Graduate Careers Australia (GCA) is a not-for-profit organisation that tracks the activities of new university graduates, reporting annually on their employment destinations and starting salaries via the Australian Graduate Survey.

In order to better inform students and the higher education sector, GCA is undertaking an innovative new survey of university students, titled 'University and Beyond'.

Responses to the survey are able to be made until August 10 and respondents have the chance to win a $4000 travel or retail voucher, 1 of 3 $500 travel/retail vouch­ers, or 1 of 50 $30 music vouchers. All participant information is kept strictly confidential.

To find out more, go to:   http://www.universityandbeyond.com.au/

To date there have been no systematic national attempts to obtain the views and expectations of higher education students about their transition from education to work and the link between immediate higher education outcomes for graduates and wider economic circumstances prior to them completing their university education.

Graduate Careers Australia sought and received funding from the Department of Education, Science and Training (DEST) to conduct a national online survey to measure undergraduate student perceptions about their post-graduation movements, such as

• the type of work they hope to obtain,
• their expected salary,
• how they value the various benefits being offered by employers,
• preferred types of work,
• methods of seeking work, and
• their expectations of working life.

The primary purpose of the survey is to obtain the views of university students to build a broad understanding of their post-university expectations.

This information can then be used by those recruiting graduates to tailor employment packages based on a clear understanding of student desires and expectations, as well as being used by graduate employers and universities to better communicate to students a realistic understanding of employment prospects following university and the expectations of employers once they enter the workforce.

The University and Beyond findings will be coupled with information collected in GCA's annual Australian Graduate Survey (a survey of the destinations of new graduates) and Graduate Outlook Survey (a survey of graduate employers) to provide a more detailed picture of their movement from higher education to the workforce.

This project has the full support of the professional careers association, the National Association of Graduate Careers Advisory Services (NAGCAS). GCA is working with NAGCAS members, and university career advisers from a representative selection of universities in the conduct of University and Beyond to ensure that the full diversity of the higher education sector in Australia is reflected in the survey findings. 

For further information, please contact Mr Graeme Bryant, GCA Senior Research & Surveys Officer on (03) 8344 9280 or via graeme.bryant@graduatecareers.com.au