The Concept of Graduate Glut - Essay Example

The concept of graduate glut means that there is such a high number of graduates that it is difficult to find suitable employment (McKewon and Lindoff, 2011). At times, the glut is the result of skills-gap between the prospective employees and the job requirements. This study analyzes the way in which it has affected recruitment, selection and promotion processes in social care sector. The sector of social care is one which requires multiple skills and good attitude. The most important aspect necessary is the caring and compassionate approach (James, 2011). Hence, apart from the educational qualifications, the recruitment process tries to assess the passion of the individual to make a difference to the society. Communication skills, awareness of best practices related to social care in various roles such as occupational therapy, community support, social outreach, technical support are also assessed (Eborall and Garmeson, 2001). Additionally, the aptitude towards constant learning is also an important factor considered for employment. From an academic perspective, organizations are not just looking at education qualifications, but also at extra factors such as contribution to any social work journals, additional research, participation in voluntary act ivies and so on (James, 2011). Therefore, the career opportunities in the field of social work demand additional experience and suitable attitude. Over the past couple of decades, there has been an increase in the number of institutions that offer courses on social work/social care (Hughes, 2002). Therefore, every year, the total number of students that pass out with degrees in social work or social care has been increasing. Also, as the evaluation criterion for many modules of the course is not very stringent, a large number of students pass out of these institutions every year. It is true that the demand for social workers is also increasing, but the total number of graduate students is much higher in comparison to the opportunities available (Hughes, 2002). This situation has created a glut of graduates. While the employment opportunities are immense, the organizations feel that the prospective candidates do not have the necessary skills that are required for this sector (Tripody and Potocky-Tripodi, 2007). Also, a large number of prospective candidates, who do not get hired because of lack of skills has created a glut in the industry. Organizations are looking for individuals who have some internship or apprenticeship experience. The selection process is planned in such a manner that candidates with some kind of experience, even if it is not a formal apprenticeship are preferred. Hence, a noticeable trend in the recruitment and selection process is the high focus on experience (Tripody and Potocky-Tripodi, 2007). In the past couple of years, there has been an increased demand of people in the social care sector and hence, many people opted for social care as their subject for graduation and specialization, even though they did not have a great interest in this sector (McTrenan, 2002). When it came to employment, many of such people did not get the jobs because they did not have the right interest or the aptitude to work in this sector. This also created a situation of a high number of graduates who had degrees, but failed to get proper employment. Therefore, The graduate glut has definitely had an impact on the employment prospects in the social care sectors. It is necessary to understand that even within the social care sector, the competition is immense (Allen, 2000). The current set of employees are highly skilled and they have a high level of passion towards the work they handle. Hence, this has also changed the patterns in which promotions take place within the sector. As the competition is fierce, participants or employees have to constantly innovate and work in an outstanding manner to be considered for promotion (Allen, 2000). Coupled with the fact that the number of high positions are less in this sector, the competition has increased much more. Therefore, not only in terms of getting recruited and selected, but in terms of promotions within the sector, a graduate glut exists in the social care industry. As a graduate student in social care, it is necessary for me to be better prepared for employment, espcially in wake of the graduate glut in the sector. There are several steps that I can take during the course of the academic year to enhance my job prospects. The first and foremost step is to enhance the academic record by taking additional courses. While the basics of social care is covered in the course module, opting for additional inter-disciplinary courses from other departments such as Human Rights, Gender Studies, Psychology can be of immense help. From a personal view point, these courses will be very useful in giving me a wholesome perspective and enhancing my knowledge. It will also help me to narrow down on the specific field of social care that I would want to consider as a future career. Second step is to participate in voluntary acti that happen inside the campus as well as outside the campus. Within the campus, many events are conducted, such as awareness about eye donation, providing financial and non-financial services to needy students, efforts to make the campus disabled friendly, counseling help-line and so on. Outside the campus, there are many non-governmental organizations that work in the social care sector, who are constantly in search of volunteers. Participating in such activities will give me hands-on experience and hence, would prove to be a value add in the job market. Also, during the summer break, I will try to secure an internship with an organization in the local care sector to gain some experience of working in the industry. Finally, I will try to make the most of the course by increasing my knowledge through various academic activities. For example, going through the journals of social work and reading on current research, can help me keep abreast of the latest developments in the sector. Similarly, I will try to read additional theoretical concepts and important aspects of social care from the university library. All these steps will help me to prepare in a better manner for employment, even though there is a graduate glut in the sector. References McKeown, T and Lindorff, M. 2011. The graduate job search process – a lesson in persistence rather than good career management?, Education + Training, 53(4), 310 - 320 James, P. 2011. Voluntary sector outsourcing: A reflection on employment-related rationales, developments and outcomes, International Journal of Public Sector Management, 24(7), 684 - 693 Eborall, C. and Garmeson, K. 2001 Desk Research on Recruitment and Retention in Social Care and Social Work. London: Department of Health. Hughes, L. 2002. The Workforce for Social Work and Social Care. In Kendall, L and Harker, L. (eds.) From Welfare to Wellbeing. The Future of Social Care. London: Institute for Public Policy Research, pp. 687-693. McTernan, J. 2002. Future Drivers of Changes. In Kendall, L and Harker, L. (eds.) From Welfare to Wellbeing. The Future of Social Care. London: Institute for Public Policy Research, pp. 22-37 Allen, M. P. 2000. Our professional values and the changing environment. Journal of Social Work Education, 36(2), 179-182. Tripodi, T. & Potocky-Tripodi, M. 2007. International social work research: Issues and prospective. New York: The Oxford University Press. Read More