A new report has distinguished what courses students feel are the least and most relevant when it comes to securing employment after graduating.
The What Do Grads Do report asked graduating students across Irish universities a series of questions relating to education and employment in 2016. Over 18,200 students contributed to the survey and the date was collected in 2017, nine months after the students graduated.
Students felt that the most relevant course to their future employment included:
- Health and Welfare (93%)
- Agriculture, Forestry, Fish and Veterinary (90%)
- Education (88%)
- Information and Communications Technology (83%)
- Engineering, Manufacturing and Construction (80%)
- Business, Admin & Law (79%)
- Natural Sciences, Maths and Statistics (69%)
And the courses student felt were the most irrelevant when it came to employment:
- Arts & Humanities (50%)
- Services
- Social Sciences, Journalism and Information (46%)
- Natural Sciences, Maths, and Statistics (21%)
- Engineering, Manufacturing, and Construction (12%)
Advertisement
Dissatisfaction was most highly found in Arts and Humanities whereas students studying Health and Welfare were most satisfied. According to Dr Graham Love from the Higher Education Authority, employment rates for all graduates are up in 2017 and increases observed in both employment in Ireland and employment overseas. Information and Communications remain the highest paid job for graduates nine months after graduation.
ICT graduates also have the highest proportion of Honours Bachelor Degree graduates and are amongst the highest proportion of Masters's and Doctorate graduates, employed in Ireland. The objective of the National Skills Strategy and Action Plan for Jobs is to meet the demand for the domestic supply of ICT skills and ability. Lower rates of employment and lower earning potential are evident in the Arts and Humanities and Natural Sciences, Mathematics and Statistics fields for level 8 graduates, but employment prospects improving considerably for graduates in these fields who obtain level 9 and 10 qualifications. Overall, 62% of Honours Bachelor Degree students are employed.
