Graduation woe for 'Class of 2009'

By Jo Perry Central Reporter, BBC Scotland news website

The recession has brought added anxiety for graduates Mixed feelings at graduate event

The 'Class of 2009' may be as smart and motivated as the students of previous years but will they be as successful?

The latest employment figures from the Office of National Statistics show that unemployment now stands at more than 7%.

Redundancies for the three months to March were 286,000, representing the highest figure since comparable records began in 1995.

As the recession takes its toll on the jobs market, 36% of students who took part in a recent High Fliers study said they did not expect to get a graduate job this year and nearly half thought they would be made redundant within 12 months if they did.

In 30 years time it is current students taxes that will be paying off government debt caused by the recession, they have a responsibility to ensure that young peoples futures are secure Tom Spencer SUSA President

The figures make bleak reading when you consider the average Scottish student will leave university with over £13,000 worth of debt after studying for four years.

According to the same poll, one in four students who were due to graduate in 2009 said they were now planning to continue in education and delay the search for employment.

The result coincides with a warning from Scotland's colleges that many students may have to be turned away because of funding shortages linked to the huge rise in applications.

It is against this backdrop that 35-year-old French language student Louise Reid will graduate.

She began her degree in 2005 and by her own admission had high hopes.

She said: "When I first started my course, I had a much rosier picture of how things would be.

"It's so competitive just now. I spoke to a career's advisor and he said to go on to further study. Even for language teaching posts in schools there's so many applicants.

"I'm going to go on and do a post-grad because it's better than trying to find a job when there's just nothing."

'Really struggling'

Louise said that the economic downturn was particularly affecting those in her year who had intended to go into the finance sector.

She added: "Most of the people that I know that are graduating seem to be going on to further study. There is a general kind of feeling of doom.

"It's definitely quite daunting, whereas last year there seemed to be loads of work.

Louise Reid said her job prospects were not helped by the recession

"For other students I know that are doing business with their language, they are just struggling.

"A lot of them were going to work in banks but they can't find anything at all. I think for those doing business degrees or retail, they're really struggling because it's so competitive."

Her fears are confirmed by a poll by the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD) who found that nearly half of all firms said they were not looking to hire either graduates or school leavers this year.

Tom Spencer, president of the Stirling University Student's Association said there was a real sense of anxiety among the students.

He said: "Students were promised that if they went to university they would get a good job and earn more money.

"They were told that they should take on the burden of student debt because they would benefit in the long term.

"For the class of '09 this is not the case, unemployment rates for young people are soaring, before students even graduate.

"The jobs they will go into, if they find jobs at all, will not be the well paid graduate jobs they were promised and further study is only an option for those who can afford it."

Mr Spencer has called on the Scottish Government to invest in new employment opportunities for all young people and increase funding for education.

He added: "In 30 years time it is current students' taxes that will be paying off government debt caused by the recession, they have a responsibility to ensure that young peoples futures are secure."

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