Come For The Education, Leave For Employment

The University of Wollongong’s success is undeniable, yet the jobs seem to be elsewhere

The University of Wollongong is a highly successful institution, ranking in the top 2% of Universities worldwide; yet the employment sector in Wollongong cannot accommodate the graduates, and many are forced to move elsewhere for employment.

Toni Dobbs, reporting and data manger at the University of Wollongong, conducted a post-graduate survey where she discovered that in 2011 a mere 25% of graduates from the university are now working full-time in Wollongong area.

The University of Wollongong rates highly globally, the employment however, does not. (D.Little 2013)

 

Alice Tamsen graduated from the University of Wollongong in 2011 with a Bachelor of Commerce and Accountancy and is one of many graduates who was forced to search for employment elsewhere. Alice is now working in Sydney, while remaining a resident of Wollongong, taking the daily commute to and from her workplace.

“Its punishing getting up at five and not making it home until after dark… but what else could I have done?” Ms. Tamsen told the FreshlyScooped.

“Sydney can also be hard as there is still competition from graduates of other universities… They need the work too.”

Post-graduates looking to further their experience with extra studies also have a hard time in Wollongong. Many of the post-graduate traineeships and further qualifications are based in areas such as Canberra and Campbelltown.

“I was offered a traineeship in Canberra but I had to decline. It was too far to travel daily and I couldn’t have afforded to live out of home.” Said Ms. Tamsen.

The QS intelligence unit, which is responsible for the World University Rankings, has recently awarded the University of Wollongong with a five-star rating over a broad range of criteria including research, reputation and facilities. This achievement establishes UOW as one of the leading institutions globally. Yet Wollongong’s highly qualified graduates are moving away from the town into areas such as the Sydney CBD for work.

Ms. Tamsen says Sydney is the destination for most of her fellow classmates, and believes the varied opportunities available is the reason. “Sydney has a broader employment sector… But in no way does that make Sydney a guarantee: finding employment will always be tough no matter where you go.”

If you’re a Wollongong resident The Freshly Scooped encourages readers to comment on their employment experiences below, or to vote in our online employment poll to the right of the article. ➡

– TheFreshlyScooped

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• Barren Wasteland of Opportunity (thefreshlyscoopedd.wordpress.com)
• UOW Generates $2 billion in Economic Activity (http://media.uow.edu.au/news/UOW145657.html)

Barren Wasteland of Opportunity

Picture yourself spending almost a decade of your life on something and for it to essentially amount to nothing?

“It’s like wasting years of your life”        

Wollongong resident Janet McCann told TheFreshlyScooped in a recent interview. Janet McCann feels the years of hard work and dedication to her studies were futile, as job opportunities in the Wollongong area are almost non-existent. Ms. McCann spent 9 years studying her passion of Neurological science at the University of Wollongong, excelling in the field, graduating first in her class with honors and later completing a PhD. However she now works a secretarial job far below her qualifications, a situation she blames on Wollongong’s lack of opportunities.

“There are little if any job opportunities in Wollongong particularly in the fields of science. Any hope for a career as a Neuroscientist lies far from here.”

Ms. McCann was forced to find a job after she spent months searching for opportunities in Neuroscience in Wollongong: “I had just started a family, moving away from Wollongong was not something I could consider… Then again, being unemployed wasn’t an option either. So I was forced to settle for a job outside of neuroscience.” Wollongong’s deficient employment opportunities are also affecting the next generation of University graduates in Wollongong, which is becoming increasingly clear to University graduate Adam Taubes, who finds himself working in a supermarket after 3 years of tertiary education. Mr. Taubes graduated with a Bachelor of Commerce at the University of Wollongong, completing his studies two years ago. However, since then there has been little in the way of employment in his field in Wollongong, and Adam has been forced to maintain his job as a cashier at his local Coles Supermarket.

“It’s frustrating; spending so much time, money and effort to gain a qualification and for nothing to come out of it.” Said Mr. Taubes in a recent interview.

When Adam began his degree, he said he had not contemplated the possibility of no employment opportunities in his field in Wollongong: “It seems silly, but most people don’t think about getting a job afterwards. It’s just something people assume will automatically happen when they graduate qualified.”

Where Mr. Taubes spent the last four years of his life studying – The Faculty of Commerce at the University of Wollongong

Many of Adam Taubes’ fellow graduates from the University of Wollongong have been forced to relocate to areas with greater employment prospects. Mr. Taubes, however, says this isn’t a preferred option for him.

“I don’t want to leave Wollongong, my family and friends are here. But at the moment it seems I have no other choice. I may have move unless I want to live off a supermarket wage.”

If you’re a Wollongong resident The Freshly Scooped encourages readers to comment on their employment experiences below, or to vote in our online employment poll to the right of the article.  ➡

– TheFreshlyScooped