to be sad dd still isn't in a graduate job 5 years later?

[tinyelephantlargeant]

Dd is 27 and did her degree in biology, with a placement year in a chemistry based laboratory.

She has been working in retail ever since. She has been looking and applying, but says nothing much comes up and when it does there is no luck.

I'm aware she is a grown adult and can do what she wants, but me and her dad financially supported her the whole of university and we are a bit sad that she is still just in retail, it's not as if she is overjoyed with it either.

https://www.gov.uk/apply-apprenticeship Many graduate roles are advertised as L7 apprenticeships now. Is she willing to relocate?

I work in Biotech and hire a lot of Biology graduates.
The thing that comes across here, to me, is that your DD isn't especially keen on a biology related job, otherwise she would have done her placement in a relevant lab and/or would have done summer roles or voluntary work to get some biology lab skills on her CV.
There are loads of lab based jobs for good graduates in the UK, especially in Oxford, Cambridge and London. Also, there are hundreds of recruiters who want available candidates on their books. So it's definitely do-able, if she wants it enough and is prepared to get the experience.

You said she wasn't a people person. How does she manage retail?

I think she would potentially move, yes. Just not sure how comfortable she would be when it came to it. She lives in a house share with a couple of people, but they aren't very close with her. We are in the south so London isn't that far.

As I say, she is usually put on restocking, but she does do till work but has been told to smile more... I don't mean she is literally really bad with people, she is polite and copes well herself, it's just how she comes across to others potentially!

https://mhra.referrals.selectminds.com/jobs/mhra-graduate-scheme-%C2%A327837-p-a-benefits-2088?et=CI3yFkLN

She could also look at civil service science roles: MHRA/UKHSA/DHSC etc start with Executive officer and maybe higher executive officer.

Yes maybe she needs to look into getting more non work based experience in and building up her people skills with activities. She doesn't have a usual life of someone her age

Thank you very much I'm definitely going to try and offer her some more help with the info provided from here!

She could get a graduate position at a big 4 firm - they're keen on recruiting graduates with STEM degrees

What do you mean about the usual life? She sounds like she has done alright, she completed a degree, is holding down a job, albeit not one she wants and she is living on her own.

I don’t have any knowledge of her field, but do you think she might need to brush up on her interview skills? One of my friends achieved a First, but had far more trouble finding a job than those of us with 2:1’s, due to weak interview skills.

Sorry if that’s not helpful, it just popped into my head.

Civil service job page there are lab jobs as a way in and admin ones

www.civilservicejobs.service.gov.uk/csr/index.cgi?SID=b3duZXJ0eXBlPWZhaXImcGFnZWFjdGlvbj1zZWFyY2hjb250ZXh0JnBhZ2VjbGFzcz1TZWFyY2gmb3duZXI9NTA3MDAwMCZjb250ZXh0aWQ9MzEwODc3NzQmcmVxc2lnPTE2ODA0NTk3ODUtMTBiYzAwZDAyZDQ1Y2ZkNGExMzYxNGRiMzU2NWNhNWQ0MWFmNDk2NA==

Does she want a job with more responsibility? Unfortunately she will be competing against five years of more recent graduates so needs to hone her cv and personal statements to give her an edge.

OP, have a look at BD Rowa. Get your DD to lodge her CV on their web site if she's interested. You never know what might come up.

What sort of biology does she like? Have she looked at specifics like aquaculture etc.

DH used to work in a lab technician type job, incredibly unglamorous and no scientific background required - they just had to consistently follow set processes. It was split about 50/50 between "just a job" people and science graduates looking to get a bit more lab experience on their CVs who would stay for a year or so then move on. I think this is what she should be looking for if she still wants a job in her field. They were a lovely bunch of misfits too (DH very much included) - she might find her "people" this way.

NHS science graduate jobs? https://nshcs.hee.nhs.uk/programmes/stp/

But if she really wants a ‘graduate’ job at this stage she needs to be flexible on location

Does she know anything about food science. I could get her an interview in my company. It's in Dublin. We're desperate for food science grads

I just meant she doesn't go out and socialise and her passion is staying in and watching documentaries in her free time and doing solo camping trips where possible. That's not the most usual life for her age group but I didn't mean it in a negative way at all! I love her and how she is, just meant she doesn't get much opportunity to potentially improve how she is around people but of course she is facing customers every day, so maybe that side of her really doesn't change, just hope it really doesn't have to interfere with her chances!

Band 2 or 3 lab technician roles in the NHS. Look on NHS jobs - titles might be medical laboratory assistant, genetic technologist, medical technology officer.

Turnover in these roles is enormous as grass end up getting them and then move on and up. So there are lots of them if you have large hospitals nearby. Can be microbiology, histology, genetics, immunology, blood science, blood transfusion..the list goes on.

I think I would be sad in your shoes. Hope one of the suggestions works for your DD.

Has she had a look at the UKRI vacancies? Majority of the roles are based in the South - either in Swindon or Oxfordshire.

Would she consider teacher training. If not maybe some professional help with her CV and interview skills could be considered. Some graduates do find it hard to get a first job in a field related to their degree.

Has she signed up with any agencies? SRG, CK Group and Kelly Services are some of the big ones, but there are certainly many others. They all recruit for entry level roles within life sciences.

Don't feel sad. I'm sure your daughter is feeling sad enough for the both of you. This comes from someone who graduated and worked in retail for YEARS after ☹️

Surely doing a pgce and training as a teacher is a good option. With a science background, she might find it's all fully funded and even get additional bonuses to train. She wouldn't have to do that forever but it would open doors for her and get her on a better salary track with decent pension. Sounds like science is her passion so would be good to pass that on to others.

@tinyelephantlargeant any requirements on location as I can definitely suggest a few in the science field to apply for