Graduate survey – positive spin, or a shameful farce?

What the Creative Graduates, Creative Futures survey (News, DW 21 January) has missed out is the fact that 10 000 new designers graduate every year, and at least 200 000 new designers have graduated in the UK in the past 20 years.

At the turn of the century, there were around 5000 design groups in the UK. Now there are more than 15 000. What this says is, ‘If you can’t get a job, you set up on your own.’

I know of many who have given up designing because it is so low paid for the skilled work and training required. Hardly surprising, really – with a massive oversupply, simple market forces come into play.

This survey is a farce, conducted by people who have no idea what they’re talking about. It is outrageous that money was spent on it.
As far as I know, design courses never lay out the true facts of life in the design world. The core problem of giving false hopes of a job has not been addressed. This is wrong.

This ‘survey’ just reinforces a rose-tinted view of the design world. Elizabeth Rouse should be ashamed of herself.

Roy Wylam, by e-mail
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