One in 10 graduates unemployed amid fragile jobs market

Almost 10pc of graduates failed to get a job last year after leaving university, with those studying arts, communications and engineering courses faring the worst, an official report shows.

Figures reveal 9.6pc of graduates - 18,495 - were unemployed six months after leaving university last year as they graduated into a weak labour market.

The unemployment rate rises to as much as 15pc on some courses, with computer science officially being the worst degree in terms of not being able to find a job, the figures from the Higher Education Statistics Agency, published today, found.

Just 84.7pc of computer science graduates were in work, followed by 86pc of communications graduates and 87.7pc of engineering graduates. Arichtecture and creative arts gradautes also fared badly compared to other courses.

The figures raise question marks over employer concerns that not enough young people are studying engineering at university. The report shows 12.3pc of engineering graduates were out of work - despite the so-called skills shortage in the sector.

In contrast, just 0.4pc of medicine, dentristy and veterinary science graduates were jobless, the statistics showed. Those studying teaching and law also did well, with employment rates of 95pc and 92.7pc respectively.

Almost one in four graduates (22pc) from the University of East London were unemployed last year, making it the worst institution in terms of finding a job. The next worst was UHI Millenium Institute, with an unemployment rate of 21.7pc, followed by the University of Bolton (20.1pc) and the University of Wales, Lampeter (19.9pc).

The low employment rates will raise questions over whether those universities have the right to charge the maximum tuition fees from 2012-13. The University of East London - which came last in terms of employment - plans to charge the full £9,000-a-year rate. The University of Bolton's yearly fees are slightly reduced, at £8,400, while London South Bank, also in the bottom five, plans to charge £8,450.

The universities of Oxford and Cambridge featured nowhere in the top 10 list of institutions in terms of employment. Buckingham, Surrey, Aberdeen and Newcastle universities all appeared in the top 10 list, as did several specialist institutions such as the Royal College of Music or the Royal Agricultural College.

However, the HESA statistics, covering 2009-10, show some improvement on 2008-9 figures, where 10.1pc of graduates were out of work after leaving university.

But a separate study today warns that students think their degree is more appealing to employers than work experience. All of the 478 students polled by My Performance Pitstop said university was the best route to improving their job prospects.

Carl Gilleard, chief executive of the Association for Graduate Recruiters, said: “These days a good degree is not enough to guarantee a graduate a decent job. Nor does a degree, by itself, prepare the graduate for the demands of the world of work in the 21st century.

"I am the first to acknowledge the growing emphasis in our universities to improve the employability of students. The challenge is to get the students to treat their own employability seriously.

"The excuse of 'if only I’d known' will not wash any more. Employers have high expectations of the graduates they recruit including skills, knowledge and understanding of business, and the ability to take control of their own learning and career.“

Source: Louisa Peacock, Telegraph.co.uk, Friday 15th July 2011