Flinders University graduates see a strong return on their investment in higher education when it comes to employment, according to new government data.
The 2019 Graduate Outcome Survey – Longitudinal gives an insight to short and medium-term employment and salaries three years after completing their studies.
Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Students) Professor Clare Pollock says the results show Flinders’ graduates enjoy exceptional employment in good paying jobs.
“Three years after completing a degree, 98.2% of Flinders postgraduates are employed; 94.6% of them in full-time employment. That is the second highest graduate employment rate in the country of any university.
“The results are also very strong for undergraduates, whose overall employment three years after completion is 93.1%, with 88.2% in full time employment.
“Flinders’ postgraduate median full-time salary of $81,200 closely mirrors the national average of $81,400, and our undergraduate median salary of $60,000 matched the national average and was best in South Australia.
“Strengthening the employability and earning ability of our undergraduates and postgraduates has been a priority for Flinders, and we are pleased with our consistently strong performance” Professor Pollock says.
She says the key reason for this strong result is the relevance of Flinders University courses, which are future-focused and future-proofed, with a strong emphasis on embedding employability skills so graduates are prepared to adapt to change.
“We’re focused on giving our students exceptional learning opportunities to ensure they emerge with well developed talents in critical thinking, communication and teamwork, and we encourage our students to want to make a difference through their actions.
“Jobs are changing and changing fast, and new technologies are emerging at an ever increasing rate – so we are determined to ensure our students have the capability to achieve, wherever their career path might lead.
Flinders is nationally unique in offering Innovation and Enterprise studies across all courses, so that graduates have an edge in the employability market. The University’s rich range of business and industry partnerships equip students with hands-on experience, ensuring graduates are work-ready and highly prized by employers.
“Our commitment to enterprise means we support our graduates to not just pursue jobs, but to invent them. Our business incubator the New Venture Institute has been named the Asia Pacific’s leading university business incubator, and has fostered more than 300 start-ups and upskilled more than 3000 people with enterprise skills,” Professor Pollock says.
“Flinders is helping to create a highly skilled future workforce making a significant contribution to our collective prosperity through both employability and the generation of new jobs.”