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Graduate Skills and Jobs: Understanding the Modern Graduate Labour Market

This study examines the skills and jobs of modern graduates, and their relevance to the skills and knowledge developed in undergraduate courses. It explores the impact of HE expansion on the occupational structure and job creation by employers.

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Graduate Skills and Jobs: Understanding the Modern Graduate Labour Market

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  1. Key issues viz graduate skills and jobs • What do graduates do? • What skills and knowledge are required in their work and how do these relate to the skills and knowledge developed on undergraduate courses? • How has the expansion of HE impacted upon the occupational structure and the construction of jobs by employers?

  2. Distribution of sample according to new graduate labour market classification

  3. Graduate Job Class according to 1995 Degree Subject

  4. Knowledge workers in the Information Age • Technical experts • Hybrid skills (project managers) • New persuaders • Carers with credentials/Interpersonal service providers

  5. MODERN GRADUATE – Technical Expert • Software Engineer, small ICT start-up • Salary: £50,000 - £59,999 • Degree: Computer Science, 2:2, New University • Provision of ICT support/solutions, systems testing/development/documentation • Interview 16, male aged 28

  6. MODERN GRADUATE - New Persuader • Client Manager, small management consultancy • Salary: £60,000 and over • Modern Languages, Old University • Interactive/interpersonal skills, Time & Task management, consultant resourcing • Interview 11, female, aged 28

  7. MODERN GRADUATE - New Persuader “Why do you think you were taken on?” “I had a consulting background that was essential for the job and I think I had the right sort of interpersonal skills to deal with both clients and senior consultants despite my comparatively young age” (Interview 11 - Client Manager, small management consultancy)

  8. MODERN GRADUATE – Hybrid Skills • Systems Designer, large management & IT consultancy • Salary: £36,000 - £39,999 • Distributed Information Systems, New University • Client-facing project management, systems design/programming/development, client presentations/workshops • Interview 2, female, aged 28

  9. MODERN GRADUATE – Hybrid Skills “Why do you think you were taken on?” “Probably to them because I come from a technical background but I have client facing skills. So it’s not just a tech-y person… most tech-y people, well not most but a lot of tech-y people have problems dealing with clients and face-to-face meetings and presenting and things like that, so they were looking for a mix of, if you like, business skills mixed with technical skills” (Interview 2 – Systems Designer - Large IT Company)

  10. MODERN GRADUATE - Interpersonal Service Worker • Arts Education Administrator, National Arts Organisation • Salary: £15,000-£17,999 • Classics, 2:2, Old University • General PA work, events administration and organisation, contracting staff • Interview 018, female aged 29

  11. NEW GRADUATE – Technical Expert • Unit Manager, large manufacturing company • Salary: £30,000 - £32,999 • Degree: Electrical & Electronic Engineering, 2:1, Old University • Production systems management, emphasis on technical/engineering knowledge & problem-solving, budgetary controls, staff management • Interview 23, male aged 29

  12. NEW GRADUATE - New Persuader • Recruitment Consultant, Resourcing and Business Consultancy • Salary: £40,000 - £49,999 • Psychology, 2:1, 1960s University • Client interface, candidate search, interviewing and recommendation, pitching for business - presentations, cold-calling... • Interview 51,male aged 32

  13. NEW GRADUATE – Hybrid Skills • Interview 36 • Commercial Manager, small publishing company • Salary: £60,000 and over • Business Information Systems, 2:2, New University • Negotiation/tendering/sales activities, interface between production & customer

  14. NEW GRADUATE - Interpersonal Service Worker • Interview 12 • Welfare Advice Worker, Charity - Community project • Salary: Less than £9,999 (p/t) • History/Social Science, 2:2, HE College • Provision of support/advice on range of welfare issues, interviewing, home visits...

  15. NEW GRADUATE -Interpersonal Service Worker “I'm the more approachable person out in the community. I've been there for years, so they know me. They come into see me for welfare benefits advice, debt advice, education problems. A listening ear, because I'm there. If they feel they should have received the benefits, I then take it further for them, that sort of thing.” (Interview 12 - Welfare Advice Worker, Charity - Community project)

  16. Respondents’ use of skills in current job

  17. A comparison of skills required ‘a lot’ in current job and developed ‘a lot’ on 1995 course

  18. Use of computers in current job

  19. Proportion of respondents satisfied with key aspects of current job

  20. Implications • The graduate labour market is segmented, but there are distinct categories of ‘graduate job’ one of which, after seven years, most graduates have entered. • The subjective perceptions of the majority of graduates is that they are in appropriate employment for people with their skills and qualifications.

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