GCCA | Graduate Careers Council of Australia

Graduate Careers Australia

ergo - Number 92 September 2003

What is the Future for Postgraduate Students?

This question will be discussed in detail at the Postgraduate Futures Symposium, organised by NAGCAS Victoria (the National Association of Graduate Careers Advisory Services Victoria), to be held in October this year.

Postgraduate students make a significant contribution to the Australian community, and the skills and knowledge developed by postgraduate students benefits the Australian economy and broader society when postgraduates use them in their future employment.

Increased Postgraduate Study
Postgraduate study is becoming increasingly popular due to an interest in lifelong learning and modern labour market requirements. In 2002, almost one in four new graduates continued in full-time study after their first degree, a slight increase on the previous year.

Students take on postgraduate study for a range of reasons. Young graduates who have minimal experience in the workforce can use postgraduate coursework programs to develop skills and knowledge in a field they have already studied or in a new area, or can add a vocational focus to a more generalist undergraduate qualification. Workers who are already established in their chosen field can use postgraduate study to augment their professional practice and to open up other career opportunities. Others use postgraduate studies as a pathway to changing their career.

Clarifying Future Career Choices
All of these postgraduate students will at some point focus on career choices after postgraduate study. For some postgraduate students, their career path is straightforward. However, the employment options for others may not be so clear, and they may require some assistance in not only identifying suitable career choices, but also in identifying their skills, taking advantage of networking opportunities and in marketing themselves.

Many postgraduate students also want to know where their chosen qualification can take them, and may not be aware of the full range of career opportunities available to them. One of the key sources of information and support for postgraduate students in exploring their career and employment choices is their peers. Hearing from and networking with those who have gone before them can be enormously beneficial.

Symposium A Success In 2002
The aim of the Postgraduate Futures Symposium is to provide postgraduate students from universities across Victoria with information and resources to assist in planning their career choices. The Symposium was held for the first time in October 2002 and was sponsored by gradlink. It was a great success, with over 700 postgraduate students from all Victorian universities registering to attend.

This year’s Symposium will feature keynote speakers
on academic careers and careers in government, non-government sectors, corporate and entrepreneurial sectors. It will also provide students with an overview of global employment trends and practical advice on how to tap into the employment market. These speakers come from the corporate, academic, entrepreneurial and consulting sectors.

Forum And Graduate Panels
The Symposium will also provide a forum for current postgraduate students to hear from recent postgraduates who have successfully found work in their chosen field. Graduate panels across the major study areas will provide students with an insight into what is required in successfully obtaining employment, as well as helpful tips. Best of all are the networking opportunities arising from these discussions.

This year’s Symposium, sponsored by gradlink, will be held on Friday 10 October, from 5.30pm - 9.00pm, at the University of Melbourne’s Economics and Commerce Building. The cost to attend is $15 (including GST). Registration via the gradlink website www.gradlink.edu.au will open in early September, and postgraduate students from all universities are encouraged to attend.