Brighton University says job prospects are good for this week’s 5,000 graduates

More than 5,000 Brighton University students will graduate in the coming week.

Many of them already have jobs and the prospects of the rest landing a job are good, according to the university.

The Higher Education Statistics Agency reported that 89.1 per cent of Brighton University first degree graduates in the 2011-12 academic year found jobs or another course within six months of leaving.

The university said that this was a 0.4 percentage point rise on the previous year and a 0.1 point rise on the year before.

If postgraduates were included, then the number in jobs or in further study was well over 90 per cent.

Carol Burns, the university’s registrar, said: “These are challenging times for graduates and to have shown year-on-year improvement is a very encouraging result.

“The university takes the career prospects of its students very seriously and offers every opportunity for them to develop sought after skills.

“Almost every course offers work-place learning and placements, with many offering the opportunity to spend a year on a paid professional placement.

“Our students are working with household names like Channel 4, Disney and Microsoft.

“Beepurple, our entrepreneurial network, is another way that the university helps students prepare for life after graduation.

“Beepurple works with students and graduates to develop their enterprise skills and entrepreneurial ideas, turning out about 50 private and social ventures a year.

“We are pleased that these services are giving our students a competitive advantage on graduation and helping them to secure graduate level jobs.”

The university said that many students graduating at the week-long summer awards ceremonies at the Dome in Brighton, starting from Monday 22 July, had already found work or were going into business.

The new graduates will collect their awards from the university’s vice-chancellor Professor Julian Crampton, Lord Mogg, chairman of the board of governors, and John Harley, deputy chairman of the board of governors.

Professor Crampton said: “The university is pleased to be able to play its full part in developing the next generation of  key professionals this country needs for its future success – and in fostering the creativity and skills which will generate the new ideas and enterprise required to face the global challenges of the 21st century.

“I wish each and every graduate success in their chosen career.”

Among the success stories this year are

• Emma Whiting is graduating with a degree in 3D design (now design and craft). She has developed a rucksack that alerts the user about the UV strength of sunlight. She is now working with a design team for a major music festival.
• Richard Simmonite is graduating with an MSc in product innovation and development. He is taking to manufacture his reusable “Bag Reborn” invention which transforms a carrier bag into a 60-litre bin bag.
• Nathan Taylor is graduating with a BSc (Hons) in product design. He has developed a recording system which encourages hand hygiene in healthcare environments and combats the spread of the MRSA superbug and other infections. He has taken up an offer from a company where he completed his year in industry and will work initially as a designer with the opportunity to become company director. He said: “The potential for growth within our business is vast and the future is looking good.”
• Beckie Gower is graduating with a degree in textiles with business studies. She beat 1,600 rival applicants to win a job as a buyer with John Lewis. In a BBC World at One interview she told how her course and her year with industry helped her get the job and how a quarter of her friends on the same course already had work lined up.
• Katie Boardman is graduating with a foundation degree in television production from the university’s Hastings campus. She has just landed her dream job in children’s TV. She will be taking up a post in production at Cbeebies and will be working alongside Luke Fuller, who graduated from the same course last year.
• Maria Withers is graduating with a degree in digital media. She has recently secured a position as digital designer for the Royal Opera House. Maria faced stiff competition for the role, securing it by presenting her dissertation work and highlighting her work experience in the digital sector. Maria plans to use her marketing and design skills to transform their website.
• Lubinda Mbundi is graduating with a PhD. He was one of the first students to benefit from the university’s Pestalozzi Scholarship Scheme. He first studied for a degree in biomedical sciences at Brighton. His PhD focused on the diagnosis and treatment of bone tumours and fractures in the least invasive way possible. The materials developed in his work specifically target diseased tissue, act as the drug and are traceable. Orthopaedic Research UK has supported a patent application to cover the technology and they are interested in its future translation into clinics. He has recently taken up a postdoctoral position at the Blond McIndoe Foundation Research Centre based at the Queen Victoria Hospital, which has strong research links with university.