The Courier has undertook a survey from current Newcastle University students – who are graduating this summer – and alumni. 53.8% of Newcastle University students, in said survey, say that they are applying solely for graduate (‘grad’) schemes. Another 30.8% said that it depends on what they come across online; if it’s a grad scheme that looks attractive then they will, if it’s an entry level job with the same qualifications they wouldn’t pass the opportunity up. But what does this mean?
Firstly, graduation – why is it a relief? Within the same survey, many students stated they simply are “ready for the next chapter” in their lives. One student even said they are “eager to leave” and to “start building foundations of a career”, which in the current job climate appears to be a common sentiment among graduates. Rather than furthering their education, even if they wish to, students are wanting to get their foot in the front door for job opportunities.
Graduation itself is typically an exciting time for students, with a lot using the word “bittersweet”. The ceremony, though boring to many, is overshadowed by the memories, the pictures with friends and family by the Newcastle University arches and the fact that your university chapter is ending. Whilst, as previously mentioned, many of the students are excited about what’s going to come in their future, it doesn’t mean to say they aren’t sad. One student noted that they’re “proud to have finished but sad to end this chapter”, which is a short summary that explains a lot of the reoccurring emotions in this survey.
Other reoccurring emotions in this survey are seen on a 1-5 sliding scale, with 1 being the lowest. 38.5% of students felt negatively about the climate of the job market and placed themselves on the 1 – 0% were at the top end of the scale. This is a surprising statistic as 100% of survey participants are either in a job, or are applying, rather than staying in education (to do a Masters, or PhD, for instance).
As it stands the job market within the UK appears threatening for students entering the world of work. It has become highly competitive with entry-level jobs, often no longer meaning that you can go in with transferable skills; often you have to walk in with years of experience. As entry-level jobs are becoming increasingly more difficult to obtain, graduate schemes emerge as more promising for graduated, or graduating, university students. This may be a factor as to why, the previously mentioned, 53.8% of survey participants said they were looking for graduate schemes.
Those who are exploring either job openings, not graduate schemes (15.4%), or alternatively both (30.8%) gave reasonings behind their decisions. A couple of students have not found graduate schemes, or ones they are interested in, in areas they want to enter such as: publishing, journalism and “archiving and museum related jobs”. Some students are looking more towards internships whilst others have attained full-time jobs in hospitality and retail to gain money, to be able to afford moving to locations that offer better opportunities.
Obviously, it is not all cupcakes and rainbows in the graduate scheme industry either. A study “carried out jointly by a recruitment technology company and an employer branding company” (pre-Covid, in 2019) analysed 3.8 million graduate scheme applications and found that 50% of applications are rejected in the screening process but that 70% of successful applicants studied at Russell Group universities. These statistics are utterly terrifying, especially for students who have spent their time studying but are being asked for real-world experience beyond a part-time job. In many reports, unfortunately not statistical, it is assumed that these numbers have risen and that the current job climate will increasingly become difficult to penetrate. Universities UK predicted, back in 2023, that 88% of new jobs in 2035 will be at a graduate level with 1.9 million STEM professionals needed to sustain the job market.
With more students wanting to enter the job market, this seems promising for those graduating in the 2030s. For those students who have already graduated, or are about to; however, there is a lot of uncertainty – maybe even excitement – ahead.
