New jobs data to boost govt uni reform bid

UNIVERSITY students who graduate from science and medical degrees are more likely to find full-time work after leaving university, new government data has revealed.

The latest figures show more than 95 per cent of pharmacy and medical graduates had full-time jobs within three months of finishing their degrees compared to 53 per cent of students who majored in creative arts.

Three years after graduating, more than 90 per cent of students who studied engineering, architecture, dentistry and business degrees were employed full-time.

Communications, tourism and humanities graduates had the lowest levels of employment after leaving university, with 15 to 20 per cent of graduates still looking for work three years after leaving university.

The Federal Government is expected to use the latest data to push its higher education reforms, which will be debated in parliament this week.

Under the plan, the Coalition wants to reduce the cost of science, technology, engineering and nursing degrees in an effort to steer students into areas of expected employment growth.

But students studying some humanities subjects will face price hikes of up to 113 per cent.

The higher education package faces a tougher task in the Senate, with Labor and the crossbench opposing the reforms or calling for a raft of amendments before the vote.

The latest university data, based on responses from more than 40,000 university students, is found in the Quality Indicators for Learning and Teaching graduate survey which tracks what happens to university graduates after leaving university.

The report also revealed 73 per cent of students that graduated in 2017 found full-time work within four months, rising to 90.1 per cent three years after graduating.

Education Minister Dan Tehan used the report to lobby for his fee overhaul. “We want our students to receive an education that sets them up for future success,” he said.