Thousands graduating with qualifications for non-existent jobs

This week unveils more gloomy news regarding the graduate jobs market: that thousands of students are graduating with qualifications for jobs that simply do not exist.

According to research for a book on consumer society, some 52 universities offer degrees in film studies and 66 run courses in television studies. Ironically, however, media is notoriously one of the toughest fields to get into. A further 130 video games degrees are available yet a mere 8 are accredited by the industry body. 

Many students are being trained – at university or colleges – in fields that do not have enough positions to employ everyone who graduates with the relevant qualifications. 

Steve McKevitt is a marketing expert who is using the figures for his new book Everything Now. He said: “The key point is not that studying for these degrees is a waste of time. There is nothing necessarily wrong with undertaking a degree in PR, media studies, video games or any of the others.

“The fundamental issue here is that these degrees do not necessarily lead to a job in the sector so if that is your only reason for studying them, then you are probably better off studying something else.”

If you plan to opt for a degree or course based on job prospects, here is a quick list of ones you might be better off avoiding:

Hair and beauty – colleges trained 94,000 students in hair and beauty in 2011, but only 18,000 new jobs were available.

Hospitality, leisure and tourism – While only 43,000 jobs were advertised, nearly 98,000 students completed courses in this field last year. However, the hospitality industry is currently looking to recruit.

Forensic science – only 5,000 of the 5,664 students taking forensic science degrees actually ended up working in the industry in 2009.

Media – Even though only 65,000 vacancies were available, nearly 83,000 college students took media courses last year.

In light of the figures, Mr McKevitt said that young people were being “hoodwinked” into paying for expensive courses while being “failed by an education system which ignores the needs of employers”.

On the other hand, demand for engineering and physics jobs falls way below the number of positions available: less than 40,000 students finished courses in building-related engineering even though 72,000 jobs were available. For those with an engineering degree, the future looks bright – click here to have a look at the job options available to you.