» Introduction
It is very clear that the future of the UK is about very high value-added industry, businesses and services. The high value-added and the high barrier to entry come in no small part from mastering the novel capabilities from research in science and technology. John Taylor, the Director General of Research Councils made these comments at the launch of an Institute of Physics report in March 2003. Table 1 presents the number of survey respondents by subject for 2002 and 1999. These figures show that there has been a drop in the number of respondents in all science subjects featured in this section, ranging from a 10.0% decrease between 1999 and 2002 in physics to a 17.9% decrease in environmental science. In the light of the comments made above regarding the importance of science to the future of the UK economy, this is some cause for concern. | | Table 1: The first destinations of science graduates 1999-2002 | | Numbers graduating (survey respondents) | Entering employment [%] | Entering further study/ training [%] | Unemployed at time of survey [%] | Other [%] | | 2002 | 1999 | 2002 | 1999 | 2002 | 1999 | 2002 | 1999 | 2002 | 1999 | | All first degree subjects | 176,390 | 176,205 | 66.9 | 68.5 | 18.7 | 19.2 | 6.9 | 5.5 | 7.5 | 6.8 | | Biology | 2,950 | 3,145 | 56.3 | 55.5 | 26.4 | 30.0 | 7.2 | 5.9 | 9.9 | 8.6 | | Chemistry | 2,365 | 2,640 | 44.6 | 49.2 | 42.7 | 40.1 | 6.0 | 5.7 | 6.8 | 5.0 | | Environmental science | 1,625 | 1,980 | 60.7 | 62.0 | 21.6 | 20.1 | 8.8 | 9.1 | 8.9 | 8.8 | | Physics | 1,660 | 1,845 | 43.9 | 51.2 | 39.6 | 38.1 | 8.7 | 5.6 | 7.8 | 5.0 | | All sciences | 8,595 | 9,610 | 51.5 | 54.3 | 32.5 | 32.3 | 7.5 | 6.5 | 8.5 | 7.0 |
» Graduate salaries
Perhaps it is money! The AGR Graduate Recruitment Survey 2003: Summer Review from the Association of Graduate Recruiters caused a stir. The median starting salary for graduates working in science, research & development was the lowest of all the sectors at £18,500, £16,500 behind the top salary earners, investment bankers. In addition, the salary increase for scientists is only 1.1% from 2002. Overall, graduate starting salaries have increased by over 4%, to £20,300 in 2003. The AGR survey predominately represents large blue chip organisations and accounts for approximately 15% of graduate opportunities. The survey was widely reported by the BBC and sparked a furious debate on their website, with a number of scientists contacting the BBC to express surprise at the starting salaries quoted. As a scientific researcher I can only express surprise at the details published concerning graduate salaries. Those of us within science would be hard pressed to be earning above the average quoted even after completing a PhD. Graduates’ wages on the rise?!!! What happened to science! I’ve completed an undergraduate degree, an MSc and now I’m about to complete a PhD in Medical Science and my starting salary will be about £18,500. What an incentive for young people to enter science. However, the AGR figures were defended: I think that the figures are about right… I decided that a PhD was the way forward (in chemistry)…I now earn £40k and now expect that rate of growth to continue. The conclusion is clear. If you want to get the career and salary you need to differentiate yourself from the thousands of others out there. The salary figures shown in Figure 1 are taken from advertisements that appeared in Prospects Today between 1 May 2001 and 30 April 2003. The data show that average salaries for graduates from all life sciences, any science and any numerate discipline are all higher than the £17,828 average for all subjects. 
» Destinations
Looking at the data in Table 1, figures for graduates in science entering employment and further study have remained fairly static between 1999 and 2002, with the exception of physics graduates entering employment which has seen a significant drop. Environmental science was the only science subject to experience a reduction in the percentage of graduates unemployed six months after graduation, dropping from 9.1% in 1999 to 8.8% in 2002. Biology, chemistry and physics all showed increases with physics showing the most marked rise from 5.6% to 8.7%. » Type of work
The type of work breakdowns for these subjects show that participation in scientific research, analysis and development occupations is, as would be expected, higher than amongst all first-degree graduates (1.4%), particularly chemistry at 27.0%. Another relatively popular work category is commercial, industrial and public sector managers, particularly amongst environmental science graduates (12.1%). » The future
One possible way to prevent the decline in students studying science is to introduce new, innovative ways of teaching the subject. Leicester University is piloting a new integrated science degree which aims to offer a mix of scientific knowledge and transferable people skills. Dr Derek Raine, i-Science Centre Director, commented As preparation for interdisciplinary research in, say, climatology or biophysics, or for a teacher, a science based manager, press or marketing officer, the i-science degree offers a realistic training for graduate-level employment. At the moment companies may prefer to recruit management trainees, for instance from arts graduates because they have been taught the relevant skills of presentation and communication. One of our aims is to give that level of skill to graduates with a science background. We want graduates who are both numerate and literate. » Contacts and resources
WebsitesResources on this siteGeneral linksPublicationsGraduate Prospects publicationsGraduate Prospects and AGCAS publications should be available in your university careers service. You can also order publications from us. - Prospects Today, Graduate Prospects, weekly.
Others |
