Saturday 3 March 2012

The benefits system fails graduates - what can we do?

After last week's posts, I'd like to weigh in on the benefits system.

Specifically, I feel that the "default" benefit - Jobseeker's Allowance (JSA) completely fails graduates.

Like Emily, after graduating I spent six month unemployed and drawing benefits and so have some first hand experience of the system.

I think they key issue is that JSA is not designed with graduates in mind. It should be clear that anyone with a degree is highly skilled, and they are not workshy - even "easy" degrees require hard work and dedication to get honours in.

But the majority of jobs aimed at those on JSA are inappropriate. I was memory told by one potential employer that I had an excellent skillset, but he didn't want someone with a degree. He wanted someone who would be happy to be a receptionist for ten or more years and was absolutely - but frustratingly - right to turn me down.

I won't go on about it, because Emily did that so well last week, but graduates clearly need a different type of support compared to other people.

For a start, our qualifications tend to be less vocational. Those without a University degree on JSA tend to have qualifications or experience as, say, bricklayers or secretaries or musicians [sorry - in joke there] whereas graduates skills are less focussed.

It is very easy with people who JSA is aimed for to say "we've got these roles that match your skillset." I found advisers had trouble spotting anything that matches the skills for someone with a physics degree as most vacancies advertised required specific skills.

What graduates need, I think, is far better CV support, jobs targeted for those with broad skillsets and good opportunities for progression and more help and advice searching out graduate posts.

I think if the government were to invest in something like this I think it would, in the long run, pay dividends as more graduates get employed faster (making degrees more valuable) and start contributing to the economy.

3 comments:

  1. Or bring back the scheme you and Em got on for graduates (including the disabled ones!). That worked, you've both got jobs now.

    Also, I don't want CV support from someone who doesn't understand my skills and can't spell. The university careers service offers this tailored to us already.

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  2. http://isthatthenewmoon.blogspot.com/2012/03/entering-debate.html

    From the disabled graduate's point of view

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  3. Is it right to provide so many university places when there clearly aren't enough graduate positions to be filled?

    It creates a buyers' market where companies can pick and choose which graduates they want, and those that aren't chosen are left with pretty awful options and poor support.

    I don't think it's right for the government to set itself such high targets for numbers of people getting degrees - it is unfair on the people who are then overqualified and in debt, but often left without significant vocational experience.

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