TO put it plainly, this is a good time to be a graduate. As final year students prepare to wave goodbye to college life and face a future in the workplace all indications are that the jobs market is likely to provide them with a fairly warm and reasonably profitable welcome.
Graduate unemployment is at its lowest level since 1989. Only 4.2 per cent of 1995 graduates - the most recent year for which records are available were - seeking employment one year after graduation.
Of the 52.5 per cent of degree holders who had gained employment, over 95 per cent were in full-time work. Among certificate and diploma holders, almost 39 per cent obtained employment, a slight decrease on 1994 figures, but one that was balanced by the increase in numbers continuing their education.
"The outlook seems to be excellent," says Eileen Fitzpatrick, careers and appointments officer with the DIT. "For electronic and electrical engineering and people who can even switch on a computer, the outlook is excellent." A number of the DIT's electrical engineering students had received job offers even before they sat their final exams.
According to Fitzpatrick, there is a big demand for electronic and electrical engineering students at certificate and technician level, particularly from companies operating call centres. In the case of such companies, students will often be expected to have a second language as well and the DIT offers its students a language option as part of its technical courses.
"The advice I would give them is that they should build on the language," says Fitzpatrick. "Really, the technical language is English, but if you're working in a call centre then you would need fluency in a second language. For anyone with a technical qualification, it's really useful to have a language."
Predictably, any qualification relating to computers or electronics is attracting attention from employers. "Overall it has been very good really, but obviously there are particular courses . . ." says Bridie Killoran, careers and appointments officer in Athlone RTC.
Most final year software engineering degree students in Athlone have three of four options open to them, she says. Degree students of electronic engineering and students of the diploma in mechanical engineering are already enjoying a high employment rate, with many of them snapped up by Intel and Hewlett-Packard. The graduate diploma in computing has virtually 100 per cent employment. Those graduating with business qualifications also appear to be getting on well, particularly if they are fluent in a second language.
"Engineering is certainly up across the board: industrial, mechanical, civil and electronic," says Peter Keane, careers officer in UCG. "There is a very big demand for IT, computer science and the software diploma in computing."
Keane detects a "marked improvement" in opportunities for arts graduates, but it involves a shift away from traditional areas to newer, developing sectors, including the application of language skills to the growing telesales market. Prospects for business graduates are also quite good, particularly for those with a fluency in a second language. The outlook for teaching graduates, meanwhile, remains grim, although many find temporary or substitute work.
Newer, smaller Irish firms are also coming to the fore as prospective employers, although it is still mainly the larger Irish firms which are willing to invest in training for their graduate employees. By and large, Irish employers still expect their new employees to be able to slot immediately into their assigned roles.
Elsewhere in the market, Eileen Fitzpatrick notes demand for graduates in the hotel, catering and leisure areas, particularly for those with tourism qualifications from DIT Cathal Brugha Street. There have also been inquiries for art and design graduates with CAD (Computer-Aided Design) abilities. The printing sector, which had suffered a downturn in recent years, has also generated inquiries for graduates with the DIT's printing technician qualification and its diploma in print management.
In Athlone, the degree course in polymer engineering has an almost 100 per cent employment rate, while the diploma in civil engineering has benefited from the building boom. In UCG, Peter Keane believes demand for qualifications with languages and numeracy will continue to increase.
Overall, the situation is particularly good for those with computer and electronic backgrounds, with employment opportunities for graduates in all sectors enhanced by languages and the application of larger "life skills" - teamwork, networking, the ability to work to deadlines.
Of course, all of this depends on students passing their exams, and passing them well. Otherwise, some of you may well be reading this page again next year..
