By Gina Carlucci
A study from the Skilling Australia Foundation has found that students who graduate from Vocational Education Training (VET) and TAFE courses find jobs quicker than undergraduates.
Despite university students numbers rising from 2008-2014, the number of bachelor degree graduates in full-time employment “fell to its lowest number in three decades and still remains low at 69 per cent.
Meanwhile, 78 per cent of VET graduates are employed after training.
Networking: Murdoch career development adviser Alexandra Haaxman says students need to get active early in their chosen industry.
Murdoch career development adviser, Alexandra Haaxman says the gloomy statistics should be put into the context: that students training for “grassroots jobs” such as plumbing and aged-care, have a smaller pool to compete with compared to their tertiary-qualified counterparts.
“More people are going to university which has created a situation where we have far more graduates out there than in earlier years, and less in the VET sectors who are more likely to find employment because there’s a smaller cohort,” says Miss Haaxman.
Miss Haaxman also suggests that undergraduates write for industry publications, attend functions and start networking long before they are in paid employment.
Radio broadcasting graduate Taylor Pomery says that while she enjoyed studying for her degree, she found it difficult to secure work in the field.
“After I graduated I was offered a job, however they took me in a different direction other than radio [social media contracting] and after three months I realised I wasn’t using my degree, so now I am volunteering at RTR.FM while working solid hours in hospitality,” Miss Pomery says.
Like many of her friends, she plans to continue post-graduate studies to enhance her chances of getting work.
Must-see tips for post-uni employment success:
[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8fPeKEoslB8&w=560&h=315]