The latest news from the IT industry reveals a mixed picture for graduates who are seeking employment. While recent research has found that IT management graduates are in demand by top firms, further data now points out that IT graduate salaries are falling.
According to the latest figures from e-skills UK, more than eight out of ten (85%) Brits who graduated in Information Technology Management for Business (ITMB) found a graduate job within six months of leaving their course.
"The best thing about the ITMB degree is that it's tailored specifically to our industry. It allows the graduate to showcase their technical capabilities as well as the business and interpersonal skills that are very much needed in the work place from day one," said Nicola Luke, Graduate Development Manager at HP.
In fact, applications to study this particular degree have risen by 24% in the last four years. Employers taking on ITMB graduates include Apple, BA, Barclays, Credit Suisse, Deloitte, ebay, Ernst & Young, Fujitsu, Goldman Sachs, Google, HP, IBM, John Lewis Partnership, Logica, Microsoft, Morgan Stanley, Proctor & Gamble, SAS UK and Shell.
Conflicting reports about IT graduate pay
Despite it being clear that the demand for IT graduate jobs is increasing, findings are mixed regarding the IT starting salaries.
On the one hand, CV Screen reports that graduate IT salaries have fallen by 3.4% in comparison to the previous year, with the average salary for a technology graduate now standing at £23,197. The specialist IT Recruitment Agency came to this conclusion after monitoring approximately 600 advertised positions for IT graduates and comparing them to their findings from January 2011.
However, the latest AGR Graduate Recruitment Survey 2012 recently revealed that graduates working for IT/telecoms employers will enjoy starting salaries of £26,000 on average.