New employment data highlights the success of University of Gloucestershire graduates

University of Gloucestershire graduates are more likely to find employment after graduation new data has revealed.
The university has again performed strongly in the Destination of Leavers from Higher Education (DLHE) survey, which looks at the destination of all university students who graduated in the 2014/15 academic year.

It shows 95.0% of Gloucestershire graduates were in employment or further study after leaving the university. This is better than the national average across all universities of 93.9%. It is also better than the “benchmark” of performance that would be expected given the university’s subject mix and student profile, which is also 93.9%.

95.0% is an increase from 94.3% the year before. Of that 95%, 76% of graduates were in work compared to a higher education sector average of 72%. And 4% of university graduates were unemployed, compared with a national average of 5%.

The survey also shows that University of Gloucestershire graduates increasingly believe that their higher education is preparing them well for employment. In this year’s survey, 77.9% of graduates said they felt they had been prepared “well” or “very well”, compared with 72.4% last year.

The survey also shows the number of graduates choosing to stay in Gloucestershire and start their first job has increased. Two years ago, 36% of graduates started work in the county and this year this has increased to 40%.

Vice-Chancellor Stephen Marston said: “We are delighted to have sustained strong employment rates in this year’s survey. We place enormous importance on supporting our students during their studies to build a strong platform for their future careers. That includes opportunities for placements and work experience, and ensuring our courses have strong links to relevant business and professional networks. This helps our graduates gain the skills, confidence and experience they need to succeed in the workplace.”

Lisa Barnett has just finished her Business Management degree and has secured a job at the supply chain company Gist. Lisa said: “The university has helped to prepare me for the working world from day one. The focus on delivering presentations and preparing reports has developed my skills. I completed my placement year as an IT project manager within transport, giving me the opportunity to manage large scale projects before returning to university to complete my degree.

“I started my own company at university, Lisa’s Kitchen, which gave me the chance to pitch for funding and launch a new business. I will be joining Gist in September as an operations management graduate trainee, and I’m grateful to the university for helping me to secure this amazing job.”