The Educonomy:graduates Have A 1 In 270 Chance Of Getting A Job.

[non frog]

Why oh why oh why do people still use the Daily Mail as a source of anything other than toilet paper?

If there are 270 applications per job it doesn't follow there is only on job per 270 people.

[efdemin]

may not have read it clearly but seems to say 270 applicants for every job.you've obviously not been unmeployed for a while?

Are they all unique applicants, or could it be that a graduate applies for more than one job? It's poor reporting at best, uninformed ******** at worst.

[porca misèria]

Why oh why oh why do people still use the Daily Mail as a source of anything other than toilet paper?

If there are 270 applications per job it doesn't follow there is only on job per 270 people.

It's fulfilling the same role as the UCCA, on a larger scale.

You put five choices on your UCCA form, so the statistics clearly show five applications. That way we can prove there's massive demand for more university places.

[edit to add] p.s. I periodically get speculative applications. To the credit of applicants as a whole, this has reduced in recent years as my company is no longer active, suggesting that many hopefuls at least take the trouble to look at what they're applying for when there's no advertised vacancy. Recruiters are worse.

Edited June 30, 2010 by porca misèria

[Saver]

may not have read it clearly but seems to say 270 applicants for every job.you've obviously not been unmeployed for a while?

Yes but if each of them applied for 270 jobs then is one job per person! Probably it is between this extreme and the other one reported by the Daily Mail. When you job hunt do you just apply for one job only?!

Edited June 30, 2010 by Saver

[spongeh]

may not have read it clearly but seems to say 270 applicants for every job.you've obviously not been unmeployed for a while?

I've been unemployed recently and while I was I applied for about 10-20 jobs per week.

If 100 people apply for 10 jobs then thats 1000 applications for 10 jobs or too look at the figures another way only 1 job per 100 applicants. There is no way of counting how may duplicated applications there are across each of these jobs.

[Ruffneck]

they're just studying the wrong things

the world only needs so many photographers or psychologists

[abaxas]

As someone who used to work in universities...

The issue is that having a degree means little of nothing (as it is not a defined standard). Also if you look at who is taking what degree, you'll notice that most art type degrees are taken by UK citizens, while the more scientific by foreign students.

Does a degree in modern art kit you out as well for a job as electrical engineering?

I'll let you decide.

[noodle doodle]

does it matter,if you're applying for a job at the mo,there are,on average, 270 other applicants.

Only if you don't understand maths.

On average 70,000 fans turned up to man utd's 19 home games last season. That means they have 1.33 million fans!

[efdemin]

does it matter,if you're applying for a job at the mo,there are,on average, 270 other applicants.

For you individually, no not really. But that's not the same as claiming that there is only one job for every 270 graduates, which is what the DM's headline is saying.

BTW, I'm glad I'm not a graduate now - I managed to get through just before fees were introduced, but after loans so I had ~£4500 to pay off.

[ccc]

To be fair to the article.

'Up to 270 graduates are battling for every job vacancy'

'They are receiving 45 applications for each position on average, rising to 270 in some industries.'

It doesn't seem to say that 270 people are applying for each of these jobs. It also says 'up to'.

And whilst it is perhaps an over the top headline - shock horror for a newspaper !! It does paint a picture of too many people going for too few jobs.

As for the applilcations and does it matter ? Well of course it does. An application is an application. Whether it goes in the 'yes' or the 'no' pile is neither here nor there.

More applications = person working out the yes and no piles is more picky = you have less chance of an interview.

Simple as that.

[frozen_out]

Last job we had going (R&D) had 160 applicants. The succesful candiate needed a work permit.

I can't believe out of 160 applicants there wasn't weven an EU scientist up to the job, let alone UK.

[steve99]

Even worse in the world of 'McJobs' I recently applied for a job in a big chain hardware shop(like B&Q) in Australia (where they tell us there is no recession or lack of jobs, but in reality you only have to work 2 hours a fortnight to be counted as fully employed and those not on the books outnumber those the stats are comprised of)around 600 people applied for 20 part time casual jobs. The process involved one phone interview, a group interview with 10 of you competing for bubbliness and enthusiasm etc, followed by an interview with 2 managers, then one with the big manager(can you F'ing believe this, even a new pope doesnt need that many interviews). They found it strange that I was applying after doing tech work for many years and was rejected on account of such. Just before we left the UK, a local Primark opened and they had 2000 applicants. Just shows how far off course the DMail is with its benefit scrounger theme is.

[TheCountOfNowhere]

Why oh why oh why do people still use the Daily Mail as a source of anything other than toilet paper?

If there are 270 applications per job it doesn't follow there is only on job per 270 people.

It's too expensive to use as bog roll.

I'd recommend using it as food instead.

[dissident junk]

The whole system is falling apart. I am sorry, but it just is.

The whole economy is so structurally unbalanced, so teetering on the brink, that I think everything is just going to fall apart. It's like watching the collapse of Rome living in Britain today.

