Gradcracker survey reveals engineering graduates are more optimistic than their peers

Two thirds of engineering graduates are still reasonably or very confident about finding a job, reveals a survey by gradcracker.com – the careers website for engineering students. This result is in stark contrast to a recent survey by the National Union of Students which showed that only 20% of all graduates were similarly confident.

In a further contrast with recent surveys of this summerís graduates, 93% of the engineering students said they would be willing to relocate to find work – a survey by recruitment marketing agency TMP Worldwide, found that only 66% of all graduates were prepared to relocate. (Gradcracker believes that this difference is not a sign that engineering graduates are more desperate for work than other graduates but that many would have set their sights on a career with a global company before the recession hit.)

The recession has clearly had an impact. 34% of those graduates planning to go on to further study or take a gap year are doing so because of perceived limited career prospects. 53% of the engineering students said that they were willing to undertake unpaid work experience or internships if it increased their chances of finding work.

Engineering students are also rethinking which sector to work in, 18% having changed their mind because of the recession. There was a notable drift away from the Automotive industry towards sectors such as Defence, Transport and Energy.

Gradcrackerís Head of Student Communications, Annie Greenfield-Edwards, explained why they carried out the survey. ìThere have been a number of surveys of graduates during the recession but, as an engineering focused site, we wanted to hear the views of our niche audience. Certainly many engineering employers have frozen or reduced their graduate programmes but a good number have continued to recruit. We were a little concerned that potential engineers might have simply given up hope in the light of generally negative news. We were pleased to see that this is not the case.î

The survey results can be viewed at gradcracker.com