Like what you've read?

On Line Opinion is the only Australian site where you get all sides of the story. We don't
charge, but we need your support. Here�s how you can help.

  • Advertise

    We have a monthly audience of 70,000 and advertising packages from $200 a month.

  • Volunteer

    We always need commissioning editors and sub-editors.

  • Contribute

    Got something to say? Submit an essay.


 The National Forum   Donate   Your Account   On Line Opinion   Forum   Blogs   Polling   About   
On Line Opinion logo ON LINE OPINION - Australia's e-journal of social and political debate

Subscribe!
Subscribe





On Line Opinion is a not-for-profit publication and relies on the generosity of its sponsors, editors and contributors. If you would like to help, contact us.
___________

Syndicate
RSS/XML


RSS 2.0

University graduate unemployment on the rise while Pyne busies himself with with memoirs and broken ideology

By Amanda Rishworth - posted Tuesday, 12 May 2015


With the return of Parliament this week, Christopher Pyne has vowed to once again put his failed plan for $100,000 university degrees before the parliament for a third time.

Instead of wasting their time trying to convince the Australian people that their plan for $100,000 degrees is good for students, Tony Abbott and Christopher Pyne should instead be focused on improving employment outcomes for Australia's university graduates.

Our graduates are finding it increasingly difficult to find employment once completing their studies.

Advertisement

Figures from Graduate Careers Australia reveal the growing problem in graduate unemployment, with 31.4 per cent of new graduates seeking full-time work four months after graduation in 2014.

Given the growing gap between graduation and employment, more must be done to ensure that graduates are prepared for work after graduation.

While the experience of parttime work for university students in order to pay the bills was once enough in the eyes of employers, industry is now screaming out for greater access to graduates with industry specific experience.

Work Integrated Learning is a practise whereby universities partner with employers to provide placements and practical industry experience to university students. It is designed to improve employment outcomes for our graduates.

While student placements in many professional degrees such as teaching and medicine have been incorporated as part of the degree, industry and employers are calling for meaningful industry specific work placements to be included in a much wider number of disciplines.

Far from the obligatory work experience week where students file or undertake some otherwise menial task, an industry specific work placement is designed to expose students to the core undertakings of the business; experience that can then be applied and compared to their in-class studies.

Advertisement

The purpose of Work Integrated Learning is to expose students to the practicalities of their chosen field of study from early on, stoke their interests and ultimately lead to improved graduate knowledge and employability while building greater industry connections.

Not only will this help bridge the gap between graduation and employment for our university graduates, but will also make our graduates highly competitive and desirable against intense international competition in the labour market.

Anecdotally, many industry specific work placements have led to fulltime employment post-university, with employers often keen to take on graduates with whom they have an existing relationship and who they know have the knowledge and skillset required for the job.

  1. Pages:
  2. Page 1
  3. 2
  4. All


Discuss in our Forums

See what other readers are saying about this article!

Click here to read & post comments.

18 posts so far.

Share this:
reddit this reddit thisbookmark with del.icio.us Del.icio.usdigg thisseed newsvineSeed NewsvineStumbleUpon StumbleUponsubmit to propellerkwoff it

About the Author

Amanda Rishworth is the Shadow Assistant Minister for Education and Higher Education.

Other articles by this Author

All articles by Amanda Rishworth

Creative Commons LicenseThis work is licensed under a Creative Commons License.

Article Tools
Comment 18 comments
Print Printable version
Subscribe Subscribe
Email Email a friend
Advertisement

About Us Search Discuss Feedback Legals Privacy