Through promoting access and successful student learning, the University of Pretoria hopes to achieve its strategic priorities for 2022 – 2026.

The University of Pretoria’s (UP) strategic priorities for 2022 – 2026 include enhancing and reinforcing its position as a national asset in higher education by promoting access and successful student learning. It is significant for the optimisation of institutional progression that through efforts to upskill and empower students, UP consistently produces industrious, insightful, and advanced graduates, capable of contributing productively in society.

The Department of Institutional Planning, Monitoring, and Evaluation (DIP), houses the Market Research function at UP, which provides up-to-date market management information. A key method for monitoring is through market surveys. The Graduate Destination Survey (GDS), conducted by DIP, is a means of assessing short-term outcomes of UP graduates. These findings inform and guide growth and enhancement across UP’s academic offerings.

Key findings of the GDS are presented to establish the employment status and study pursuits of all UP graduates across faculties and the Gordan Institute of Business Science (GIBS), subsequent to the Autumn (April – May) graduation ceremonies in 2022. A 40% response rate (4 751 respondents) was achieved for the 2022 Autumn GDS.

Employment Status and Study Pursuits

86% of graduates reported being engaged in productive activity (employment and/or study) full or part-time, and 14% were not active in employment or studies. The proportion of unemployed graduates increased by 4% since 2019. Unemployment among UP graduates has seen a steady rise since 2018, especially among undergraduate completers from 7% in 2018 to 16% in early 2022. It is theorised that the unprecedented social, productive and economic disruptions caused by the COVID-19 pandemic may have averted employment opportunities and presented financial or practical challenges to studying further.

Graduates were asked to indicate whether or not their current employment status was impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. A total of 13% of graduates reported that the pandemic had an effect of their employment status. The main effects cited by graduates included the loss of job opportunities, reduced salaries, longer time to employment/delayed contracts, company closures and retrenchment. However, for a few, employment in emergency functions was a positive effect of the pandemic, as too was the ability to work remotely or flexibly.

For specified activities, 58% of graduates indicated that they were employed in some capacity. A total of 37% of graduates reported being engaged in further studies on a full or part-time basis as well, highlighting the increased need to specialise in various fields at tertiary level. Faculties from which graduates most frequently decided to pursue further studies were Humanities (23%), Economic and Management Sciences (22%), Natural and Agricultural Sciences (16%), and Education (16%).

When asked why they chose to study further, 42% of graduates pursuing further study indicated that they did so to improve their career progression, while 21% believed that further study would better position them to secure employment.

87% of those enrolled for further study have done so at UP. Other institutions at which UP graduates frequently enrolled were the University of South Africa (2%) and the University of Witwatersrand (2%).

Employment Basis

45% of those employed reported working on a permanent basis or with an open-ended contract, with 24% on a fixed-term contract lasting 12 months or longer, and 12% on fixed-term contracts lasting less than 12 months. Only 2% of UP graduates indicated working on a temporary basis and just 1% on a voluntary basis.

The dominant sectors in which UP graduates are employed are Education (22%), Logistics (20%), and Health & Medical (8%).

Earnings among those employed appear positive with a reported 68% of employed graduates earning at or above their expectations.

93% of employed graduates live and work in South Africa, with 75% of those residing in Gauteng.

Qualifications: Key Considerations

Employed graduates were asked to indicate if their conferred qualification was relevant to their current work. 92% felt their qualification was related or somewhat related to their current occupation.

All graduates were asked to rate their perceived development of key attributes and skills during the course of the studies at UP. Graduates reported the greatest satisfaction in demonstrating the following skills:

• Upholding ethical standards, 87%
• Ability to take responsibility, 85%
• Complex problem solving, 84%
• Upholding professional standards, 83%
• Critical thinking skills, 83%
• Analytical thinking skills, 83%

While relatively less dissatisfaction in skills development was reported, the following are the skills which some graduates felt unable to adequately demonstrate:

• Emotional intelligence, 7%
• Persuasion and negotiation, 6%
• Time management, 5%
• Communication skills, 5%

For more information on or findings from the GDS and other surveys, visit: Surveys at UP