subject I’ve studied at university willhelp me get a good job after university. 29 53 10 3 5 82

My time at university has given me the skillsthat graduate employers are looking for. 15 58 15 3 9 73

My main reason for coming to universitywas to improve my career prospects 27 41 21 6 5 68

Being at university has prepared mewell for the working world. 10 50 28 6 6 60

I’ve had plenty of support from the universityin planning what to do after graduation. 7 42 35 10 6 49


Table 3.3 Final Year Students’ Views on their Time at University

Strongly Strongly Don’t TotalAgree Agree Disagree Disagree Know Agree

% % % %

I’ve enjoyed being at university andwould recommend it to others. 52 39 1 1 7 91

The content of my course and standard of teaching & tuition was good. 23 61 10 3 3 84

I’m glad that I chose the degree coursethat I’ve been studying. 31 48 12 4 5 79

I wouldn’t have come to university if I’d hadto pay tuition fees of £3,000+ per year. 15 23 36 17 9 38


With regard to future tuition fees, more than a third of today’s finalists said that the imposition ofhigher fees would have discouraged them from doing a degree. A total of 38 per cent said theywouldn’t have come to university if they’d been expected to pay £3,000 or more per year for tuition.At two universities – Queen’s University Belfast and Aston – over half of finalists said they wouldhave been put off attending university altogether but fewer than a quarter of those at Nottingham,Durham, Oxford, Warwick and Cambridge would have been discouraged (see Table 3.2). It isparticularly concerning that 41% of finalists originally from state schools would have been deterredby the new fees and that 42% of those training to be teachers and 43% of those planning to work asengineers – both key skills shortages – say they would not have begun their degrees at all

22


Graduation DebtThe survey shows that the ‘Class of 2006’ have amassed average student debts of £10,400. This isunchanged from 2005 and very similar to the £10,300 recorded in 2004, and the £10,100 reported in2003, suggesting that the cost of university studies have been stable for the last four years.

Almost a fifth of finalists thought they would leave university with no debts, either because of incomefrom part-time work, funding from graduate employers, or generous parental support (see Table 3.6).This included nearly half the students at London’s Imperial College, a third of those at the LondonSchool of Economics and London’s University College, and at least a quarter of those studying atBath and Warwick.

The highest average debts were for students in London, Bath, Liverpool, Sheffield, Manchester andAston – all of whom face average debt levels of £11,000 or more (see Table 3.5). The lowestpredicted graduation debts were at Dublin’s Trinity College (where Irish students do not pay tuitionfees), and Strathclyde and Glasgow (where many students opt to live at home for their studies andScottish students have a different tuition fees regime).

Generally, students living in the largest towns and cities seemed to have both the biggest debts andthe largest numbers of individuals affected by debt, although there are a sizeable number of finalistsat the London colleges who claim they will graduate without any student overdrafts or loans.

Table 3.5 Average Debts on Graduation

London Imperial College


BathLondon University College

LiverpoolSheffieldManchesterAstonLoughboroughLancasterWarwickBristolDurhamExeterCardiffLeedsNewcastleReadingNottinghamBirminghamSouthamptonYorkOxfordCambridgeEdinburghSt AndrewsBelfast Queen’s University

GlasgowStrathclydeDublin Trinity College

SURVEY AVERAGE

Average Debt

£13,800£12,800£11,900£11,600£11,300£11,300£11,200£11,100£10,900£10,700£10,700£10,600£10,600£10,600£10,500£10,500£10,500£10,500£10,400£10,300£10,300£10,300£10,200£10,000£9,900£9,900£8,800£8,700£8,100£5,000

£10,400

Table 3.6 Finalists with No Student Debts

Dublin Trinity College

London Imperial College



BathWarwickSt AndrewsBristolManchesterSheffieldYorkStrathclydeAstonBirminghamLoughboroughCambridgeEdinburghGlasgowOxfordNottinghamDurhamSouthamptonLancasterLeedsBelfast Queen’s University

CardiffNewcastleReadingExeterLiverpoolSURVEY AVERAGE

% of finalists

554535352827242323212019171717161616161413131010988866

18

23


Chapter 4

Job Hunting in 2005-2006

BackgroundDuring 2005-2006, several hundred employers have been actively targeting students at theuniversities in the survey. With countless different application processes and a confusing array ofentry requirements and recruitment timetables to consider, looking for a first graduate job can be anintimidating and bewildering experience. It is no surprise, therefore, that so many students turn totheir university careers services as an invaluable local source of expertise and information.

