Solent hits the top 50 for graduate employment

Graduates from Southampton Solent University are some of the most employable in the country, according the latest data from HESA.

The Employment Performance Indicator (EPI) data, a publicly available set of figures released yesterday (6 July), shows the percentage of leavers in employment or further study six months after graduation.

Solent University recorded its best ever result with 95% of graduates from full time degrees in employment or further study six months after leaving (2015-2016). This was the 42^nd highest university in the sector, a climb of 70 places on last year, and above universities including Oxford, Liverpool and Durham.

It’s even better news for the University’s part-time first degree leavers, who recorded a 100% employability rate, putting them joint first with seven others in the sector.

Professor Graham Baldwin, the University’s Vice Chancellor says: "This is great news for us as a University and particularly for our students who will be graduating from Solent next week. We're extremely proud of our ongoing commitment to producing work-ready graduates who leave us with the skills and experience they need to excel in their chosen careers." 

Solent has a number of initiatives to support students and graduates getting into work and progressing into their chosen careers. Solent Futures works closely with course teams to support their work on employability. Key initiatives include the University's paid graduate internship scheme that has placed graduates in roles both within the University and around the city.

The University’s Professional Mentoring scheme also has a huge impact on students and supports them in achieving their career goals. This year, 120 local professionals gave up their time to mentor Solent students and help them to establish their dream careers.

Solent’s enterprise initiatives also give graduates a commercial edge that appeals to employers – including:

• Solent Creatives, the University’s in-house student agency matching student freelancers to businesses and charities for affordable creative projects;
• RE:SO (Retail Solent) Solent’s award-winning student-led store;
• Solent Productions, which develops students' media expertise and creativity through exciting production and research projects; and,
• Solent TV, the University’s award winning entertainment and documentary web channel, featuring content of all types made by Solent students. 

The University also supports all students to undertake a work placement or work experience, and real-world learning is embedded in all courses to help students prepare for the world of work.