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.