Local facilities differ from campus to campus – from those based around a single room to entirededicated buildings or departments – but careers services are packed to the rafters with everyconceivable job hunting resource. Students have access to up-to-the-minute vacancy informationboth online and in person, and careers advisors are available for those seeking professional guidance,offering frank one-to-one interviews to help students structure their job search.

The survey examined how final year students used their local careers services in 2005-2006,measuring the overall attendance, the number of visits made by finalists, their usage of differentfacilities, and students’ views on the service.

Students and graduates have long been considered key markets for national newspapers cultivatingthe next generation of adult readers and opinion-formers. The survey researched the nationalnewspapers that students read regularly, the job sections they had used and the newspapers that theywould be most likely to turn to in search of graduate job adverts.

The full survey report also includes details of the student readership of over 100 careers guides anddirectories, usage figures for all the leading commercial recruitment websites, visitor numbers forover 50 local, regional and national careers fairs, and the impact of employers’ own graduatebrochures, websites and campus presentations during the 2005-2006 recruitment season.

Key Findings• 83% of final year students

used local careers serviceseither in person, online orvia their degree course during 2005-2006

• Consultations with careersadvisers were very popularat manylocal universitycareers services

• The Times had the highestreadership of the nationalnewspapers

• More finalists read ‘Career’in The Times than any othernewspaper job section

24


Usage of Careers ServicesThe survey results show that a total of 83 per cent of final year students used their local universitycareers service in 2005-2006 (see Chart 4.1), well over twice the number who expect to join the jobmarket after finishing their degree courses. From these, 65 per cent of finalists visited their careersservice in person. This is a similar number to that reported last year but is well below the visitor levelsthat careers services attracted in the mid to late 1990s.

The trend of declining careers service visitor levels since 1999 is largely due to the alternative waysin which students can now access careers service resources. The majority of careers services includedin the survey offer a considerable amount of information and guidance through their websites, whichallows many students to make use of their careers service without ever visiting the premises. Indeed,during 2005-2006, in addition to the 64 per cent of finalists who attended their careers services inperson, there were a further 13 per cent of final year students who were regular users of their careersservice’s website without ever setting foot in the building itself.

Over the last few years, many careers services have also sought to bring their resources directly tostudents by running careers modules or training sessions as part of the course curricula. This year 42 per cent of finalists participated in these in-course sessions, of whom 6 per cent did not visit thecareers service nor use their website. Altogether, this means that 83 per cent of finalists had eithervisited their service in person, participated in a careers session during their studies or used theirresources online – a level of usage similar to the highest visitor numbers recorded in 1998 and 1999.

In 2005-2006, the most popular resource was one-to-one consultations with careers advisers (seeChart 4.2). This is only the second time that these consultations have headed the list of activities thatstudents used. An estimated 30,000 finalists across the thirty universities in the survey had a formalmeeting with a careers adviser this year, underlining for employers just how influential individualcareers advisers can be at their universities.

Feedback from students suggests that most were impressed with their local careers service and onaverage, 74 per cent of visitors described their facilities as either ‘excellent’ or ‘good’ (see Chart 4.3).

