NTU graduates starting on the front foot

Graduate employment survey reflected positive job prospects for fresh graduates of NTU, with higher starting pay and the majority clinching jobs within six months of graduation.

By Toh Ting Wei, News Editor

POSITIVE PROSPECTS: It has been a smooth transition into working life  for NTU’s Class of 2014, with a higher average starting pay and employment opportunities available to most.
PHOTO: NTU

The transition into working life has been rosy for most of NTU’s Class of 2014, with most finding jobs and enjoying a higher starting salary.

This is according to the results of the Graduate Employment Survey, which was released on 27 Feb. The survey, which was jointly conducted by NTU, the National University of Singapore and Singapore Management University, found that nine in 10 of NTU graduates secured a job within six months of graduation, similar to the results in 2013.

Courses such as Sports Science and Management, and Business and Computing enjoyed a significant increase in employment rate, by 19.7 and 5.4 percentage points respectively.

Graduates who secured full-time employment also improved on their seniors’ showing in terms of starting pay, with the overall mean gross salary rising by 2.7 per cent to $3,272, from $3,187 two years ago. Meanwhile, the median gross salary rose by 4.9 per cent to $3,200, from $3,050.

Professor Kam Chan Hin, Senior Associate Provost (Undergraduate Education), hailed these results as a show of confidence among employers in NTU graduates.

Pointing out that the achievements were “no small feat”, Prof Kam added: “NTU remains confident about our graduates’ employment prospects this year, despite the potential global economic slowdown.”

While the outlook seems positive for undergraduates, Wilson Low, a final-year student from the School of Biological Sciences (SBS), regarded the results with cautious optimism.

The 26-year-old said: “For example, if there are 10,000 university graduates a year, this statistic would mean that 1,000 graduates are unable to find jobs. There are also graduates from other institutions such as polytechnics or foreign and private universities, which makes the job market very competitive.”

Low noted that the university is currently doing a good job in preparing undergraduates for a smooth transition into the job market, with career fairs and internship programmes available to students.

He added: “I like the fact that SBS implements its internship during the last semester, as it gives me the opportunity and time to transit properly from studying to working.”

Graduates such as Lin Ziqian found the process of finding a job tougher than expected. Lin, who holds a combined degree in Mathematics and Economics from NTU, started working as a business analyst and consultant two months after her final exams, but the route to her job proved to be challenging.

The 23-year-old said: “It was hard for me to decide what I really wanted to do. I sent out my résumés to quite a few companies before I secured a job, but I am glad that I found something I like.”

OPPORTUNITIES AVAILABLE: Career fairs and internship programmes were cited as helpful options in preparing students of life after graduation. Some students even managed to secure jobs before graduation as a result of these initiatives.
PHOTO: NTU

In terms of NTU graduates who secured full-time employment by 1 Nov 2014, the degrees which commanded the highest average gross salary were Aerospace Engineering ($3,911), Accountancy and Business (ACBS) ($3,597), and Computer Engineering ($3,512). However, graduates in Accountancy and Business actually fared worse than their 2013 counterparts, who drew a gross monthly pay of $3,727.

Among other degrees that experienced a drop in the average gross starting pay was Business and Computing (BCG), which is also offered by the Nanyang Business School (NBS). The mean gross starting salary for graduates in this course dropped from $3,615 in 2013 to $3,431 in 2014.

NBS undergraduates pursuing these two degrees need not start worrying about their prospects based on these results though, according to Linda Ong, Director of NBS Career Services.

Ms Ong said: “(The drop in BCG’s starting pay was) merely a temporary aberration… The outlook for BCG is promising with employers expressing continued interest in graduates with a combination of business acumen and IT expertise, especially from the consulting industry.”

She also noted that the drop in ACBS’s starting salary represented a marginal variation of five per cent, which was not unusual. With most ACBS graduates developing a career in the finance industries — which has been impacted by lacklustre growth in salaries locally and globally — it is not surprising that they would accept a lower starting pay to kick-start their careers, she said.

“At NBS, we advocate that students should pursue their passions and career goals, rather than jobs that promise higher salaries but are not aligned with their long term goals,” Ms Ong added.

ACBS graduate Sim Shi Kai, 25, shared a similar view, believing that the key to a securing a job lies in the hands of undergraduates themselves.

The civil servant said: “Ultimately, it depends on the expectations of the individual. For me, as I did not aspire to work in an investment bank or be a trader, I did not have it as difficult as some of my other peers.

“Students should understand themselves better, know their strengths and play to them when applying for jobs.”

*For detailed results of the Graduate Employment survey, readers can refer to: http://www.moe.gov.sg/education/post-secondary/files/ges-ntu.pdf