Workout: graduate woes

NEARLY half of Australia’s university graduates do not feel they are ready for the workforce.

NEARLY half of Australia’s university graduates do not feel they are ready for the workforce, according to a survey by online jobs platform OneShift.

More than 1000 Australian jobseekers were surveyed, with 49 per cent saying they do not feel their degree has prepared them well enough.

The survey also finds 80 per cent of jobseekers believe employers value work experience more highly than tertiary qualifications.

The survey comes as youth unemployment sits at a 12-year high of 13.1 per cent, more than double the national rate of 6.4 per cent.

OneShift chief executive Gen George says universities must place more focus on work experience programs so graduates can develop valuable professional skills.

“The current transition from university to work can be very rough and many young Australians are finding themselves overwhelmed by a highly competitive job market that places little value on their tertiary qualifications and results,” George says.

“Tertiary institutions in this country are of outstanding quality, and offer a rich learning experience for those who can attend. However, what we’re seeing is that students don’t necessarily feel that those three or four years of study have properly prepared them for the realities of the working world.”

She says students should undertake work experience placements or internships.

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Science pep talk

INTERNATIONALLY renowned physicist Tanya Monro will talk to high school students across Australia about careers in science, in a live broadcast from RiAus on Wednesday. Monro, recently appointed as chairwoman of the National Youth Science Forum, is best known for her research into photonics. Monro credits her high school science teacher for her love of physics, and is hoping to encourage more students to take it up as a career.

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Training deficit

NEW research by Firebrand Talent has found employees are failing to prioritise training as a solution to professional worries. The company surveyed more than 1300 professionals for its Ignition report, focusing on skill development, training and career progression.

Almost half are concerned about a lack of progression and the long-term appeal of their skills. However, 10 per cent of respondents did not undertake any training whatsoever. It also found while 45 per cent of people did most of their training at work, only 45 per cent undertook training in their spare time.

Managing director Simon Lusty says there is a disconnect between what people worry about and what they are doing to improve their skills.

Ten per cent of respondents identify a lack of training as their biggest career obstacle, with more people concerned about a lack of internal opportunities. Despite employees ranking training as a low priority, many say they are unhappy with the amount of training offered and would like more.

A quarter of respondents say their company does not have a training budget, but Lusty says businesses should provide training to retain employees.

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Talent shortfall

RECRUITMENT agency Right Management has released a white paper, Talent Management: Accelerating Business Performance, that finds 36 per cent of Australian organisations lack skilled talent for key positions. The paper finds 18 per cent of respondents report a shortage of talent at all levels.

Leadership development is a key priority for investment in coming months, with 44 per cent of organisations planning to undertake new talent development initiatives.

The paper finds only 13 per cent of organisations are confident of having a high-performance pipeline to recruit from due to underinvestment in recent years, which has led to the erosion of leadership capabilities.

Right Management also has found a weakness in middle management, with just 18 per cent of businesses reporting they have a robust team.

The report blames an increase in retrenchments and redundancies at middle-management level, which has led to a disconnect between executive levels and frontline employees.

Regional leader Rosemarie Dentesano says organisations are under continuous pressure to perform for stakeholders, meaning they often adopt a business-as-usual mindset following large-scale restructures instead of stopping to assess staff numbers and who they have lost.