Graduate Careers Australiaergo - Number 96 September 2004Graduates in High EmploymentA new report just released by the Graduate Careers Council of Australia, the Graduate Destination Survey (GDS) 2003, suggests that new bachelor degree graduates in the fields of veterinary science, education, and health, medicine and dentistry were very likely to have been in professional employment and working in the field for which they trained. The GDS tracks the activities of new university graduates who completed their qualifications in the previous calendar year. Information from over 107,000 new graduates was gathered four months after they completed their qualifications, and analysed for this new report. High Level Employment Found The detailed report now released indicates that most new bachelor degree graduates in full-time employment at the time of the GDS had found high level employment. Across all fields, 65.4 per cent were working in a professional level position, with 15.5 per cent employed as para-professionals and 5.1 per cent in management. Of recent university graduates who were in full-time employment at the time of the GDS, 97.0 per cent of veterinary science graduates were employed at a professional level and 94.9 per cent were working as veterinarians. Graduates in the wider field of health, medicine and dentistry (90.8 per cent) were also highly likely to have been categorised as working at a professional level. For many of the smaller fields that make up health, medicine and dentistry, over ninety per cent were working in fields for which they trained. Education graduates (93.4 per cent) were highly likely to have been employed at a professional level, with 87.7 per cent employed as teachers. Graduates in some fields found work in professional or paraprofessional positions. Para-professional work can be related to professional positions and can represent a required or desirable stepping stone to professional employment. Examples of this situation are graduates in the fields of engineering and surveying (81.5 per cent professional, 8.5 per cent para-professional), architecture and building (66.0 per cent professional, 17.0 per cent paraprofessional) and science (59.5 per cent professional, 18.8 per cent para-professional). Law Graduates In Legal Work Graduates in law and legal studies (30.1 per cent) were least likely to have been employed at a professional level, but this reflects the requirements for registration that see many of them employed as para-professionals (54.1 per cent). Graduates in legal studies were very likely to have been working in the field for which they trained. Graduates in the broad fields arts, humanities and social sciences are usually considered generalists, not being trained for a particular type of work. Half (50.4 per cent) of these graduates were employed professionally, with 16.9 per cent working in a para-professional position and 6.4 per cent working in management. Examples of professional level employment for these graduates included graduates working as business professionals, journalists, teachers, public relations officers, and librarians. Business Similar Profile To Arts Business and economics graduates have a similar destination profile to that for arts, humanities and social sciences. Half (50.4 per cent) were employed in professional level positions, with 16.0 per cent working in a para-professional position and 9.9 per cent working in management. More than one-in-five (22.7 per cent) were working in a clerical, sales or service position. The GCCA has also released two other new reports, the 2003 Graduate Starting Salaries report and the 2003 Course Experience Questionnaire report. You can find the full GDS/CEQ/GSS media release on the gradlink website at www.gradlink.edu.au/content/view/full/1731 |
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