Demand for graduates has never been greater. But in order for them to transform from 'bum student' to working professional, they need training and support, says Gemma Middleton.
The end of the academic year is fast approaching and for thousands of students completing their degrees, job hunting will be the next task on their agendas. This time can be daunting as often the majority of graduates are still unsure about what they want to do, however, it seems they needn't fear, as they are sought after in the job market.
"There can be an assumption that graduates will need lower levels of job and skills training compared with individuals without degrees, yet many graduates have had very little business experience, which results in skill gaps."A survey conducted by the Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA) in November 2007 found that 80% of graduates - a total of 2,362,815 - were reported as working in jobs classified as 'graduate' occupations. This percentage looks set to increase by 16% according to The Association of Graduate Recruiters Winter Review 2008, for the fifth year in a row, as organisations are continually showing a keen interest in recruiting them.
This news will be very encouraging for the government as one of Labour's key aims is to increase the number of young people entering higher education to 50% and, if graduate vacancies continue to rise, gaining a degree will never have been more attractive.
But although the number of vacancies is at an all-time high, many organisations are finding that graduates are lacking basic business skills, which is having an impact on how happy both the new employee and the organisation are. The HESA survey found that only 37% of respondents were very satisfied with their positions, with the remaining respondents ranging from fairly satisfied to not at all satisfied - it is likely the skills gap and potential feelings of inadequacy are some of the reasons behind graduates feeling less than highly satisfied.
There can be an assumption that graduates will need lower levels of job and skills training compared with individuals without degrees, yet many graduates have had very little business experience, which results in skill gaps.
Of the 37% of highly satisfied respondents, it is likely that their organisations had a strong graduate scheme in place, giving support in the form of mentoring, training and continual professional development. In numerous graduate surveys these are all aspects they deem important - as well as physical aspects such as pay and benefits.
The number of development options available to organisations investing in graduate development has never been wider, with in-house training, business qualifications and specialist external training providers. Whichever option is preferred, great results can be achieved.
If the skills gap isn't addressed then it will have negative effects on both the organisation and the graduate themselves as they may lose confidence, get stressed and become demotivated.
In the current economic climate it is not unusual for organisations to tighten the purse strings and stop investing in activities such as training, as business objectives tend to move from growth to consolidation. However, if new employees, like graduates, are not invested in it can cause the organisation a greater cost compared with that of an intelligent training initiative.
Having graduated in 2006, entering the world of work was daunting due to uncertainty about what I wanted to do, lack of office experience and steep competition. Once gaining my position, the transition from 'bum student' to 'working professional' has been challenging, but with the help of an in-depth graduate programme and investment in my skills the transition has been a positive one and I'm excited about my future.
I am sure that without this investment I would have not been on the road to reaching my full potential, which would have been a waste not only for me personally but also my employer.
Gemma Middleton is a communications specialist
At Righttrack Consultancy. For more information about Righttrack go to: www.righttrackconsultancy.co.uk
