The Good Universities Guide

You need to decide on your personal goals and what you expect to achieve as a graduate. It may be further study, or even travel to broaden your horizons. But whether you’re a TAFE graduate or a university graduate, there are many different ways of measuring success.

Vocational Education and Training (VET)

• There were 1.68 million students enrolled in the public VET system in 2006.
• 87.8% of graduates were employed or in further study at a TAFE, university or private provider approximately six months after their training in 2006.

A major pathway for a VET graduate is into the university system. The National Centre for Vocational Education Research (NCVER) found that thirty-two% of young graduates (aged 15–24) and 14% of graduates aged 25 years and over went on to university-level study. In some fields, such as accountancy, and banking and finance, over half of the graduates aged 15 to 24 went on to university-level study.

The NCVER also found that higher-level VET qualifications lead to good employment outcomes for some graduates, although often at below associate professional level.

A report into outcomes from diploma and advanced diploma courses undertaken in VET found that:

• 27% of employed young graduates (15–24 years old) were employed as associate professionals or higher, a number that increases to about half within 30 months after the course.
• 56% of employed graduates aged 25 and over were employed as associate professionals or higher.
• About a quarter of all employed graduates were employed in intermediate service and clerical occupations.

Architecture and building, and health graduates have the best employment outcomes overall, while those in information technology and creative arts do not fare as well in gaining employment.

University graduates

A report on graduate employability skills commissioned by the Department of Education, Employment and Workplace Relations in 2007, found that employees were looking for general attributes like technology, problem-solving, teamwork and self-management skills in a prospective employee.

Universities are recognising that future employers are looking for a well-rounded graduate — someone who has completed volunteer work or work experience in their chosen field, as well as someone who has completed all the course requirements. Many courses include work experience and industry-based learning as part of their curriculum.

In 2007 university graduates from the fields of environmental studies, human and social sciences, languages, sciences, sport and leisure and veterinary science were the most satisfied with their chosen field. However data shows that satisfaction with a field of study does not translate into the graduate achieving the highest paid salary, and vice versa.

48% of psychology students and 53% of science students continued on to further study after their undergraduate degree, and 13% of tourism and hospitality students found work overseas.

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