Hell Hath No Fury Like a Graduate Waiting on Tables Available to Purchase

In 1993, the Responsive College Unit (RCU), an independent educational market research organization based in Blackburn, was commissioned by the East Lancashire Training and Enterprise Council (ELTEC) to evaluate the labour market experiences of graduates from Lancashire. Describes the survey which followed almost 6,500 graduates; 40 per cent of the entire graduate cohorts for the period 1991‐93 returned questionnaires. Suggests that the results shed new light on the plight of graduates seeking employment in the current recession and also identified important factors which determine the extent to which local economies like Lancashire are able to retain the skills of their most qualified young people. Describes the main findings from the research and identifies the picture that emerged of the current realities of the transition from higher education to work.