In brief (Summer 08)

New study on career paths of art, design and media graduates
The short- and long-term effects of graduating in a recession
Yorkshire’s graduate economy fallen behind other regions, report revealed
What gives a city competitive advantage – the graduates’ views
Developing world class skills – what do the employers think?
Putting research outcomes into practice (PROP)

New study on career paths of art, design and media graduates

Over 22,000 graduates from art, design and media courses will be contacted to take part in a new study to explore their career paths since graduating.

The new study, ‘Creative Graduates, Creative Futures’, will explore how these graduates’ careers are shaping up and the impact they have in the creative industries and beyond, as well as how their higher education experience has influenced and shaped their careers, and their plans for the future. It will focus on the experiences of graduates from 2001/02, 2002/03 and 2003/04 to examine the differences in their experiences over time, and how they compare to the career experiences of graduates ten years ago, as captured in the 1998 ‘Destinations and Reflections’ research.

The new research is funded by a partnership of 29 universities and colleges and the Council for Higher Education in Arts and Design (CHEAD), and undertaken by the Institute for Employment Studies.

For more information, go to www.employment-studies.co.uk/projects/creative/creative.php

The short- and long-term effects of graduating in a recession

Young graduates entering the labour market in a recession suffer significant initial earnings losses that, on average, eventually fade after eight to ten years, according to research from Canada.

The study of a large sample of Canadian college graduates found that labour market conditions at graduation affect firm quality and job mobility. Whilst higher skilled graduates suffer less from entry in a recession because they switch to better firms quickly, lower skilled graduates are permanently affected by being down ranked to low-wage firms.

The Short- and Long-Term Career Effects of Graduating in a Recession, by Oreopoulos P., von Wachter T. and Heisz A. is available at http://ftp.iza.org/dp3578.pdf

Yorkshire’s graduate economy fallen behind other regions, report revealed

Yorkshire and the Humber’s long-term ambition to become a successful knowledge economy is threatened by its failure to retain more graduate talent in the region, according to the new research report Graduate Economies in Britain.

According to the report by Geoeconomics and commissioned by Graduates Yorkshire, Leeds remains the flagship of the region’s graduate economy while Sheffield and Rotherham continue to benefit from the regenerating effect of graduate recruitment and retention. However, Bradford, York and Doncaster continue to display disappointing graduate economy trends.

The report also reveals that in 2005, private and public knowledge intensive sectors generated around 50% of all job opportunities across Britain, with Yorkshire, the West Midlands and the East of England falling short of this national average. The public sector was identified as a major knowledge economy employer in Yorkshire, accounting for slightly more than 60% knowledge intensive sector employment in the region– only the North East is more dependent on government spending in this way.

What gives a city competitive advantage – the graduates’ views

Friendly atmosphere, availability of affordable housing, good restaurants, cafes, bars, clubs, good public transport and good standard of healthcare are the top five factors that make a city attractive to graduates.

According to the large-scale survey of final year students from the University of Sussex, a city, however, must also provide genuine graduate level opportunities, decent pay and low unemployment. By contrast, international transport links and road congestion are very minor issues.

The research, undertaken by the Institute for Employment Studies and The University of Sussex’s Career Development and Employment Centre, explores the aspirations and expectations of the university’s graduates, particularly those who stay on in the city of Brighton and Hove and in the wider county after they graduate. In the next stages, the research will explore whether graduates’ expectations were met, how early careers develop and what factors help and hinder careers, particularly for those who want to stay on in the city after graduating.

For more information, see www.employment-studies.co.uk/press/0804.php

Developing world class skills – what do the employers think?

Nurturing young people who have the most potential is the most important measure for the improvement and development of world class skills, according to a survey of employers by the Association of Graduate Recruiters (AGR).

Whilst over 90% of the employers polled cited this measure as ‘highly important’ or ‘important’, under half (47%) viewed encouraging more school leavers to go to university as an important/highly important strategy. Employers, however, are more positive with the notion of helping adults get into higher education, with three-quarters of those surveyed seeing this as important/highly important.

The AGR Graduate Recruitment Survey 2008: Summer Review is available to AGR members at www.agr.org.uk

Putting research outcomes into practice (PROP)

Three new reports from the HECSU’s PROP programme have been published.

'Working Class Students and the Career Decision-making Process: a qualitative study', by Greenbank P and Hepworth S, investigates how working class students approach career decision-making and whether it contributes to their disadvantage in the graduate labour market. The results of the study were analysed under three main headings: financial issues, networks and values. Using a sample of students from Edge Hill University, the study found that students made little attempt to improve their employability due to a lack of awareness of the importance of developing their ‘personal capital’.

'Career Pathway for Graduates into the Voluntary/Community Sector' by Christie F, aims to build a picture of the nature and range of opportunities for graduates in the voluntary and community sector with a particular focus on management and administration roles. The study includes the views of HE career consultants, HR staff in charities and graduates working in the sector.

Using four institutions as case studies, 'Break-out or Break-up?' by Watts A and Butcher V, is a pilot study designed to explore the role of careers services in relation to institutional strategies for employability and related agendas, and the implications of such strategies for the role and structure of careers services.

The three reports will be available at www.hecsu.ac.uk.

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