Spporting graduates struggling with unemployment and rejection?

[anotherglass]

Son (22) graudated last summer with engineering degree. Since then he has been applied for 100+ jobs, had interviews, but never got the job. He volunteers part-time in a charity store and works for a sustainability charity. He is learning another language, and playing in a band. In spite of this, he is steadily becoming demotivated and demoralised by the constant rejection.
Parents of l-t unemployed young adults, how do you deal with this?

Thank you Australia is indeed more promising in the mining sector.

It's been a struggle but he was unwell during studies so did not perform to potential. I have suggested a Masters to open more opportunities.

Thank you x

Thank you x

Thank you and best wishes to your DS. Late diagnosis is indeed heartbreaking to contend with especially when it affects their academic performance. x

Thank you for great suggestion. Makes sense to consider this as an option. x

This is amazing, thank you so much for taking the time to post. x

@Scarlettjune It’s obviously not for the majority but a 2:2 is a problem. The dc has a degree in a more challenging areas for engineering roles.
@anotherglass Do you know where would accept him for a masters? Why could he not stay where he was? Usually a 2:1 is needed so don’t get your hopes too high.

Absolutely 💯 this, and it was the same when I graduated 20 odd years ago (,yes, I know - it's not relevant now etc but it is... Just hear me out...😆😅)

I graduated with a degree in the history of modern art, but I was extremely keen on a career in journalism and the media.

I literally wrote to all the big magazine publishing companies in London about work experience, the was fortunate enough to be offered a place at Woman's Own. It snowballed from there, with the experience as a catalyst to gain more at various other publishing companies and magazines.

The rest is history and of course, it's definitely different and much harder these days. But a couple of years ago, I had to return to freelance copywriter editing roles after a career break as a SAHM for 7 years, and literally within a fortnight of me making my LinkedIn status as Open to work, my old publisher who originally employed me was in touch. I was very lucky, and I do honestly think I'd still be out of work now if it hadn't been for such fortunate circumstances.

It really is absolutely about experience and who you know.

I truly hope you and your DS' luck changes soon. I really empathise with how soul destroying and demoralising it just is.😞

I can appreciate it feels frustrating but wanting to earn a “real grad wage” is clearly not about to come to fruition,

Grads these days are caught between a rock and a hard place. Companies can employ apprentices far cheaper with government support, train them up to fit in their business and know them well by the time they qualify. On other other hand there’s been so many engineers, experienced and qualified coming from abroad, that are willing to earn a lot less, if a company has a choice between grad or experienced for similar outlay, what are they going to do? Short sighted yes, but that’s where we are. It’s not just engineering having this crisis. University is becoming a waste of time for vocational qualifications. Much better to get an apprenticeship at 18. it’s rubbish, but your son can only work with the system.

Going for apprenticeships is really the best way forward here - yes it might seem a step back but it’s a step back to run forward. ATM hes treading water.

The other option is to try in another country where there aren’t experienced engineers coming in willing to work for a graduate wage.

Im sorry your son is struggling the career path that is taught in schools and universities is no longer valid, universities have a vested interest in selling this lie to teenagers

@anotherglass

Another poster suggested joining the Armed Forces as a Reservist, OP.

That would be a good idea, as he would benefit from being part of a team.

The opportunity to transfer into full-time would exist too, as long as he passed all the necessary stages.

The role of Engineer Officer is an excellent one.

The only thing which may hinder him in joining the Armed Forces may be the illness you referred to, but Recruitment would advise on the specifics.

https://www.royalnavy.mod.uk/careers/royal-navy-reserves?

I do agree re apprenticeships but in reality, one of my DC is at sixth form and is applying for apprenticeships, alongside uni. There aren’t that many (when you consider how many 18 year olds there are) and so they are highly competitive. He’s still applying but the reality is that when things are so competitive a lot of very strong candidates will still miss out.

