Just under 50 per cent of students have never used the careers service in a recent Vision poll, after revelations that graduate employment at York is one of the worst in the UK’s top 30 Universities.
A survey of over 200 students at the university found that just under 50 per cent of all students surveyed have shunned the careers service, with all first years never using the service.
Will Murray, a second year history student, voiced his concerns, commenting: “the service wasn’t really very useful” and “they just told me things I already knew”.
Despite her issues with the careers service, Sabina Usher, an ex-York student, managed to get the job she wanted. She said “the careers service wasn’t particularly helpful and I never went to the careers talks”.
Sabina is now working at Instant Impact, a recruitment agency connecting fast-growing SMEs (small and medium sized enterprises) with students and graduates and comments on the fact that “many students don’t know what SMEs are, or if they do then they are unsure how to access them.”
She also told us: “When I was a student at York I didn’t have a clue what I wanted to do, let alone the smaller business route”.
Dan Ashcroft, a third year student, finds that the careers service “isn’t very proactive in letting students know of the service that they provide. You have to actively seek them out or be lucky enough to spot the Facebook event on your news feed”.
There was, however, a mixed response as one student lucky enough to spot careers events did give praise to the careers service. Alex Kontos, a second year, told Vision: “I’ve used it for entrepreneurship and they’re extremely helpful”.
The Complete University Guide ranks York at 12th in the UK, with its graduate prospects being ranked at the 6th lowest in the top 30. The Guardian ranked York at the 4th worst in the top 30 in terms of career prospects.
Academic Registrar David Duncan told Vision: “York graduates are very able, highly competitive all rounders – exactly the qualities top employers are
looking for.
“York’s position continues to strengthen as employers recognise our graduates’ high levels of employability.”
“revelations that graduate employment at York is one of the worst in the UK’s top 30 Universities” – this is nothing new, the Careers Service has been blasted for the past few years at least in the face of several “surveys” proclaiming York graduate prospects as terrible.
Things definitely seem to have improved in the last few years. The Careers Service is a lot more proactive at putting on events for students at a departmental level. I also concur with the student in the article who raised their help with entrepreneurship.