The Impact of COVID-19 on student and graduate opportunities
As a student or graduate, you will no doubt be considering the impact the global pandemic is having upon graduate opportunities and placements. Therefore, to keep you informed, we have created this page which will feature regular updates on the student and graduate recruitment market during these unprecedented times, as well as advice on what steps you can take.
Please keep checking back; this page will be updated regularly with the latest information available to us.
Despite the constantly evolving situation, we wanted to take the time to update you all on the effects of previous lockdowns and the lifting of restrictions on the graduate job market. Statistics from the commons library regarding the effects of the pandemic have highlighted that employment levels for those aged 16-24 and 65+ have unfortunately fallen by 9%. Alongside this many industries were more effected by the pandemic with the number of payrolled employees in the Arts, entertainment & recreation sector and accommodation & food service sector seeing a fall of around 20%. However, the rollout of the coronavirus vaccine measures alongside the lifting of restrictions is providing a glimmer of hope within these sectors. Since measures began to be lifted the UK has seen the three best weeks for posting since the start of the pandemic. Luminate prospects frequently posts updates and articles on the numbers of postings the UK has seen which can be found here. Despite this somewhat negative outlook at times the pandemic has also highlighted a number of much more resilient industries. Additionally, workers that hold degrees make up almost 50% of the workforce in these resilient industries. This again highlights the importance that graduates and degree holders hold in the labour market. The IFS has also found that the impact of the pandemic has been likely to disrupt the career progression of those in their early stages with many graduates potentially delaying their entry into the labour market by staying in education. In light of this we encourage our students to carefully consider their opportunities and welcome them to reach out to us or book an appointment to discuss their options. Handshake recently published their report on what they call ‘Netpotism’ and the dangers of current recruitment procedures utilising small, closed networks. In light of this we suggest that students try and adapt their application procedures to tackle the ever-shifting landscape. We currently have some excellent sessions on networking and finding jobs as part of our Finalist Launch sessions which you can catch up on here. As this is an ever-changing situation, we will work to keep you updated as news appears. We also encourage our students to seek out fresh sources of information such as the recently announced OFS analysis of the young peoples labour market released on the 11th May here. As the bespoke Careers Service for the University of Lincoln, we promote student and graduate opportunities via our CareerLinc platform. The number of job adverts advertised throughout May 2021 was higher then the number of roles advertised throughout May 2020. For May 2021 the highest proportion of vacancies were Graduate opportunities, schemes or internships, with 300 live adverts. There were 28 placement roles advertised, which shows that companies are still also advertising these opportunities for student placements. Graduate schemes advertised include Champions UK, Anglian Water, Kennedys, RSM UK, British Steel and BAE Systems. Larger organisations continue to represent the highest number of opportunities listed. The service actively work with local and national employers to continually source student and graduate opportunities.
June Update
Graduate Job Market and Placements
Our Own CareerLinc Analysis
The University of Lincoln partners with companies to offer graduate internships. These can be sourced by you directly and if you want to work for a particular company, virtually or remotely at this time, you may be eligible for a funded internship. For further details, visit the Internships advice section of our website. New opportunities to meet and engage with businesses through virtual Careers fairs, online events and virtual internships could provide opportunities to engage with companies in a different way. To find virtual events, visit our Events Calendar. The Careers Service is continuing to source and advertise part time roles, placement opportunities and graduate positions, all advertised on CareerLinc. Therefore keep checking for live job adverts, update your contact details and set up email job alerts. For those employers who are continuing with recruitment many are changing their recruitment methods online. These include application screening, telephone interviews, online assessment centres. The Careers team can support with all aspects of application via our remote services. Consider continuing to build your skills throughout this time with our top tips on how to Boost Your Employability from Home. We know that the current climate may be causing you some concerns with regards to your career, and it may be that you need to review your plans – you can still gain support via our services, all of which are available remotely, via the button below; we are here to help you. What you should do now?