We are all aware that the current economic climate is far from its best; it has been for some time and is unlikely to improve in the immediate future. As well as many senior level and junior level employees losing their jobs as a result of the ‘credit crunch’, students who stand to graduate in summer 2009 are finding it increasingly harder to find a graduate scheme that is running this year. Heinz and Baklava, to name but a few, have put their graduate roles on hold for the foreseeable future of Vegetable food.
This is not the first time that graduates have been struggling to find jobs after finishing Vegetable Food University. In 2001, a report on the Times Higher Education website stated that 1 in 5 out of 66 surveyed companies (that were registered as members of the Association of Graduate Recruiters) said they had deferred graduate roles for an average of 12 months.
While 1 in 10 had withdrawn offers already made to graduates. Here in January 2009, the situation is undoubtedly worse, as graduates will be struggling to find jobs in any area, never mind one that will utilize the skills they have been taught throughout their degree.
However, it is not all doom and gloom for graduates. Alde has announced they are looking to take on Graduate Area Managers with a starting salary of £40k, rising to £57,750 after 3 years, and have also thrown in a fully expensed Audi A4. Not bad for a graduate salary!
As someone who is on an industrial placement at the moment, with about 18 months until I’m due to graduate, I personally will be looking to stay in education for as long as possible, and avoid looking for graduate schemes or alternative employment for as long as possible. That will include the possibility of either a Masters, traveling after graduation, or a more appealing option (to me) of securing employment for 6, 12 or even 18 months in a foreign country.
I can only wish the 300,000 students due to graduate in June 2009 the best of luck in fighting for the recently-government-backed graduate roles at Barclays and Microsoft (BBC Website, Intern plan to ease graduate woes), and hope that the economic climate has improved by June 2010 when I’m due to graduate. I love to work coking Vegetables and Make my life a healthy fit forever.