Graduates of Scottish universities have been advised to focus their job hunt on menial roles such as cleaning as youth unemployment levels continue to soar.
According to a survey published by Citizens Advice Scotland (CAS) some graduates have been asked to “dumb down” their CVs so that they can increase their chances of getting “survival jobs” during the economic downturn.
Conclusions reached by the survey include the fact that graduates feel that their qualifications are going to waste leading to “high levels of frustration and disillusionment”. This has also been exacerbated by the fact that graduates are failing to secure roles in their industry of choice.
The survey of 1,000 graduates also unearthed the fact that only 1% of graduates felt that Jobcentres helped them find work that matched their skills. Roughly a quarter of graduates said that were still without work a year after completing their degrees.
Further figures from the research showed that three-fifths of graduates felt they were given insufficient guidance on careers at school, while two-fifths (43%) felt that universities had failed to adequately prepare them for the world of work.
Scottish universities hit back at figures from the CAS survey arguing that they were “completely unrepresentative”. They went on to cite official figures which painted a more positive picture of graduate unemployment levels and showed that two-thirds of graduates had a professional or managerial post just six months after leaving university.
Commenting on the survey findings, Margaret Lynch, CAS chief executive, argued that they revealed the “stark detail the extent of the crisis that many graduates are facing.”
“It's heart-rending to read so many accounts of people, once full of hope for the future, who feel their lives are on hold. Some are even questioning whether it was worth the time, money and effort they put into getting their degrees,” she added.
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