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UK Median Hourly Wage For Graduates.

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(The next stage after graduating is employment. – Photograph is my own)

According to a report by the Office of National Statistics reported in The Guardian, graduate wages on average, varied with each degree subject. The highest median hourly wages were Medical and Dentistry Students with £21.29 and the lowest wage was Arts students with £12.06.

There was good news for graduates overall as according to the same statistics, on average graduates median wage is higher than non-graduates median wage. Graduates are on £15.18 while non-graduates were on £8.92.

Here is a self-made video for this blog about all these statistics.

Responding to these statistics, third year Swansea Psychology student Lauren Philpott said “I’m not surprised that more skilled professions have a higher hourly wage on average. I do think that it depends on the individual graduate though as some could work their way to a managerial level to gain a higher wage.

I believe on average medical and dentistry graduates will earn more than an arts student but it all depends on what career and how driven an individual is. I am happy that graduates earn higher than non-graduates on average though as university has a lot of expenses”

A Student Journalist’s Perspective.

With the current job climate affecting all students, Third year Swansea University journalist student and The Waterfront features editor, Samantha Booth, shares her thoughts and tips about finding a job after university in an interview for this blog.

1.) What do you think about the current job climate for Swansea graduates?

“It entirely depends on what you want to go into but those with special interests seem more likely to be employed on a graduate wage because of the specialty of their studies, however, I think that the market is tough for anyone at the moment”

2.) Do you think a degree still stands out to employers? Or are extra-curricular experiences needed?

“Again, it depends on your field. As an Arts and Humanities student, I think it’s very important to get work experience whilst studying; university offers the right climate to pursue other activities that can enhance your CV, especially if you have some idea of what career you want to pursue post-graduation.
I suppose the generic answer would be that the market is saturated with graduates so you need something to stand out from the crowd. Without being too general, I do think this is the case. It’s unfortunate that the next step up is seen to be further education but I don’t always think that has to be the case. Personally, I think that someone who has traveled the world and experienced different cultures can be a much intellectually and socially rich person than those just put through the line of education. But as I previously stated, it entirely depends on what line of study you are in”

3.) Why do you think the amount of graduates in non-graduate jobs have risen?

“Graduates have to pay the bills and begin to make a living so I can completely understand why anyone would get any job as opposed to continually searching for a job in the field of study. The market is so highly saturated with graduates, I imagine it can be very frustrating to continually apply for jobs and seeing the, unfortunately we’ve had a high number of applicants email a few weeks later every time”

4.)What experiences has Swansea University allowed you to participate in to help you get into your future career?

“University has allowed me to gain a large amount of work experience and contacts. The lack of constraints on university life allows me to travel around the country pursuing activities that are crucial to my graduate career like writing for The Waterfront and helping to run SU-TV”

5.) What advice have you received about finding employment after university?

“To be honest, I haven’t really. I’ve had people telling me to do a masters but I know that I’d prefer to travel and try to find work in the media industry abroad. I mainly listen to my parents as they know me better than anyone! And I always listen to advice that I get from contacts at networking events; even if I don’t agree it’s key to keep an open mind”

6.) What are your own plans after graduating?

“Fingers crossed, I hope to do an NCTJ course for the year after graduation which will give me the skills I need to become a trainee journalist. After I’ve finished, I plan to go back to China to brush up on Mandarin skills and find work in the journalism industry. But who knows, that could all change”

5 Top Tips for Graduate Employment.

With unemployment and graduate unemployment rates higher then pre-recession levels, here are 5 helpful tips for students and graduates to consider when finding a job after university. There are more and more students gaining degrees and according to The Guardian in 2013 there were 12,666 undergraduates in Swansea University alone, so tips can help students stand out from the crowd.

1.) Experience
It seems that along with academic achievements, experience in the career a student hopes to get into can make graduates stick out from the masses. The benefits of a work placement as the Big Choice reveals, that students learn relevant information and work skills and a chance to see what the job entails before they choose to go into it. Employers will also look for practical experience on CVs that can be applied to the position.

2) Who you know
Most other graduate tips include family and friends as an important tool to find out about jobs, contacts and experience opportunities. Even family friends or friends of friends could have access to companies and contacts to pass on and social networks are a good way to also get in contact with them.

