Smart Education in Ireland : University of Limerick graduates ‘most sought after’ in jobs market

University of Limerick graduates are the most sought after of any Irish college, the president of UL has said.

Prof Don Barry, speaking at a conferring ceremony yesterday, said UL graduates were more likely to be employed after graduation than any other graduate in the country.

“The employment rate of UL graduates one year after graduation is more than 20% higher than the average for the other six Irish universities. We call that the UL edge and it is something of which this university is very proud,” he said.

“Our most recent survey revealed that more than seven out of ten of our graduates are going into direct employment. And most of the rest go on to further study and research.”

Prof Barry said traditionally UL’s graduate employment figures trend well above the national average.

“Despite the challenging environment, UL’s graduate employment rate for 2014 primary degree holders is now 22% higher than the [Higher Education Authority’s] most recently available national average figure which is 51% for 2013.

“The survey of UL’s 2014 graduates showed 92% are either employed or pursuing further study.”

The UL Careers Service collects information about the “first destinations” of its graduates. This survey was conducted nine months after graduation and focuses on the employment and further study patterns of the graduates of 2014. A total of 3,149 graduates were surveyed and a response rate of 86% was achieved.

Prof Barry said: “Up to 73% of graduates went directly into employment, 56% in Ireland and 17% overseas. This is a 3% increase in employment levels on 2013 with a significant increase (7%) of those securing employment within Ireland.

In recent years the Mid-West has become the most popular region of employment and accounts for 36% of jobs, followed by Dublin at 27%. The most popular overseas location was the UK at 41%, an increase of 2% on 2013, followed by North America at 21%.”

The number of UL graduates seeking employment is at 7%, lower than the official unemployment rate.

"Ireland is emerging the best place to study nowadays...many students are selecting Ireland because the country offers many good reasons which no other country till now offers", says Mr. Deepak, Education Manager, Career XL Services..

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