HESA Report Shows That Graduates Are Settling For Non-Graduate Jobs

A recent report by a prominent higher education surveyor shows that UK graduates are beginning to resort to lower paid positions after graduation. The Higher Education Statistical Agency (HESA) put out a report that says nearly 35 percent of UK graduates in the 2004-2005 academic year with their first degree took work that requires no higher education.  These positions include tending bar, working in farm fields, and working on manufacturing lines throughout the United Kingdom.

The responses to the HESA report have shown the conflicted nature of higher education in the United Kingdom. Generally, two camps have evolved to respond to the issue of graduates finding well-paying jobs in the United Kingdom. One group of experts believe that the nearly 65 percent of UK graduates who are finding the right jobs should be the emphasis of this report. The other group feels that the HESA report is actually overly optimistic about the prospects for future graduates.

The first group has been represented in recent stories by Bill Rammel, the higher education minister in the United Kingdom. Minister Rammel and his office have worked hard to dampen the effect of the HESA report on the public. The minister’s office has been pushing the public discourse toward a more global consideration of university output. The higher education office has pushed the belief that the United Kingdom needs more, not fewer, graduates to be produced in order to stay productive in the global economy. Indeed, Rammel is promoting the fact that graduates still earn nearly 20,000 pounds a year immediately after graduation. The long term benefits, according to optimists, are still present for those with university degrees.

The second group sees the HESA report as something to be concerned about. Groups like the National Union of Students, representing the interests of UK university students, are saying that these numbers will only become worse as the years go along. The NUS’s Wes Streeting feels that teenagers currently heading toward the university setting should consider these numbers to be daunting. Streeting, like others in this camp, feel that every person in the United Kingdom may not be suited for the rigors of a university education. There is a need for vocational education for young students, as there is a need for technical and blue collar workers in the next generation. This debate, like others over higher education issues, will rage on in Parliament and public settings for years to come.