Universities excelling, while healthcare offers future job opportunities

The 2018 edition of The Good Universities Guide reveals that while universities around the country are providing a high-quality experience for students, it’s not translating to graduate jobs.

Analysis from The Good Universities Guide, shows that across many courses and fields of study, Australian university students are overwhelmingly enjoying and excelling during their time at university. Across all Australian universities the results for the six key measures of Student Experience – Learning Resources, Learner Engagement, Student Support, Skills Development, Teaching Quality and Overall Experience – are all strong.

But, the news isn’t so rosy once students attempt to enter the workforce. When it comes to life after university, the employment outcomes are not as positive. The Good Universities Guide graduate outcome data shows that across the country, Australian university graduates struggle to secure a job and earn a reasonable salary, with around 30 per cent of graduates without full-time employment within four months of graduation.

The Guide can also reveal that the average salary for graduates employed full-time is $56,000 – the same post-graduation income vocational graduates achieve, according to figures published by the National Centre for Vocational Education and Research.

Chris Lester, CEO of Good Education Group which publishes The Good Universities Guide, said the results are a wakeup call but some workforce sectors had better graduate work placements than others.

“There were exceptions at a field of study level, with a general trend of healthcare sectors performing well”, he said.

Students from rehabilitation, medicine, dentistry and pharmacy reported strong outcomes in the measure of Full-Time Employment, while dentistry, medicine and rehabilitation also surpassed the national average for Starting Salary.

“These outcomes correlate with Job Outlook predictions. Australia’s aging population will increase the need for qualified professionals in health-related fields, offering a pathway for students that will continue to expand and evolve throughout their career journey”, says Lester.

These results come at the same time that the Career Development Association of Australia (CDAA) has reported only 30 per cent of university students make use of their career development services on campus.

CDAA spokesperson Jason Brown says it is important for university students to be taking full advantage of the career services available on campus.

“Career advisers are a valuable and knowledgeable resource. They can help you identify opportunities and connect you to programs and services to develop your employability,” says Brown.

“It is really important for university students to not only develop the skills and attributes employers seek, but to develop skills to manage their career.”

The Universities Guide is available via the Good Education Bookshop and through selected newsagents, as well as a free-to-access digital e-book. For more information please visit www.gooduniversitiesguide.com.au.