CQU ranks second in Australia for full-time employment rates

CQUniversity has ranked second in Australia for full-time employment rates in the latest national Graduate Outcomes Survey (GOS) results.

CQUniversity Vice-Chancellor and President' Professor Nick Klomp said the University was thrilled with the result.

"In 2020' CQUniversity was in the top 10 nationally for full-time employment. Not only have we moved up the rankings' but we've made a gain of more than 10 per cent in our student employment rate over the past year'" Professor Klomp said.

The 2021 GOS' released today' shows that full-time employment four months after graduating from CQU' increased from 73 per cent in 2020 to 83.4 per cent in 2021.

"We're also thrilled that the median full-time starting salary of our graduates is equal second-highest in the sector' at $70'000."

Labour force participation by CQUniversity graduates also ranked in the top 10 nationally.

"This success comes down to a number of factors' but our focus on industry engagement and work integrated learning across all courses has a huge influence on the overall employability of our students'" Professor Klomp said.

"What's also significant is that the top five universities for graduate employment are all regional universities. That confirms what we already know: students at regional universities enjoy the best graduate employment rates in the nation."

Professor Klomp said that despite CQU's success in the 2021 GOS' the University was not content to rest on its laurels.

"We're even more determined to promote the employability of our students. Last week' we launched the CQUniversity Graduate Guarantee – an Australian-first initiative to further improve the workforce-readiness of our students."

The Graduate Guarantee is simple: if you don't get a job in your industry within six months of graduating from CQU' the University will allow the graduate to sign up for a free course to further boost their skills and experience.

"The Graduate Certificate in Leadership and Entrepreneurship is worth more than $5'000. Our willingness to enrol our graduates free of charge means we are putting our money where our mouth is when it comes to graduate employability.

"Anyone graduating from a CQUniversity undergraduate program from 2022 onwards is eligible to take advantage of the Graduate Guarantee."