Australian university graduates express doubt over degree and quality of teaching

MORE than a third of university graduates say their degree is not important for their job, amid continuing concerns among students about the quality of teaching.

MORE than a third of university graduates say their degree is not important for their job.

A comprehensive survey of more than 120,000 graduates, to be released today, shows 71.8 per cent of those completing an undergraduate degree get full-time jobs — one of the lowest levels in the past decade.

A separate survey of more than 4000 employers has found one in five was dissatisfied with graduates’ skills.

The new survey shows almost all those with pharmacy and medicine undergraduate degrees quickly landed jobs.

But the battle to find work was much harder for students of creative arts, humanities, ­social sciences, communicat­ions, science and mathematics.

The total satisfaction with undergraduate courses dipped below 80 per cent, and only 63 per cent were happy with the standard of teaching.

University offers to last year’s Victorian school-leavers will be released next Tuesday, and federal Education Minister Simon Birmingham said the data was a reminder to choose courses wisely.

Minister for Education and Training Simon Birmingham. Picture: AAP

He said the government wanted to help students make the “right choice”, introducing university transparency measures and linking tertiary funding increases to strict criteria, including graduate outcomes.

“Accepting an offer can be a life-changing decision and it’s vital students have the tools they need to make the best possible choice,” he said.

“By ensuring universities are more accountable and transparent about the job prospects of their graduates, we are helping students to make the right choice the first time around.”

Australian Industry Group boss Innes Willox said universities were “failing to keep up” with employers’ needs, producing too many graduates who lacked the desired “employability skills”.

The survey, which received a response from 45 per cent of graduates last year, showed those with an undergraduate degree who found full-time work earned a median salary of $60,000, up 3.6 per cent on the previous year. Females still earned less than males, but the $1100 pay gap was the smallest recorded in 40 years of data.

The pay gap was much wider among postgraduates: the women earned about $15,000 less than the men.

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