97 per cent of GCU students find work or further study after graduation
More than 97 per cent of Glasgow Caledonian University (GCU) students are in work or further study six months after graduation, according to annual employment performance indicators.
This is GCU’s best performance in this measure, and represents an improvement of 1.4% compared to last year, putting the University second in Scotland and top in Glasgow.
The Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA) data was collected following a UK-wide survey of people who graduated with their first degree in 2015/2016.
Principal and Vice-Chancellor Professor Pamela Gillies CBE FRSE welcomed the findings, which follow GCU’s summer graduations for over 2,900 students this week.
“We work closely with industry, business and the public sector, hosting guest lectures by leaders in their field and providing placement/volunteering opportunities as part of our dynamic, real-world student experience,” said Professor Gillies.
“We are proud of our graduates; ambitious talented individuals from all backgrounds who, during their time at GCU, build the resilience, confidence and knowledge that global employers are looking for.”
The findings, which place GCU above the UK and Scottish averages of 94% and 95% respectively, reflect the University’s industry-informed curriculum and strong links with employers in the private, public and third sectors.
GCU graduates have secured employment with organisations including Bank of Scotland, Atkins, Hewlett Packard, Morgan Stanley, the NHS and Specsavers.
A significant proportion of our undergraduate programmes offer work placements and the University has developed unique exchange and volunteering opportunities at home and overseas.
Ronnie Charters, 2017 GCU graduate in BA (Hons) Multimedia Journalism, said: “GCU has amazing facilities and the lecturers all go above and beyond – from sharing their industry experience and contacts, to creating new modules to fit our evolving needs, to simply being there for us. They are like family and without that support network I wouldn’t have been able to get the industry placements at, for example, the BBC, STV, Celtic and the Evening Times that, along with all I have learned at GCU, have helped me secure my dream job straight out of university as a sports reporter at Radio Clyde.”