Griffith top for earning
Graduates’ wages 15pc up on other unis
AS GRIFFITH University celebrates its 25th anniversary, new research shows that graduates of the Gold Coast’s largest educational institution could earn wages 15 per cent higher than those from traditional universities in the “group of eight”.
The latest Household, Income and Labour Dynamics in Australia survey, funded by the Federal Government, found the seven members of the Innovative Research Universities group – which includes James Cook, La Trobe and Griffith – showed an “earnings premium” 15 per cent higher than traditional universities such as Queensland and Sydney.
The study, released this week, also showed any bachelor-level degree boosted earning potential by 40.7 per cent for men and 31.9 per cent for women, compared with a Year 11 education level or less.
Griffith business student Clare Stuart said the findings did not surprise her as she chose the Gold Coast campus, after finishing school in Coffs Harbour, because of the gradu- Getting my degree
then is just as valuable as getting a degree today and I had so much fun
doing it ate opportunities it presented.
She was delighted yesterday to meet one of the original business and accounting students David Lister, who now runs his own advertising business on the Coast.
Mr Lister transferred from TAFE to the university when it opened in 1990 and graduated with the first cohort in 1993.
“Griffith was on the outskirts of town and we would park our cars on the dirt tracks among the bushland and attend classes in one of the three original buildings,” he said.
“There were too many students for the lecture theatre on campus so we attended lectures in the old Hoyts Cinemas in Surfers Paradise – it was classic, we would wait for the movies to finish, then hundreds of us would pile in.
“The growth has been unbelievable but in my mind it was always going to happen and I keep going back for the opening of new buildings – it has turned into such a magnificent facility.
“Getting my degree then is just as valuable as getting a degree today and I had so much fun doing it.”
DAVID LISTER