The government wants more young people to go to university

The latest UK-wide data from the Higher Education Statistics Agency - for 2002-03 - indicate that 62% of graduates were in full-time jobs by this stage.

Of these, 18.3% were in administrative and secretarial work and 11.1% in sales and customer services.

But the government said 6.8 million of the 13.5 million jobs to be filled by

2012 would require graduates.

'Still a good time to be a graduate'

Ministers have set a target of getting 50% of young people in England into higher education by 2010.

Opponents say this will flood the employment market with over-qualified staff and do little to improve the UK's skills shortage.

The rest of the UK has not set formal enrolment targets.

The Hesa figures show 182,300 people graduated from full-time first degree courses in 2002-03. After six months, 7.1% were unemployed.

Meanwhile, 8% were doing a combination of work and study and 16% were in study alone.

Of those working full-time, 26.3% of posts were classified as "associate professional and technical" and 24.6% as "professional".

The average salary reported was �17,000.

A Department for Education and Skills (DfES) spokesman said: "It is still a good time to be a graduate. This new survey looks at destinations six months after leaving university, but we know that graduate unemployment falls significantly over time.

"Recent evidence shows that just 1 to 2% of graduates are unemployed and seeking work, seven years after graduation."

Of the 800 graduates from new two-year foundation (vocational) degree courses whose destinations were known, 30.5% were working.

Some 23.5% were working and studying, 40.1% were in study only and 4.2% were assumed to be unemployed.

The DfES spokesman added: "We are delighted with this first indication that graduates who have studied shorter, more vocationally oriented courses such as foundation degrees are less likely to be unemployed than other graduates.

"This is very encouraging as most of the future growth in university expansion will come through these courses."

Recent research by the careers website Doctorjob.com found 70% of graduates thought their university had given them enough "employability" skills to find a job.

But only 30% of the 2,500 surveyed had taken part in skills training and just 20% had used a personal development plan while studying.

We asked readers for their experiences of work after graduating. Here are some of your responses:

I graduated with an electronic engineering degree from Warwick and after a year I still cannot get a job. It has become more competitive now and graduate schemes are oversubscribed.
John, Maidstone

I finished university in July last year and got a job (after one month of searching) in retail as a general customer service team member. I could have done this job straight after high school. I left university with a 2:1 in IT and went into retail. I couldn't help wondering what the point was of completing my four-year course. Eventually I mass mailed all of the computing companies and by February, I got a basic IT job which is now paying �17,000. I'm sure I could do better, but I'm afraid of not being able to upgrade and going back into retail. Don't even get me started on the struggle for buying a house as well. My advice for people starting university: don't bother unless you want to spend your first year after graduation as a general skivvy.
Dean Richardson, Teesside, UK

I have recently graduated in an IT based degree and, as we have only in the last few years moved to Devon, I wanted to stay here. It's proving very difficult, however. I am willing to go as far as Bristol but there doesn't seem to be much there either. There are other jobs here I could apply for but they all require two to three years' experience. I can see I'll be working in our local Spar shop for some time. I really feel it's been a wasted four years doing my degree, when I could have been gaining experience in a job.
Jennie, Devon

I graduated two years ago and I am still unemployed. This is because I did not have enough work experience to gain employment. After doing a New Deal work placement and voluntary work, I am back on New Deal doing another work placement. The type of placement I am doing is low-skilled admin work, which is more suitable to school leavers and as a result I am bored and frustrated. The government's aim of getting 50% of school leavers into higher education is misguided and mendacious, as it is nothing more than an attempt to reduce the wages of white collar workers by flooding the market with highly skilled workers. For God's sake do plumbing.
David O'Keefe, St Helens

I graduated in 1990, and so what is new?

I could not find an employer who would appreciate my experiences and qualifications. There were bills to pay and responsibilities to face up to. I needed a job, straight away. I could not afford to be choosy and find the right company for a "career". My parents were hardly in a position to be able to back me financially.

I have been with Royal Mail ever since, and to this day, my degree and postgraduate work is wasted, much to my annoyance. All Royal Mail sees me fit for is to hand-frank mail, tie bags and move containers about, while I watch the keen and clueless bright young things wander into management training and beyond. I suspect there is a generation of us 40-plus year olds.
Chris Ivory, Bristol, England

In order to get a graduate job straight after graduation, many hours of form-filling and research are needed - before you are even offered an interview. It is difficult to do this while, in the case of many students, you have a mountain of reading to keep up with, continuously assessed coursework, exams, a job, sport/society commitments, girlfriend/boyfriend/friends to spend time with, plus all the usual chores. It's no surprise that students decide to concentrate on university work and leave job applications until after graduation. By that time, many application deadlines have passed and the alternatives are generally low-paid jobs or travel.
Steve, Derby

I know that it is hard to get jobs. I had same problem in the 1990s. But eventually a job will be available to all graduates. The trick is not to give up. Also try to get guidance on improving CVs, acquiring new skills and keep on trying
Vik Thakrar, London

After graduating with a Masters in European electronic engineering, I spent three months working at a fast-food restaurant on moving to France, then a month as a traffic-light repair man. Then I spent nine months unemployed. It was only a year ago (some eight years after graduating) that I gained a job that required a high degree. Six months is far too short a time period.
Chris Tribbeck, Mayenne, France

It is all about what you do once you graduate. I graduated a few years ago and started work on �8,000 a year. Very low wages, but I worked hard and changed companies a few times. Now I have a great job with a salary and prospects to match. You may start on a graduate salary in some jobs but unless you work hard that �17,000 will not be a good wage in five years' time.
Ian , Solihull

I graduated in 1992 with a business studies degree. I temped for the best part of 18 months after graduation and worked around many large companies in the Leeds area . Not only did it help pay the bills but also exposed me to all sorts of companies and their "cultures". It is a great way to explore the world of work without committing to doing something you don't want to. In the end I ended up at a telecoms/cable TV company, where I started the career I have been in ever since. The trick is not to decide what you want to do "per se" but to find an environment where you fit, and once there, go for it.
Dave, Notts

The world doesn't owe you a living just because you have a degree. Getting a good job after university and progressing thereafter requires effort and hard work.
David, Cardiff