UCT degree ticket to employment - survey

More than half of recent University of Cape Town graduates have found jobs in the private sector‚ with one in five earning more than R20‚000 a month.

The careers service at the university’s Centre for Higher Education and Development said the results of its survey were supported by the Quacquarelli Symonds graduate employability rankings‚ which put UCT top in Africa and 18th in the world.

Almost 4‚800 students took part in the UCT survey during the June 2018 to April graduation season.

About 53% of graduates were working in the private sector‚ 20% in the public sector and 6% at nongovernment organisations.

Just over 23% were earning between R20‚000 and R30‚000‚ 16.14% between R15‚001 and R20‚000‚ and 5.21% between R5‚001 and R7,000.

UCT said about 80% of its class of 2018 were meaningfully occupied‚ with 44% employed‚ 31% involved in further studies and nearly 4% selfemployed.

Health sciences was the best faculty for graduate employability‚ with 70% of all medical students in jobs.

Second was law (63%), while 11% of 2018 graduates were still seeking work.

Careers service acting director Nawaal Boolay said the results of the annual survey would assist in the development of partnerships with potential employers.

“We continue to support these graduates through our online job portal‚ [one-on-one] career consultations‚ job expos and career development workshops‚” she said.

“Graduates have access to our service for up to three years after graduating.”