Engineering graduates 'struggling to find jobs'

Many graduates with science and engineering degrees are struggling to find employment positions after university, a new report has claimed.

Research carried out by the British Educational Research Association shows that many science graduates are struggling to find work, despite claims of a shortage throughout the industry.

One reason why many graduates may struggle is failure to use the services of recruitment agencies to match them to the best roles, particularly as 20 per cent end up in graduate jobs not related to their degree.

Emma Smith, of the University of Birmingham, who is presenting the paper, said it is "astonishing", in the light of claims of science graduate shortages, that so few new graduates go into related employment.

"The figures suggest it is not easy or automatic for qualified engineers to get related employment in the UK, despite the purported shortages," she added.

Recently, Dr Neil Bentley, Confederation of British Industry deputy director-general, highlighted the fact that more students are choosing to study maths and the sciences at A-level as a sign that young people are responding to the needs of the country's businesses.

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Posted by Nikki Barrister

Filed: 12-09-2011