ACT, Nation’s capital for employment outcomes

October 01, 2012

Graduates of the Australian National University and the University of Canberra were found to have some of the highest employment success rates in the country, according to The Good Universities Guide 2013.

The Guide found that a high proportion of job-seeking graduates from each university secured employment within four months of graduating, with both universities achieving top ratings for ‘Getting a Full-time Job’ and ‘Positive Graduate Outcomes’.

This strong success begs the question: do ACT graduates fare so well in the employment stakes because of the array of graduate jobs on offer in the territory or because the universities are giving them an employment edge?

According to Professor Marnie Hughes-Warrington — ANU’s Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Academic) — it comes down to the quality of education they receive at the university itself rather than the location.

‘Our graduates are much sought-after by employers throughout the world — not just in Canberra or even Australia,’ Professor Hughes-Warrington said.
‘ANU students experience strong graduate outcomes because of the quality of the education they receive here. Students are given ongoing access to up-to-date and emerging knowledge, as well as higher-order thinking and research skills which prepare them for employment in a wide range of local, national and international contexts.’

The field of humanities and social sciences, which is notorious for its typically poor graduate outcomes and low starting salaries elsewhere in the country, was identified as a key area of employment success for ACT graduates.

ANU humanities and social sciences graduates earned the highest reported starting salaries of any humanities and social science graduates in the country, with average starting salaries of $52,259, which is considerably higher than the national average of $47,801 in the field and not far below the national average starting salaries of law graduates ($53,201).

At UC, 79 per cent of humanities and social sciences graduates found work within four months of graduating compared to the national average of 67 per cent. And in communications, another notoriously difficult field to enter, 81 per cent of graduates gained work within four months of graduating, which is significantly higher than the national average of 61 per cent.
Professor Hughes-Warrington suggested that ANU graduates’ positive employment outcomes in this typically tough field align with the university’s focus on the humanities and social sciences.

‘Our graduate outcomes reflect the strength of the university in the core disciplines of the humanities and social sciences, as well as the opportunities that students are given to develop skills in research, critical analysis and a wide range of methodologies,’ she said.

The ACT’s strong employment prospects for humanities and social sciences graduates present a strong argument for interstate students considering a career in these areas to complete their studies in the nation’s capital.

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