It seems like no one in government for the last twenty years has actually had a proper goal and focus, policies has been properly thought about in the medium to long term, and in the round.

It's bizarre. We had a big state party in power for over a decade and the one thing they fail to do is the one thing a big state can do effectively -- high quality, correctly economically-orientated education.

[erranta]

<br />As someone who used to work in universities...<br /><br />The issue is that having a degree means little of nothing (as it is not a defined standard). Also if you look at who is taking what degree, you'll notice that most art type degrees are taken by UK citizens, while the more scientific by foreign students.<br /><br />Does a degree in modern art kit you out as well for a job as electrical engineering?<br /><br />I'll let you decide.<br />

<br /><br /><br />

They can use their 'skills' to etch, colour mix, strip of foil. then print up their own cash (to lend to mates or pay off their student debts) - just like all the private banks do!

[Cicero]

The whole system is falling apart. I am sorry, but it just is.

The whole economy is so structurally unbalanced, so teetering on the brink, that I think everything is just going to fall apart. It's like watching the collapse of Rome living in Britain today.

It seems like no one in government for the last twenty years has actually had a proper goal and focus, policies has been properly thought about in the medium to long term, and in the round.

It's bizarre. We had a big state party in power for over a decade and the one thing they fail to do is the one thing a big state can do effectively -- high quality, correctly economically-orientated education.

Prescient observations.

Short termism rules in Britain, and has done so since the end of WW2.

[Bam]

Very sad state really, however increasing the fee's will help reduce this problem. People need to get real degree's instead of wishy washy arts degree's which are in general a waste of space

[Guest Noodle]

they're just studying the wrong things

the world only needs so many photographers or psychologists

There's truth to this.

Too many going to University, which is an overrated educational experience. I went. It was like putting a silk hat on a pig, doing a Master's Degree would have just applied the lipstick.

The majority need to be leaving school at 16 and doing college day release, if there were the jobs and the industry . . . which . . . there probably would be, but for a number of factors including having a skilled and experienced (from the age of yoof) workforce.

I learned more working the building sites as a young boy than I ever did at school and I think I'm of typical intellect.

[HPC001]

There's truth to this.

Too many going to University, which is an overrated educational experience. I went. It was like putting a silk hat on a pig, doing a Master's Degree would have just applied the lipstick.

Ok, I'll quit then and be on the dole competing with 269 other applicants for a job, except they'll have degrees and I won't.

The majority need to be leaving school at 16 and doing college day release, if there were the jobs and the industry . . . which . . . there probably would be, but for a number of factors including having a skilled and experienced (from the age of yoof) workforce.

Except there aren't that many training programs...

[Guest Noodle]

Ok, I'll quit then and be on the dole competing with 269 other applicants for a job, except they'll have degrees and I won't.

Except there aren't that many training programs...

I said too many, the wrong many. I have encouraged you the whole way and rightfully so because you are dedicated and intelligent. Many that attend University straight from A-levels do easy subjects and smoke a lot of dope . . . it's a complete waste. You've told me about them where you are, spoilt by parents and yet to grow up, I can remember the same.

Stop being so sensitive right now. :angry:

Training programmes. No, there aren't . . . but there should be like years ago. Perhaps, fingers crossed, times will change.

[miko]

Last job we had going (R&D) had 160 applicants. The succesful candiate needed a work permit.

I can't believe out of 160 applicants there wasn't weven an EU scientist up to the job, let alone UK.

And they wonder why unemployment is so high.

[HPC001]

I said too many, the wrong many. I have encouraged you the whole way and rightfully so because you are dedicated and intelligent. Many that attend University straight from A-levels do easy subjects and smoke a lot of dope . . . it's a complete waste. You've told me about them where you are, spoilt by parents and yet to grow up, I can remember the same.

Stop being so sensitive right now. :angry:

Training programmes. No, there aren't . . . but there should be like years ago. Perhaps, fingers crossed, times will change.

I forgot my tongue smiley, I was being sarcastic

Edited June 30, 2010 by HPC001

[Guest Noodle]

I forgot my tongue smiley, I was being sarcastic

Well good and you should at some point do a Master's or higher. Don't lose heart.

[HPC001]

Well good and you should at some point do a Master's or higher. Don't lose heart.

Not much point in my field, things move quickly. Best to break back into business and learn on the job ASAP...

[fadeaway]

Why are they bothering to focus on graduates as a whole?

Any old idiot can go to Uni nowadays. (Thankfully, they need the army of art history students to pay tuition fees so that the expensive science profs/equipment can teach the real smart kids).

1 in 270 electronic engineers/computer scientists/chemists/mathematicians land a job would be a headline I would be interested in.

1 in 270 delusional english/philosophy/art graduates landing a job, the other 269 working starbucks? That's just obvious.

In my company we've had mathematician/scientist positions open for about 9 months now. Plenty of applications from people without any real qualifications though, they're still quite rare.

Edited June 30, 2010 by fadeaway