While the current financial climate has led to a reduction in graduate recruitment across the board, the record number of graduates applying to architecture firms has made competition in this field even more intense.
One of the UK’s biggest firms, Building Design Partnership Ltd. has confirmed that it will take on a third fewer Part I and Part II graduates this year compared to last, while the number of applicants has increased by 10 per cent.
According to Pam Cole, head of the Association of Professional Studies Advisors in Architecture, the full impact of the economic downturn is yet to come.
"I would expect Part I students to have a much harder time gaining employment next year," she said.
University of Sheffield Architecture graduate Wai Shin Li, 21, is just one of this year’s BA graduates who, after taking a year out in order to work in a professional practice before returning to do an MA/Arch in Architecture, has struggled to find work in his chosen profession.
Currently working as a temp in an online record distributor, he explained that after contacting over 50 firms, only 20 asked for a CV and none were able to offer him a position.
"Most companies only employ Part I students if they’re particularly busy. This year because of the financial climate they’re employing more Part II students so they don’t have to train them up," he said.
For Part I students the problem of not being able to find work is particularly pressing, as a lack of experience in a professional practice can harm your chances of placement on a MArch course.
Professor Roger Plank, Head of the School of Architecture at the University of Sheffield, concedes that today’s Architecture graduates may find life more difficult than their predecessors, but insists things aren’t nearly as bad as some suggest.
"In a recession, construction is often one of the first sectors of the economy to be affected. It is therefore not surprising that there are concerns about immediate employment prospects for graduates of architecture.
"However, the slowdown in construction is, at present, extremely uneven, with some areas, notably volume housing, facing a severe cutback, whilst many others are still buoyant."
Professor Plank encourages University of Sheffield graduates to not be disheartened by the
downturn in employment rates compared to last year.
"This comparison also has to be set in the context of the position in 2007 when jobs were plentiful - graduates could therefore be very selective about where they would work; this year the position is likely to be much more competitive.
"Even so, the best students will no doubt be able to exercise more choice, and it is relevant to note that employers generally rate Sheffield graduates very highly."
Daniel O'Brien
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