Over 80% of UL graduates employed or in further studies, figures show

FIGURES released yesterday show up to 84% of graduates from the University of Limerick (UL) are either employed or pursuing further study.

Addressing a conferring ceremony at UL, college president Professor Don Barry said employer demand for the college’s graduates continues to grow, with employment rates exceeding the national average.

Prof Barry said: “The most recent Graduate Employment Survey records an encouraging 5% increase in the employment of UL graduates.

“UL has, over the years, consistently recorded an employment rate higher than the national average, with the UL edge ranging between 8% and 12%. In other words, UL graduates have an 8%-12% better chance of gaining employment as compared with other university graduates.”

He said UL graduates have shown themselves to be ready for the workplace, highly-skilled and he claimed “more employable than their peers from other Irish universities”.

“In 2011 UL was independently evaluated by the international university rating agency QS Stars. We are delighted to have been awarded the maximum 5-star rating in six categories, namely teaching, engagement, internationalisation, innovation and knowledge transfer, infrastructure, and employability of our graduates,” Prof Barry added.

He said the college’s success in business had led to 114 new invention disclosures, 53 patent applications, 27 licence agreements and eight campus companies in the past five years, attracting in excess of €40 million in investment funding and employing 80 people locally.

He said: “Our culture of questioning, innovation and creativity had led to this success and will lead to much more. Our graduates are taught to think outside the box and to question the world around them.”

Chancellor Peter Malone urged graduates to remain focused. “Today there is a lot of doom and gloom in our country, but it is important to keep positive.”