Prospects Look Good for Graduates in Technical Subjects

Despite a rising unemployment rate in the U.K., students with degrees in technical subjects, including computer science and engineering, are finding their job prospects surprisingly bright. Experts acknowledge that students with science, technology, engineering and math degrees appear to have the qualifications and skills that give them a better chance of landing entry-level positions than those from other subject areas. Moreover, employers in the engineering and technology sector are continuing to pay for exhibition space at university careers fairs aimed at next summer's graduates and are talking positively behind the scenes about the attractiveness of working in the IT sector.

In the current hiring environment, engineering and science skills are not enough on their own to land a job with employers. Companies are looking for engineers with good social and communications skills, who can work in teams and work with customers and who can take the initiative. Some technology companies are deliberately keeping its graduate recruitment going, despite the recession, in order to avoid repeating the mistake they made in the last downturn when they stopped recruiting altogether and found themselves a few years later with an empty pipeline. Despite downbeat news reports, employers emphasize they continue to follow through with recruiting initiatives. However, any vacancies tend to fill up very quickly.

From The Independent (U.K.)