Login

  • You are not logged in
  • Login

Web stats

Figures for Prospects.ac.uk

March 2010:

ABCE audited figures

Unique Browsers:

1,167,672

Page Impressions:

5,828,244

(Note: ABCE are now using the term Unique Browsers instead of Unique Users)

Contact us

Real Prospects survey (Summer 09)

What do graduates really think about their employers?

Real Prospects: a survey of new and recent graduate’s career experiences

In this article, the HECSU research team presents some findings from a new graduate survey exploring new and recent graduate’s opinions of their employers’ practices.

back to top

Introduction and methodology

Real Prospects 2009 is a new survey of graduate employees’ views of their current employer. The following is a brief explanation of the way in which the survey was conducted and what it set out to achieve.

back to top

Why a new survey?

There is a great deal of interest in the employment prospects of graduates leaving higher education in 2009, not only because those graduating in 2009 are likely to have been amongst the first students to be required to pay the £3,000+ tuition fee but also because they are graduating into a very much more uncertain labour market than their recent predecessors.

Employers, in 2009, need to maintain recruitment of the graduate talent pipeline to prepare organisations for equally uncertain futures. Some organisations and industrial sectors are reported to be making cut-backs in recruitment, some are increasing levels of recruitment and for others it is ‘business as usual’.

The graduate labour market has rarely been so turbulent for all concerned and there is an overriding need for robust, up-to-date knowledge about the recruitment, development and management of graduate employees.

Despite there being a number of good surveys of students’ expectations of work in particular companies or employment sectors, there is relatively little evidence about the views of graduate employees based on their actual, lived experience of achieving and beginning graduate careers.

Graduate Prospects and the Association of Graduate Recruiters (AGR) recognised that two inter-related questions remained largely unaddressed:

  • what are current, graduate employees’ opinions of their employers’ practices?
  • can employers utilise graduates’ opinions to enhance the recruitment, development and retention of talent?

Thus the idea to establish an annual survey of new and recent graduate employees on behalf of their graduate employers was established, with the following aim and objectives,

back to top

Aim

  • Identify and celebrate best practice in the employment and development of graduates.

back to top

Objectives

  • Investigate and report the views of new and recent graduate employees
  • Feedback industry-standard researched information to employers
  • Generate a range of sector-specific reports identifying best graduate employment practices
  • To create a framework for mapping trends and changes in the employment of new and recent graduates.

Real Prospects 2009 represents the first survey in a series, which over time will provide an unprecedented collection of data on the transition from higher education into graduate employment and which will be of value to employers, Higher Education policy makers and students and graduates themselves.

back to top

Outcomes

Capturing better information on graduates’ experiences of obtaining and beginning work is one part of the purpose of Real Prospects 2009, the other, is to feedback this valuable management information to employers.

Thus, the outcomes of Real Prospects 2009 will include:

  • up-to-date reporting of early graduate employment
  • management information which employers can utilise for enhancing the processes of the recruitment, selection and development of graduates
  • information to be used in career development and employability support in further and higher education in the UK
  • data to inform graduate development planning within employing organisations

back to top

The survey instrument

The on-line questionnaire was designed and piloted during the autumn of 2008 and launched in January 2009.

The questionnaire comprises over seventy questions in the following sections:

  • Recruitment and induction
  • Training and development
  • Support, supervision and progression
  • Pay and benefits
  • Work-life balance and corporate social responsibility
  • Organisational leadership and management

back to top

Which graduate employees?

The target population for Real Prospects 2009 is graduates who had undertaken their first degree in the last five years; hence, new and recent graduates. In practice, this comprised those who had first graduated in 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007 and 2008.

back to top

Achieving the sample

All employers of graduates known to Graduate Prospects Ltd and the Association of Graduate Recruiters (AGR) were invited to participate in Real Prospects 2009. Participating employers were asked to forward the Real Prospects questionnaire via email to their graduate employees along with a simple message explaining who was conducting the survey and what was its purpose.

Graduate Prospects data-base

In addition to communication via participating employers, respondents registered with the Graduate Prospects data base were also invited to participate, via direct email or in response to an advertisement placed on the homepage of the PROSPECTS website (www.prospects.ac.uk). Respondents arriving at the survey via Graduate Prospects were drawn from a very wide range of employment, including international ‘blue chip’ companies, small-medium sized employers (SMEs) and voluntary bodies.

Eligibility

Real Prospects 2009 achieved responses to the on-line survey from over 24,500 individuals. Ineligible respondents were filtered from the survey at the outset, resulting in a valid population of over 13,400.

