So a few weeks ago I was searching for a focus for my dissertation and after a conversation with Margaret Sambell, head of strategy at e-skills UK, I’ve identified a subject which really intrigues me:

Why do Computer Science graduates consistently have the highest rates of unemployment by subject (as reported in the HESA Destinations of Leavers (DLHE) survey), despite widespread skills shortages within the IT Industry?

Every year the HESA DLHE stats are released and the press reports the facts – Computer Scientists have the highest unemployment rates. However alongside this headline figure, there’s usually a lot of speculation about the reasons for this figure, very little of which is based upon fact. Some years the students are blamed – they have poor soft skills and can’t operate within the real world (e.g. headlines focusing on “geek speak”). Other times it is the universities that are to blame – the courses don’t teach the skills wanted by employers. In the media coverage, rarely has there been an attempt to truly understand the problem and the main factors behind the headline figure. Continue Reading…