The Employability of First Class Graduates

The belief that we are living in a globally
competitive knowledge-driven economy has led
successive UK Governments to emphasise the
employability of graduates. Within knowledge-driven
economies it is commonly assumed that graduates with
the highest credentials will receive the best
employment opportunities, be better rewarded in the
labour market and have better overall life chances,
regardless of characteristics such as social
background, gender or educational biography. This
book critically evaluates such assumptions. The
focus is on UK university graduates with First Class
honours degrees - the highest level of degree
achievement in the UK. A central concern is the
extent to which the hierarchy of achievement within
university corresponds with the opportunity
structure of the labour market, in terms of
graduates outcomes and rewards. The book should be
of particular interest to professionals working in
Careers and Human Resource fields, to graduates
themselves, and to anyone with an interest in the
relationship between Higher Education and the labour
market.

Autorentext
Claire Smetherham, PhD: BSc Econ. in Sociology & Social Policy (First Class honours), School of Social Sciences, Cardiff University. Research Associate, Centre for the Study of Ethnicity & Citizenship, Bristol Institute for Public Affairs, University of Bristol, UK.

Klappentext
The belief that we are living in a globally competitive knowledge-driven economy has led successive UK Governments to emphasise the employability of graduates. Within knowledge-driven economies it is commonly assumed that graduates with the highest credentials will receive the best employment opportunities, be better rewarded in the labour market and have better overall life chances, regardless of characteristics such as social background, gender or educational biography. This book critically evaluates such assumptions. The focus is on UK university graduates with First Class honours degrees - the highest level of degree achievement in the UK. A central concern is the extent to which the hierarchy of achievement within university corresponds with the opportunity structure of the labour market, in terms of graduates' outcomes and rewards. The book should be of particular interest to professionals working in Careers and Human Resource fields, to graduates themselves, and to anyone with an interest in the relationship between Higher Education and the labour market.