Students more anxious than excited about starting their careers, despite confidence they will find work, says new HEPI research
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The Higher Education Policy Institute has published new
research about students’ views on starting their careers, Open
for business? Students’ views on entering the labour
market (Policy Note 22). The survey of over 1,000
full-time undergraduate students, undertaken for HEPI and JobTeaser
in partnership by the polling company YouthSight, shows:
Over three-quarters (79%) of graduates feel confident of getting a
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The Higher Education Policy Institute has published new research about students’ views on starting their careers, Open for business? Students’ views on entering the labour market (Policy Note 22).
The survey of over 1,000 full-time undergraduate students, undertaken for HEPI and JobTeaser in partnership by the polling company YouthSight, shows:
Rachel Hewitt, HEPI’s Director of Policy and Advocacy, said:
‘These results show students feel confident about finding work, but anxious about starting their career. This anxiety has been there since before the current pandemic for many students, but for almost a third the current circumstances have exacerbated these feelings. Universities need to provide as much support as they can for students who are entering the labour market in such uncertain times and employers need to be mindful of these results in their hiring processes.
‘The polling also shows a number of misconceptions that students have about the labour market. Most expect to go into a career directly related to their degree subject, while employers tend to see subject of study as less important than the skills they have gained. Students expect to only spend a short time in their first graduate job, when research shows that many stay in their first role for longer than expected. University careers guidance should seek to tackle these misconceptions, so students are better informed about their future careers.’
Michelle Craig, Marketing Manager UKI, Europe, the Middle East and Africa at JobTeaser, said:
‘The outcomes of the survey highlight why students need now, more than ever, to have access to career guidance from both university services and employers in order to be reassured, better prepared and to navigate this increasingly uncertain world of work. Although many students know what they are looking for in their career, it may be more challenging to make that a reality and, as a sector, it is something we all need to play a part in supporting.
‘As students increase their online activity, it is now critical that the digital offering provided by careers services puts user experience at its centre to ensure student satisfaction, engagement and, ultimately, graduate success.’
In the Foreword to the report, Jonathan Black, Director of Oxford University Careers Service, writes:
‘Students graduating this year could, perhaps, be forgiven for thinking they have lived against a backdrop of uncertain and threatening events: the 9/11 terrorist attacks and subsequent wars, the 2008 financial crisis, the turmoil and division of Brexit, and throughout the period, an increasingly obvious climate crisis. Now, along comes a global pandemic that is beginning to make the previous environment look almost benign and limited.
‘This HEPI report confirms that students’ familiarity with uncertainty is measurable by the fact that the majority of respondents say their perceptions haven’t changed solely because of the Covid-19 pandemic. They remain generally positive about their future – perhaps the optimism of youth who either don’t know or don’t believe the predictions or maybe they see opportunities in the changes to come.
‘This report forms a useful benchmark of how much the pandemic is changing students’ views of their career. The extent, scale, and life of this pandemic and its accompanying economic shock are only just emerging, and there could be a very long way to go before we return to a “new normal”’
Notes for Editors
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