JCU sets the standard for employment

A CAREERS fair connecting students with employers is being cited as one reason James Cook University graduates have the highest employment rating in the country.

Manager of the university’s Student Transitions and Careers unit Trudy Quantrill said a strong focus on careers and employer connections and the advantage of professional expertise were thought to benefit graduates over other labour market participants, many of whom might not be so highly skilled.

Ms Quantrill was commenting after another successful fair at the university’s Douglas campus was yesterday attended by about 1500 students and 40 employer groups.

“We encourage students to attend the Careers Fair in their first year, and in each year of their studies, so they can make contacts, keep up to date with their sector, and learn about ways to kickstart their career plans while they’re still at university,” Ms Quantrill said.

In 2017, the Good Universities Guide awarded JCU a five- star rating for graduate employment for the seventh year in a row, the only Queensland university to attain this rating.

The Federal Government’s 2017 Employer Satisfaction Survey found JCU graduates received the highest percentage of favourable ratings from their employers.

JCU achieved the employment rating by having about 75 per cent of undergraduates finding full- time employment within four months of graduating, higher than the national average of 69.5 per cent.

Ms Quantrill said about 70 per cent of graduates gained work in North Queensland.