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Eight in 10 sixth-formers worry about job prospects after uni graduation, survey finds

Nine out of 10 students planning to go to university said they expect to work part-time while studying, a survey commissioned by Brunel University of London found. 

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Almost eight in 10 sixth-formers planning to go to university said they are worried about getting a job after their degree, a survey commissioned by Brunel University of London found. 

55% of those not choosing higher education said the cost of tuition fees and student loans put them off. 

More than six in 10 said universities should support students with artificial intelligence (AI), and 75% agreed that AI is likely to make it harder for graduates to find jobs.

Nine out of 10 students planning to go to university said they expect to work part-time while studying. 

Just over half agreed that going to university will make them better off, but 90% said a work placement as part of their degree is important.

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Most students, 71%, intend to move away for university, while the rest want to live at home. 

One in 10 of those said they already have a part-time job they want to keep. 

Nearly six in 10 said they would be interested in flexi-boarding, giving them the option to stay on campus for some nights of the week.

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Professor Andrew Jones, vice-chancellor and president of Brunel University of London, said: “This snapshot survey of sixth-form attitudes to life after school provides an invaluable insight into the big issues facing young people today: how they will find a job, what skills they should develop to stand a better chance of getting that first job in a market where AI is having a detrimental effect on entry level posts and, finally, is higher education worth the investment?

“It is clear that all of these young people want to work – whether they are in the lower sixth-form or have just finished formal schooling, but they are already worried about money and how they will find work and support themselves in the future.

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“Respondents to our survey want work placements as part of their degree which lead to real jobs.”

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Jones added: “From a higher education perspective, the sector needs to respond – supporting young people from the school classroom to a career, providing a strong guiding hand into work.”

“We are seeing the rise of the ‘commuter student’ and universities have to adapt to this emerging market.

“From this autumn, we are embedding AI into every module of every one of our university courses at Brunel. This is not a short cut to student learning – quite the opposite.”

He said: “Our approach will augment and deepen students’ knowledge and their capacity for problem-solving. 

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“AI is here to stay and all young people will need to have the confidence to use AI as an effective digital tool.”

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