This week, two current trends in graduate employment emerged. Firstly, it has been announced by the CBI/EDI's Education and Skills 2011 survey that there is strong demand for graduates to fill roles in science, engineering and technology, with 43% of employers in these sectors listing themselves as finding it difficult to recruit graduates, a figure which is projected to rise to 53% next year. Graduates in these fields, then, should take confidence from this report; their happiness can also be supplemented with another finding, that of the statistic that graduates in these sectors are likely to earn more than other graduates in their careers. Although not exactly booming in terms of job prospects, (which sectors are, after all), the domain of science and technology is certainly faring better than many others, with other recent findings indicating that the IT services sector has returned to growth, that manufacturing was the strongest-performing UK sector at the start of 2011, and that salaries in the technology field have risen overall. A job in this field is certainly the job of the moment.
And then there is the second key development in the world of recruitment; that of the crisis facing secondary schools and teacher supply. There has been a major drop in the number of applications for secondary teaching, and this can without
doubt be attributed to the scrapping of bursaries for secondary PGCEs. Formerly, grants worth ??4,000 to ??6,000 were available to those training in RE, Music, PE, Art, Business Studies, Citizenship, History, Dance and Drama. No more; now
it is only those training in science, mathematics and modern language subjects that will receive a bursary that varies from ??6,000 to ??9,000. The fall in bursaries is reflected in the fall in applications: between May 2010 and May 2011, there was a decline of 12.6%. By contrast, primary applications have risen by 2.9%.
What can we draw from these figures and trends? Well, the facts speak for themselves. The ever-changing job market is,currently, being kind to science and technology graduates, and secondary teaching PGCE students (those who can afford to take up a place without the need of a bursary). As ever, it seems to be a case of being the lucky graduate in the right place at the right time, as and when sectors see some form of recovery from the recession that hit it. At the moment,
those fortunate ones are aspiring secondary school teachers, particularly those who complete their PGCEs this summer and will not experience the loss of the bursary, and those with a degree in a science or technology subject. The rest of us can, as ever, only continue to cross our fingers for a spurt of growth in our desired sector.
Louise, GRB Journalist
