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Students surveyed on their work prospects
30 May 2009
Students’ responses to the Australian Graduate Survey 2008 illuminate some trends in the Australian sector across a number of years, and also clarify the outcomes for students at USC.
In the national Survey, USC exceeded the national response proportion, and the variance between faculties was relatively small, with a 10 percent variance between male and the higher female response rate of 76 percent.
Nationally, and at USC, there has been a downward trend in the overall percentage of graduates in further full-time study, possibly attributable to successful job-seeking. It is in some of the Sciences where progression to higher degrees and honours is most obvious.
Interestingly, most of those that do choose to continue, do so at USC with now, only a very small number being lost to metropolitan universities.
Those who enter the workforce comprise 80.7 percent of the graduate population, with some programs in Business (Accounting) and Science (Microbiology and Biotechnology) achieving employment rates of 100 percent within four months of graduation.
About half of the graduates are employed full-time on the Sunshine Coast, which is a highly significant and increasing proportion, that bears on the future development of the Region.
Whilst 60 percent of Coast’s permanent residents gained full-time jobs here, 17 percent also came from outside the Region to the University and stay here to work and live.
The average starting salary of USC graduates was $40,827, only marginally below the national position. For postgraduates the average full-time salary on the Coast was $50,593, whereas nationally it was $68,743.
Annually, there are fewer degree students looking for work nationally, and at USC. The majority of those looking for full-time work are in part-time employment.
The value of a degree is increasingly obvious, and even in fields not previously requiring a degree, there is evidence of graduates being preferred. In some fields, professional qualifications of course remain a pre-requisite, e.g. nursing, education, engineering and so on.
Professor Paul Thomas AM is Vice-Chancellor and President at the University of the Sunshine Coast.