3) Update your CV
Most students won’t be looking for jobs until their last university year is coming to an end, which means CV’s will probably be rushed to meet application deadlines. Preparing and including up-to-date information about all academic successes, experiences and extra-curricular activities is key to stand out from the crowd. The UKs number 1 job site, Reed has tips on how to write a good CV.

4) Present your skills
 On applications under a personal statement or skills section, it is important to include relevant skills and attributes suitable to the job and company being applied for. Looking at what skills the job role requires can allow students to see what skills are relevant to include on CVs. As Reed’s tips for selling yourself, suggests including what you have learnt in terms of working to deadlines, research skills, presenting, logical thinking and interpersonal skills.

5) Job Hunting
There are many job sites online which allow personal profiles to be created and jobs to be grouped by the type of job and location. The profiles allow CV’s to be uploaded so it makes it easier to apply to applications. As a Swansea University student myself I have used sites like Go Wales which has links to Welsh universities, including Swansea University. It not only list jobs but also work placements, internships and graduate jobs. I myself completed a week of work placement at ITV Wales in June 2013 thanks to the site. It has helped to boost my CV and help me decide that the broadcasting news industry was not for me so I could look into other career paths.

Along with job sites there are traditional methods to finding jobs as The Guardian, suggests that, ‘Job boards, job sites, Google searches, local papers’  should also be used and if the applicant is successful job interview tips, can be helpful.

The Graduate Struggle for Jobs

photo (6)       (Students may study for years to be unemployed – Photograph is my own)

With the current economic crisis affecting the UK and Welsh job climate, Welsh students are discovering if their degrees are essential to the current job market or not.

Degrees have always been seen as an academic achievement and a requirement for specific jobs and certain industries, but with the currently unstable UK economy and growing number of graduates, some students are finding themselves out of work or in other jobs that do not require a degree.

According to Office for National Statistics published in November 2013, there has been a growing increase of UK graduates rising from 17% in 1992 to 38% in 2013. The increase in graduates has increased job competition for students. The report reveals that graduates in non-graduate jobs has also risen from 37% in April to June 2001, to 47% in April to June 2013. Although 87% of graduates were likely to be employed as of April to June 2013, the 2008/09 recession unemployment rates have risen for all groups and none of the groups have seen the rates fall to pre-recession levels.

There has been an overall reduction in UK employment, however according to the same report overall graduates were more likely to work in high skill posts than non-graduates which had the highest unemployment rates, but Welsh graduates seem to be behind in overall job success leaving doubts and worries for Swansea students. A report published in July 2013 by Wales Online reveals that Welsh students are least likely of any in the UK to be employed in professional roles after graduation and just 62% of the educated at higher education institutions stayed in Wales to work.

To counter this and help Welsh students and people, schemes have been put in place. A recent Welsh Government programme, Jobs Growth Wales started in 2012 to help graduates. With links to Swansea University students, it has created job opportunities for unemployed 16-24 year olds throughout Wales and it has already made 11000 jobs and 4138 people have completed the 6 month opportunities. Employment and work experience schemes like Jobs Growth Wales help students gain experience and create a strong CV to stand out to employers which seems essential in the current job climate.

Final year Swansea University Student and The Waterfront features editor, Samantha Booth talking about the current job climate said “I guess it entirely depends on what you want to go into. I think that the market is tough for anyone and not just graduates at the moment” and Samantha also gave advice for students to become more employable, “I think it’s very important to get work experience whilst studying and university offers the perfect climate to pursue extra-curricular activities that can enhance your CV, especially if you have some idea of what career you want to pursue post-graduation”

Despite Wales falling behind in graduate job roles, the unemployment rate in Swansea in particular has fallen overall by 12.6% since last year and Swansea University promotes that 77% of their graduates go into professional roles or graduate study. It seems that despite the unsteady job climate the choice resides in Welsh students to way up the benefits and disadvantages of joining universities and getting a degree. Samantha stated that University has helped her improve her job prospects: “Without university, there’s no chance I’d have been able to get the amount of work experience and contacts that I have had”. There are advantages of studying at university to get a job but with university fees, increased competition and graduate unemployment rates higher than pre-recession levels the odds have to be weighed.