Graduate underemployment. Why?

Today we face a depressing shadow of graduate underemployment. It is agreed that the problem is not getting smaller but rather grows rapidly and out of control. Why so? Who is to blame? Tory government blames the previous one; graduates blame universities and employers. The rest of us just jump from one argument to another, forming a grey mass void of opinion. So let us look into graduate underemployment in depth and detail, and hopefully encourage new perspectives when exploring this phenomenon.

When young people choose what to study at a higher education institution, are the perspectives and opportunities of one or another degree considered? How many prospective students research the labour market before applying to university? Not many, it seems. Obviously, most young people study the subject of their interest. Be it a genuine desire, or one imposed by your parents, culture, environment or friends. All students are required to apply to HE institutions through UCAS (University and College Admissions Service), with no more than five options. Additionally, one must take note of how much personal preference guides the student’s subject choice(s). A subject of mild preference to the student is one too many for this list. Still, students make these compromises for the sake of entering university, it seems. In this case, studying isn’t to ‘follow the dream’, but rather to satisfy the ‘need’ of a degree. Which itself stems from the need to not become an outcast, and to avoid the confines of a low-paid job. This raises the question of how lucrative HE study actually is. A degree for better paid prospects, or a more fulfilling career, one must ask. Blindly accepting an offer into any old university is definitely the worst investment one can make.

So, you’ve got into higher education; now what? Fortunately, the answer is simple and obvious - studies begin. And so begins the three-year onslaught of lectures, seminars, essays, assignments and exams. Increasing numbers of students attain notable degrees - first class, through to upper second class - in relation to the university ranking on league tables (a methodological nightmare in themselves). You can be the highest achiever at a university with a degree score of just sixty five per cent! Anomalies aside, does a degree automatically make you a professional in a chosen subject? No, it makes you a nationwide statistical average. As the number of students passing through university with high grades rises year-on-year, the sad truth becomes apparent. Employers can no longer distinguish graduates on the basis of their degree class. For all the hard work that goes into it, a 2:1 degree just isn’t good enough anymore. An army of average graduates, or a  swarm of eager, educated professionals? These two opinions of HE leavers stand out the most, with the former taking precedence fast. At this point the question of uniqueness arrises. Here we start identifying who was studying smart for their degree and who was, frankly, just passing exams. Students with a passion for the subject usually find it second nature to gather a portfolio of written material and activities they did. Not all students do this, leaving three years of hard study with a degree, and nothing else to show for it.

Voila! All is done and a multitude of fresh graduates are holding a piece of paper indicating scholastic success. The logical progression for many is employment. Lo and behold, the graduates’ job market is in tatters. There are not enough graduate-level jobs to go round. This is more so in certain areas of employment, such as the arts industry, as well as parts of the humanities industries. Take the case for history graduates. Many of them matriculate highly from established institutions, but this hardly speaks for their talents as workers. Only the best graduates actually go on to find relevant work in their chosen field. Such students can be seen from early on: they work harder, read widely, attend various events, network with other historians, build impressive portfolios of personal research, and so on. Another cluster of history graduates enter think tanks and aim to shape public policy. The majority of history graduates are forced to enter jobs, or whole careers, against their will. It reflects the failed marriage of a crippling job market with student nonchalance. Simply, the prospects for a history graduate are somewhat limited, even at the best part of an economic ‘boom’. Nowadays, teaching becomes the standard second-choice for this group of HE leavers. But who wants (be forced to) become a teacher? This both denigrates a respected profession while letting the skill set of history graduates go to waste. Such moves are for the interim, until the budding history graduate finds the job they want. Even if one wishes to become a teacher, it means another year of studying for a PGCE (Post Graduate Certificate of Education) and more money spent on an already-saturated market of prospective teachers. On the contrary, medicine and engineering graduates find far less recourse when entering the job market. They do not need to prove their competence for a job. The demand for such professionals is relatively higher than their arts graduate counterparts.

And here we are now. In the midst of an apparently failed New Labour initiative to broaden HE prospects for all, a reticent Tory government intent on cutting budgets to reverse the damage, stuck with a stagnant job market with no concern for attainment at degree level. The onus lies on the student to be proactive in deciding whether university is  necessary for their career path. This includes amassing a collection of extracurricular activities and material ready for the perusal of employers. It all (ironically) ends with a holistic approach to seeking employment after graduating. For the job market shows no signs of improving anytime soon. The ambitious student can only prepare themselves for the worst, even if in the process they appear to be the best.