Graduates face UK slowdown

By Joanne Babbage Employment producer, BBC News

Rhianne Pope graduated more than a year ago and is still searching for a job

Industry forecasts are showing a lack of employment opportunities for the alumni of 2008 and beyond.

Almost half of all large sized firms will not have the sufficient resources to provide graduate schemes or apprenticeships for the coming months, a study by the Chartered Institute of Personnel Development finds.

The government is even encouraging graduates to pursue working abroad to avoid the worst of the economic crisis.

This advice was, surprisingly, agreed by the National Union of Students and handed out recently on flyers at universities all across the UK.

Mark Hirst, operations director at Chattersonbell.co.uk, said a lack of funding from the government for vocational schemes such as internships meant that college leavers were bearing the brunt of this recession almost immediately.

I know people who have traveled to Australia to work. They are really facing a hard time finding any kind of work. Rhianne Pope, 2007 graduate

So who exactly would want to be graduating in the year of 2008?

Well a group of young professionals have already been experiencing these career struggles for the past 12 months.

They graduated in 2008 and entered the jobs market at the beginning of the economic slowdown.

36,000 unemployed graduates

Official reports from the Office for National Statistics, specifically looked into for the BBC, show that 35,000 students who graduated in 2007 still did not find any employment in the second quarter of 2009.

Almost any work is better than not working at all Carl Gilleard, Association of Graduate Recruiters

That figure makes up just over 13% of all those who graduated in 2007.

Include that with all those in temporary, part-time and other 'non-graduate' jobs and you will find we have already got tens of thousands of young professionals chasing a tightening graduate jobs market.

That compares to an unemployment rate for all young people between 18 and 24 of 17.2% in the three months ending March, a sharp increase from 13.1% just a year ago.

Experts forecast there will be a 6% decrease in employment for new graduates this second quarter. BBC News spoke to some of these graduates and asked them how meaningful they think the advice being offered to more recent graduates is.

Extra study, extra debt

Graduates should consider post graduate studies after graduating, according to the Department for Innovation, Universities and Skills.

Rhianne Pope from Halifax has secured her place on the journalism post graduate degree at the University of Gloucestershire, having graduated with a second upper class honours in History from Leeds University in late 2007.

After unsuccessful attempts at securing a graduate job she reluctantly moved back in with her parents and signed on to Jobseekers Allowance.

It's been bad for those who graduated in 2007, it's going to be awful for those who graduate this year but it's nothing compared to what the graduates of 2011 are going to deal with Elspeth Farrar, Association of Graduate Careers Advisory Services

Although happy to have some idea of how to increase her chance of employability, Rhianne is faced with yet another dilemma for graduates: should they take on more debt?

"I'm going to continue with Jobseekers Allowance for another two months and continue my job search and then decide if I'll go on the course," she says.

"I've got to really think it through it because I definitely don't want to get into any further debt," she says.

Miss Pope also had something to say to those in the government who think young professionals should go abroad to escape the current jobs crisis.

"I know people who graduated in 2007 who are in Australia right now and they are having a really tough time finding any kind of work." she says.

'Lower your sights'

So, how should we take the advice given by Carl Gilleard, the chief executive of the Association of Graduate Recruiters?

He is reported to have said they should lower their sights and that "almost any sort of work is better than not working at all".

Ian Craig is currently working as a bank clerk despite studying Journalism

Ian Craig, a recent graduate in journalism from Sheffield University, has managed to secure a job where a degree is not mandatory.

However, he is worried that his job as a bank clerk is negatively affecting his career prospects.

"I got the job through a temporary recruitment agency after I had applied for hundreds of graduate schemes and got absolutely nothing. This was only meant to be a transit job but ten months later I'm still here," he says.

The position is full time so it means Ian can't do any voluntary work experience in his chosen field.

Journalism is an industry well known for giving graduates work experience on the job for little or no pay.

It's all well and good telling graduates to take any job available but what happens when it gets in the way of pursuing the profession you actually studied for? Ian Craig, 2008 Graduate

"I feel like I'm in a Catch-22 situation. I cannot afford to give up this job but if I don't give up the job I won't be able to get any professional experience," he adds.

"It's all well and good telling graduates to take any job available but what happens when it gets in the way of pursuing the profession you actually studied for?"

Graduate discrimination?

Some graduates might say that Ian is one of the few lucky ones.

At least he is earning some money and gaining valuable skills and experience, even if it is not in his chosen profession.

Hayley Thomas says employers are scrutinizing the lack of work experience in young professionals

Hayley Thomas from Newport made a decision to stop claiming Jobseekers Allowance despite still not being able to secure a job.

She is fed up of being treated like just another unemployment statistic in an economy she says is not designed to cater for graduates.

"By quitting Jobseekers Allowance I don't mean to say that I'm too good for it nor do I think I'm better than others. But I wasn't getting any assistance.

"Neither my degree nor my work experience were ever taken into account, I wasn't offered any skills fast track schemes, training placements or courses. I was there so they could complete their paperwork and send me on my way," she claims.

Hayley has applied for jobs in restaurants, stores and call centres but managed to secure only three interviews in the 10 months she's been out of university.

She argues that firms are not considering graduates on purpose and has set up an online demonstration, called Against Graduate Discrimination, to help others in the same situation.

"The time has come for UK graduates to express their views, share their experiences and hope for improvement," says the group summary.

"Time to stop arriving at interviews with employer's minds already made up. To stop those raised eyebrows when you're asked where do you want to be in 4 years time."

"We shouldn't have to exclude our education from our CV or be too wary to use the odd education reference," it continues.

"We've worked hard and shouldn't be at the back of the queue of candidates because of prejudice."

The class of 2010

But Elspeth Farrar, Vice President of the Association of Graduate Careers Advisory Services, reckons prospects will continue to deteriorate prior to improving.

Tara Nicholls fears she'll be up against her brother for employment opportunities

"It's been bad for those who graduated in 2007, it's going to be awful for those who graduate this year but it's nothing compared to what the graduates of 2011 are going to deal with," she says.

It is a transition Tara Nicholls from Wisbech in Cambridge has already experienced.

She graduated with a BA in Graphics Design last year.

Her brother has just finished a Masters in Media Production.

She is worried she is now in direct competition with her brother for jobs.

"We have not started applying for the same graduate schemes, but it's going to be inevitable as we live in the same town. It will be interesting who gets employed first," she says.

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