Perc

enta

ge o

f fin

alist

s

0

Base - The UK Graduate Careers Survey 1996-2006

Chart 4.1 Finalists who used their University Careers Service during their Job Search

80%

1996

75%

1997

85%

1998

84%

1999

75%

2000

74%

2001

68%

2002

77%

2003

20

40

60

80

100

86%

2004

83%

2006

83%

2005

25


Percentage of finalists who used university careers services

100806040200


Chart 4.3 How Finalists rated their local University Careers Services

Bad 2%

Good 52%

Excellent 20%

Poor 4%

Average 22%

Base - Face-to-face interviews with 16452 final year students

Chart 4.2 Facilities Used by Finalists who visited University Careers Services

Found out about individualjob vacancies for graduates 24%

Obtained directories or other careers publications 36%

Practiced aptitude or ability tests 8%

Attended interview practice orcoaching for selection events 9%

Had assistance preparingemployer applications or CV 25%

Collected brochures & employer literature 32%

Percentage of finalists who used university careers services

100806040200

Looked up informationin employer files 44%

Met with Careers Adviser 54%

26


Readership of National NewspapersOnce again, The Times newspaper had the highest readership amongst final year students. Nearly athird of finalists were regular readers in 2005-2006 (see Chart 4.6), readership of The Guardian wasunchanged at 22 per cent, The Independent increased slightly to 13 per cent,and the Daily Telegraphdecreased to 11 per cent.

This means that The Times was the best-read newspaper at twenty-five of the thirty universitiesincluded in this year’s survey (see Table 4.4). The Guardian was the leading title at the universitiesof Cardiff, Glasgow and Manchester. Strathclyde students were most-likely to be regular readers ofThe Herald and those at the London School of Economics turned to the Financial Times.

Finalists were asked specifically about whether they read the jobs sections published in each of themain daily national newspapers. ‘Career’ in The Times was the most popular section and had beenused by 34 per cent of finalists during 2005-2006. Almost a quarter of students had read ‘Rise’ in TheGuardian, but ‘Jobs’ in the Daily Telegraph and ‘Graduate’ in The Independent had only been seenby 13 per cent of students or less (see Chart 4.7). Locally, ‘Career’ in The Times was the leading jobssection at twenty-nine universities but ‘Rise’ in The Guardian was the preferred read at Glasgow (see Table 4.5).

Finally, the survey asked students the direct question “Which daily newspaper would you be mostlikely to look in for graduate jobs?”. Two-fifths of students confirmed that they would turn to The Times, ahead of a third who would use The Guardian (see Chart 4.8). Just a quarter said theywould look in either the Daily Telegraph, The Independent or the Financial Times for job adverts.

Table 4.4 Best-Read Daily Newspapers

AstonBathBelfast Queens University






Newspaper withHighest Readership

The Times

The Times

The Times

The Times

The Times

The Times

The Guardian

The Times

The Times

The Times

The Times

The Guardian

The Times

The Times

The Times

The Times

Financial Times

The Times

The Times

The Guardian

The Times

The Times

The Times

The Times

The Times

The Times

The Times

The Herald

The Times

The Times

Table 4.5 Best-Read Graduate Job Sections

AstonBathBelfast Queens University






Graduate Job Sectionwith Highest Readership

‘Career’ in The Times











‘Rise’ in The Guardian



















27


Percentage of all finalists

100806040200


Chart 4.6 Readership of National Daily Newspapers


100806040200


Chart 4.8 Newspapers that Students were Most Likely to Look in for Graduate Job Adverts

The Guardian 32%

The Independent 9%

Daily Telegraph 10%

The Times 40%

Financial Times 8%

Daily Telegraph 11%

The Independent 14%

Financial Times 9%

The Guardian 22%

The Times 31%

Daily Mail 9%


100806040200


Chart 4.7 Graduate Job Sections that Finalists had Read in National Daily Newspapers

‘Rise’ in The Guardian 23%

‘Jobs’ in Daily Telegraph 13%

‘Career’ in The Times 34%

‘Graduate’ in The Independent 12%

Notes

Documents

The UK Graduate Careers Survey 2006image.guardian.co.uk › ... › documents › 2006 › 04 › 26 › survey.pdf2006/04/26 · Oxford Reading Sheffield Southampton St Andrews Strathclyde