Respondents were ineligible for Real Prospects 2009, if they did not have a first degree or if they obtained their first degree more than five years ago. Eligible respondents were required to be employed on either a full or part time basis. Those who were employed in casual employment (as the result of still being a student), in self employment or who had been working for their current employer for more than five years were also filtered out.

Thus the Real Prospects population includes only new and recent graduate employees, employed for no more than five years in a wide range of types of employing organisation.

Opportunistic

The respondent population is best described as ‘opportunistic’ and represents neither a random nor structured sample in statistical terms. The implication of this is that the survey may not be statistically balanced in respect of all graduate employment sectors or job roles and thus we advise caution against generalisation based on views reported.

However, with that caveat, Real Prospects 2009 is a very large survey of a wide cross section of new and recent graduates and each respondent’s view is influenced by direct experience of current graduate employment. For those organisations who selected to receive detailed, anonymised reports of their own organisation, the accounts and explanations have been described as ’insightful’ and ‘highly valuable’ in the context of that organisation.

Real Prospects provides an up-to-date and detailed perspective on graduates’ views of beginning their working lives and at a more general level is likely to be of interest to a range of stakeholders including graduate recruiters, advisers/tutors, students and graduates as well as HE policy makers.

Note on survey findings: percentages will not always add up to 100% as figures have been rounded to the nearest whole number.

back to top

Setting the Scene: who replied to the survey?

This section outlines the main characteristics of the graduates who responded to the Real Prospects survey. We also look at the types of job that they do and the types of organisation that they are employed in.

back to top

Employment status

Nine in ten (90%) respondents are employed full time and the vast majority of these graduates are on a permanent, as opposed to a fixed-term, contract

back to top

Employment in graduate scheme and is a degree needed for the job?

Fewer than half of the respondents (46%) are, or have been, employed in a graduate scheme. A substantial number (37%) also reported that a degree is not needed to do their job. Again, there are differences by year of completion of first degree: almost two-thirds (64%) of those who completed their first degree in 2004 reported that a degree is needed for their current job, compared with 49% of those who graduated in 2008. As has been reported in other research, this suggests that although graduates may start out with a job where a degree is not needed, as they gain experience in the labour market, many of them would gradually move on to roles which are more suited to their qualifications.

Other characteristics of respondents

Of those respondents who have reported their demographics:

  • Over half (56%) are female, and 44% are male.
  • Over half (55%) are from the 21-24 age group, 38% are aged 25-29, 5% 30-39 and 2% aged 40 or over.
  • Four in five (80%) considered themselves to be British or from other White backgrounds.
  • One per cent are registered disabled and just under 3% have a health condition that affects the work they do.

back to top

Survey findings: Recruitment and Induction

This section examines why graduates applied to work for their employer, and explores their experience of the selection process. It also asks how satisfied they were with their inductions to both the organisation and their job role.

back to top

Why did graduates apply to their employers?

The most frequently cited main reason for Real Prospects survey respondents applying to their employer is ‘It offered the job opportunities I was looking for’ (reported by 38% of respondents), followed by ‘I needed a job’ (29%) (see Figure 1).

Figure 1 Main reason for applying to current employer

Sorry, no alternative text has been set for this image. Please notify admin@prospects.ac.uk and this will be corrected.

Comments suggest that graduates feel it is important that the selection process can give them an insight into how the company functions. They also value the opportunity to talk to other employees in the company, the demeanour and attitude of whom can make a big impression on the applicants.

“The workshop I attended was fantastic as it gave me a chance to interact with people who worked in the business and see how the culture of the business was, rather than looking at a piece of paper wondering what glory or demons were actually involved in the job role. The assessment day in branch was very taxing but is a good [way] to identify whether a person naturally demonstrates the competencies that are vital to the success of the business. I found it tough and stressful in parts, which also reflects the realities of my job role occasionally, while allowing me to taste an atmosphere I could be potentially working in.”

The opportunity to study for a professional qualification and the offer of graduate schemes with rotational placements are both popular reasons cited - many respondents see the latter as a way of gaining experience in different areas of the business or different job roles, before having to ‘settle down’ somewhere:

“The company covered the range of industries and roles possible within my field, while it is coupled with its rotational graduate programme I felt that [the company] could offer me the opportunity to try a ‘bit of everything’ early on in my career so I could make a more informed decision on which direction I wanted to take my career.”

Some graduates applied to the company having had a good experience with them as an intern or as a placement student. They feel that they ‘fit in’ to the company and enjoyed the work they did as a student:

“I had done an internship so knew the company culture and what was on offer. I liked what I saw so I applied.”

