Universities excelling, while job market lets down students

Released today, TheGood Universities Guide 2018 reveals that universities around the countryare providing a high-quality experience for students. On average graduates werepredominantly happy across the six key measures of student experience –Learning Resources, Learner Engagement, Student Support, Skills Development,Teaching Quality and Overall Experience.

When it comes to life after university, the employmentoutcomes are not so positive. The GoodUniversities Guide reveals that 69.5 per cent of undergraduates wereemployed full-time within four months of graduation, leaving around 30 per centof graduates in the employment market without a position. The Guide can alsoreveal that the average salary for graduates employed full-time is $56,000 –the same post-graduation income vocational graduates achieve, according tofigures published by the National Centre for Vocational Education and Research.

There were exceptions at a field of study level, with ageneral trend of healthcare sectors performing well. Students fromrehabilitation, medicine, dentistry and pharmacy reported strong outcomes inthe measure of Full-Time Employment, while dentistry, medicine andrehabilitation also surpassed the national average for Starting Salary.

“These outcomes correlate with job outlook predictions. Australia’saging population will increase the need for qualified professionals inhealth-related fields, offering a pathway for students that will continue toexpand and evolve throughout their career journey.

The Good UniversitiesGuide is produced by Good Education Group, Australia’s leading provider ofindependent education ratings and information.