According to a wrap up of bigmouthmedia's 2008 graduate intelligence, harvested from a series of recruitment events, the majority of Scotland's class of 2008 believed that the education system is not properly aiding the transition from student life. Some 56% of the recent graduates polled believed that university had not sufficiently prepared them for life in the business world.
The research revealed a worrying lack of awareness about opportunities in 21st Century industries. Over 46.3% of those surveyed said they knew little about opportunities in digital marketing and felt that universities should help increase awareness of such emerging industries.
Some 39% also believed they should have been told more about the search marketing sector during their time in higher education.
Respondents revealed a tendency to use online media to supplement gaps in the curriculum. Some 89% said that they had learned more about search marketing reading a range of industry blogs such as Search Engine Land and Search Engine Watch.
The research also revealed that a career in search marketing is beginning to appeal to university leavers from disciplines not typically attracted to the sector however. While 24.4% of the recent graduates enquiring about a career in the industry had marketing/advertising degrees and 29.3% had been studying ICT/Computing, the clear majority - 46.3% - had studied unrelated subjects.
The results indicated that this broadening attraction could in part be due to the perception of the digital marketing as a 'hot' industry, with an overwhelming 80% stating that they believed the sector offered a more glamorous career than television marketing.
The graduate groups questioned also revealed a preference for remaining North of the border after leaving university. Some 95% of the graduates questioned said they would prefer to pursue a high-tech or marketing career in Scotland if possible.
See the results at: http://www.bigmouthmedia.com / live / articles / graduate-survey-2008.asp
