Graduate goals must be the same as employer’s

Having read with interest the recent series of correspondence regarding new graduate employment, it is clear that the expectations of new graduates on employment and the skills that employers expect of graduates are not the same.

The main division between these two worlds has not actually been previously mentioned and it is education.

The gulf between these worlds is the same age-old lack of real knowledge and co-operation between industry and education.

There is also a rift between college departments themselves, as the contemporary business marketing students of today are the future clients of designers.

It was once suggested by one of my past lecturers that college degree level was not a guarantee of employment, but an opportunity to study design outside the constraints of budget and politics.

This was a fair comment, but it is essential that your design psychology is built on a foundation of competent basic skills.

The ammunition needed to increase a new graduate’s chances of success are: good drafting, presentation, organisation and an understanding of construction and art history.

All these skills will help communicate design flair, which is welcomed in industry, not forgetting to understand that, as a new graduate, one will need to be a team player.

It is unfortunately a fact of life that with the completion of studies at any level there will be posts that require experience.

It is up to students to ensure that their choice of college reflects their career expectations. This will be the only way to change the education they get and ease the bleeding heart of new graduates.

Roy Kirby

senior project designer

Design Coalition

Ongar

Essex

CM5 9JY