There are NOT vast numbers of apprenticeships with degrees and numbers are declining. They are hard to secure and some offer a very narrow training on the job. Dc can get trapped with limited work.

DH employed many outstanding grad engineers from abroad and didn’t pay less than uk trained ones. Over the years, he wanted to retain the best ones so why on earth would a professional engineer be paid less just because they weren’t Brit’s? The assertion this happens to overseas grad and qualified engineers is rubbish. The truth is that many of them are better than our grads and need less hand holding.

Your experience is relevant and not relevant.

As you said, it’s experience and who you know. That’s relevant.

It’s the experience that they are struggling to get and at 21 it’s largely who your parents know, not who you know. You don’t know anyone yourself until you can get your foot on that ladder so everything that happens after that is currently irrelevant. Your example is the dream for a lot graduates now. It’s not that they don’t know how things work.

My university friendship group mostly had a mix of B&Cs with the odd A At A level. We partied our way through university. Not one of us had an internship, we worked in bars and cafes during the holidays, jobs which were easy to find. We moved to London en masse and all picked up entry level positions in random sectors with our random degrees. Second interviews for your first job were rare and friend recommendations for sales team interviews were common. Not a single one of us joined a grad programme. We worked our way up, reaching management by our 30s and are now in senior positions in our early 50s (and terrified of redundancy but that’s another thread).

We told our children to work hard thinking they would benefit from our experience and so do even better! They entered an education system which pushed them hard on grades. Practically nothing else mattered. A huge number of them have multiple As at A Level. They knew things were tougher and they were advised not to do the airy fairy degrees we did but to study economics, engineering, law. They went all out to get into their uni of choice, filling their statements with experiences that we never had to think about. They applied for internships - some get them but most don’t. They work much harder than us because they are told they need a strong 2:1 or a first to get anywhere. They optimistically start the graduate recruitment programme and get their first indication of the world as it stands. They get the 2:1 or first and find the employment world has collapsed around them. And they come home. Most of them have done everything right and know every bit of advice that has been mentioned on this thread.

Of course there are still lots of success stories - my DD graduates this month and has an entry level position lined up paying NMW and she’s beyond thrilled as most of her friends don’t have anything yet or are doing masters - but these successes don’t invalidate the real struggle for others who would not have struggled to launch until recently.

That's a great post, @Justusethebloodyphone and mirrors my own experience. I wonder if, when 'doing everything right' now gets most people pretty much nowhere, whether there might be a case for just reverting to the early 90s uni experience? If you're going to end up having to take a really basic job at the end of it and then pull yourself up the career ladder through experience rather than academics, well, you may as well simply enjoy your uni years, do whatever airy fairy degree you like, ignore internships and grad schemes altogether....

Assuming you don't mind the debt, that is - or can avoid it.

(None of this applies to the OP's situation, of course - and it's great that things may be turning around there.)

@Explodingdreams The big issue is actually getting the job! Having fun and doing a degree is possible but dc know they need a job afterwards and a non existent cv doesn’t hack it. So given the current circumstances, it’s an expensive way to have fun for 3 years. I actually think the issue is that dc who simply do the degree and nothing else are too narrow. Some just don’t shine in any other way.

My point was that there is no comparison and we can’t go back as the entry level jobs aren’t there in the volume they used to be - we could be so carefree simply because no-one really thought they wouldn’t be able to get a decent job or be able to afford rent.

And the levels of experience now required to make students stand out beyond their degree are not possible for every student to achieve because those opportunities are also uber competitive!

Taking each day as it comes. Dd1 having time of her life at university and dd2 will go. Both academic and enjoy learning and university life so we think one sad to miss that.

Made me relieved we stopped at 2. This generation are going to need way more financial support than we did. I know of 50 somethings re mortgaging themselves to buy their kids a flat to share.

I was about to say the same. If he's picked up your attitude, no-one would rush to employ him in this market.

Totally agree with this.