The ethos and values of the employers also feature strongly in the decision-making process of some respondents:

“I also wanted to work for a company whose aims and objectives I could identify with and feel motivated to work towards.”

back to top

The induction process

The majority of respondents (71%) were provided with a formal induction programme when they joined their organisation, and satisfactions in this area are generally high. Comments suggest that not only do graduates need a proper induction programme when they first join the organisation and team, continuous support needs to be given once they have settled down and that any concerns need to be listened to seriously.

back to top

Survey findings: Training and Development

This section examines graduates’ experiences of training and development by asking them to assess the training programme offered by their employer. It also explores how graduates develop their skills through professional qualifications.

Excluding health and safety training, a third (32%) of Real Prospects survey respondents have had more than ten days of training in the last 12 months either paid for or organised by their employer. On the other hand, around one in seven (15%) respondents have had no training at all.

Of those respondents who have had some training in the last 12 months, the majority believe that the training they received has extended their knowledge, skills or competence in their role (76%) and helps to progress their career (70%)

back to top

Survey findings: Support, Supervision and Progression

This section asks graduates how they feel about the support and supervision they have received so far, and their perception of what opportunities for progression are available to them. It also asks graduates how confident they are about the future, both of their job role and of the organisation itself.

For the majority of graduates in the survey, the level of supervision that they get is about right and that they feel in control of their work. For many graduates, it is important that they are managed closely but not ‘spoon-fed’:

“I have been working for three months and have had no feedback and have very little contact with my so called line manager. (The employer) have a lot of support processes on paper but in reality there is just no body there to guide me in a job role where I have been thrown in completely over my head”

Career progression is certainly key for almost all respondents: nine in ten rated having the opportunities to progress in their job role, that their current employment will enable them to progress in their career, and having the opportunities to progress within the organisation as important. There is, however, much discrepancy between importance and satisfaction ratings, where only between 53% and 60% of the respondents are satisfied with their progress in these areas.

Comments suggest that support from employers is crucial for career progression and that there needs to be a clear, flexible, progression route:

back to top

Survey findings: Pay and Benefits

This section looks at graduate salaries and how happy respondents are with the package of pay and benefits they receive.

Real Prospects respondents from a variety of organisations and sectors commented that the satisfaction of enjoying their job, working for a company they respected, and feeling supported in their role more than made up for the fact that they could get a better benefits package if they went to work elsewhere.

“Though my salary has been slightly lower than friends I know who work for competitors, the general impression I get is that the working environment is much more friendly.”

back to top

Pay

Amongst the 10,186 graduates who reported their salaries, the median salary reported by full-time employed graduates in the survey is £23,000.

back to top

Benefits

Respondents were asked to look at a list of benefits and report which one(s) they receive. The most commonly cited benefit was a pension, with half of the respondents (51%) reporting receiving it, followed by health care (28%). Just under a quarter of respondents (23%) also reported having assistance with travel costs, study leave/support, or subsidised meals.

Just under half of the respondents (46%) are entitled to between 25 and 29 days paid holiday per year (excluding public and Bank holidays) and another 30% are entitled to between 21 and 24 days.

back to top

Survey findings: Work-Life Balance and Corporate Social Responsibilities (CSR)

This section explores how graduates feel about their work-life balance by asking them about the flexible working arrangements offered by their employer. It also examines what kind of role graduates think their employers should play in the community.

back to top

Flexible working options

Flexi time, being able to take time off in lieu, and having the opportunity to work from home during normal working hours, are the three most valued flexible working facilities rated.

Overall, many respondents are unaware whether various flexible working arrangements are available through the organisation. It may be that the opportunity to work flexibly is not important to these respondents at the moment, but it is worth bearing in mind that work-life balance preferences change as individuals reach different stages in their personal and professional lives.

back to top

Opportunities to engage in community/charity activities

Three in five (61%) respondents reported that their employer has a policy concerning its community and social responsibility, whilst one in ten (10%) said such a policy does not exist. A significant minority (29%), however, are unclear about this.

Recycling waste paper/card/equipment and promoting energy-saving measures are the two most commonly cited CSR activities that respondents feel their employer should support, with over three-quarters of respondents reporting that they are important, and it appears that employers are doing rather well in promoting these areas.

back to top

Survey findings: Organisational leadership and senior management

Respondents are generally more satisfied with the level of communication they receive about changes in the way the organisation is being run and in the way they do their job, than in issues about staffing or financial matters. Respondents are also generally more satisfied with their employer’s effort in responding to their suggestions, than with the amount of influence they have in the final decisions their employers made.

For further information about Real Prospects or to purchase a copy of the full survey findings, email Tolga Dervish or phone on 0845 077 1967