GEES Graduate Employability Survey: Preliminary Results

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GEES Graduate Employability SurveyPreliminary
Results

• Sharon Gedye Brian Chalkley
• LTSN National Subject Centre for Geography, Earth
  and Environmental Sciences

Contact details sharon.gedye_at_plymouth.ac.uk
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Why is Employability an Issue for GEES?

• Graduate employment record could do better
• Recruitment

Source The Times Good University Guide 2004
Graduate Destinations
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GEES Employability Survey - Rationale

• To find out about GEES graduate experience of
  employment
• To find out the opinions of GEES graduates on the
  value of their degree with respect to
  employability
• To use the information to inform curriculum review

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GEES Employability Survey - Approach

• Postal questionnaire
• Graduates from universities of Gloucester, Leeds
  and Plymouth
• Graduates from 2000, 2001, 2002
• Survey return approx 600 (35)
• Analysis is preliminary

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How much do GEES graduates earn?
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• 53 of respondents had undertaken some form of
• further study / training

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How qualified do you feel for your current
employment?
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Degree aspects students felt were given about the
right level of attention
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Degree aspects students felt were given too
little attention
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Which modules helped you prepare most for the
workplace?
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As an undergraduate, did you know what career you
wanted to pursue?
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What careers action did you take at university?
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Would you still choose to study the same degree?

• Yes - 71.9 No - 28.1
• I enjoyed the degree and am still interested in
  the subject but should have done more to improve
  my workplace skills
• Geography appears to be a degree that employers
  look upon sceptically. It hasn't really trained
  me in any specific areas, only broadened my
  overall knowledge. These days everyone seems to
  have a degree and employers are therefore able to
  choose employees with more valuable degrees such
  as economies