Garner continues to argue that the news for graduates about their employment prospects may have seemed unremittingly gloomy over the past few months. It is, according to statistics, at its worst level for some 17 years. However, hidden in amongst the national statistics there are some success stories that show all may not be as bad as it seemed for everyone who graduated last year. Crucially, it can depend on what subject you studied as to how successful you were at finding a job.
Statistics demonstrate that a glimmer of light shines in the field of geography: its graduates are finding it less difficult to obtain meaningful employment than the rest.
The official figures show only 7.4% of them were unemployed six months after graduation compared to 8.9% of the student body altogether.
Garner forecasts that
The world may becoming their oyster as more and more companies see the virtues of having a green eye on board to advise them on environmental hazards.
Using his own personal experiences from his subject choice days at a leading Independent school, where geography was deemed to be a subject only for the academically challenged, he reports that geography had such a low ranking in the eyes of academia there. There is anecdotal evidence from schools over the last number of years of the subject slipping down the popularity ratings. Not any more! It has taken some time to change perceptions but numbers studying it at GCSE level across the UK have risen.
The Royal Geographical Society has mounted a campaign to increase the take up in the schools even further with a letter from its president, Michael Palin, to all parents saying
So many of the world's problems boil down to geography and need the geographers of the future to help us understand them
Lesson Idea
There is an opportunity her to get your Year 10 or Year 12 pupils to elaborate on the import of Michael Palin's comment
Global warming, sustainable food production, natural disasters, such as earthquakes and tsunamis, the spread of diseases, the reasons for migration and the future of energy sources are just some of the great challenges facing the next generation of geographers.
Lesson idea
On your subject choice noticeboard make GEOGRAPHY your subject of the month for January asking the class to populate the board with all kinds of information on the subject e.g. reasons for doing the subject, the content of the GCSE syllabus; photographs from the newspaper/magazines on geography related issues, past pupils working in geography related careers; the schools GCSE/AS/A level results over the past three years etc.
Gardner goes on to qualify his position on geography by confirming that an A-level in geography is recognised for its academic 'robustness' and, most importantly it helps young people into the world of work. You will find geographers in a wide range of work, he reports, from the City to planning, working in the environment to travel and tourism or in international charities or retail.
In the past when times have been hard economists have looked at businesses with a ruthless lack of sentiment. A decade or so ago they may well have professed concern for the environment but when the chips were down people in green roles would have been shown the door.
Martin Baxter of the Institute of Environmental Management and Assessment makes this point
There seems to have been a change in the status of the environmental professional. They are today better integrated into business.
Some of the geography graduates spoken to in the research for the article have ended up in a job you would not necessarily associate with the subject. However, they feel the skills they learned in making presentations during their university course and arguing an environmental case has helped them in whatever career they have chosen to pursue.
Lesson idea
Ask the class to consider which other skills and qualities might accrue from someone studying geography for A-level/degree and why these skills would appeal to a potential employer?
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