According to the latest Higher Education Monitor (WO Monitor 2013), graduates of TU Delft are more likely to find jobs faster and with a higher salary compared to the national average.
Commissioned every two years by the Association of Dutch Universities (VSNU), the WO Monitor is conducted by research firm IVO Onderwijs, surveying recent master’s and doctoral graduates from Dutch universities. The study aims to gain insight into the relationship between university education and the labor market. Of the 37,500 alumni invited to participate in the research, approximately 8,500 questionnaires (22.6% of the total invitees) were returned and used in the analysis. 16% of the responses were from international students.
“The results for master’s graduates from 2011-2012 reveal that, on average, TU Delft graduates find jobs more quickly (in 2.6 rather than 3 months), are less likely to be unemployed (6% compared to 12%) and have a higher salary (€2,885 compared to €2,481) than the national average,” according to a statement published on the TU Delft website. “Compared to the figures from 2011, unemployment among TU Delft graduates has risen slightly (2011: 4%), but the salary has increased (2011: €2,669) and the number of months until a paid job is secured has fallen (2011: 3.2).” In total, the employability rate of recent graduates from Dutch universities is 90%, decreasing by 5% in the last five years. For international students, the rate is considerably lower at 84%.
“All of the technical universities (Delft, Eindhoven and Twente) have high employability rates,” says VSNU institutional research policy advisor Petra Pieck, “not only the Dutch graduates but also international students.” In terms of international employment, 14% of recent Dutch university graduates work overseas. “From the TU Delft alumni who are employed, almost 20% have a job abroad,” Pieck claims. “Only Wageningen University, Maastricht University and Erasmus University Rotterdam have higher percentages on international job mobility caused by their higher number of international students.” Countries such as Germany, the United States and Belgium are cited as the three most popular employment destinations for TU Delft graduates.
In general, labor market demand has been credited with the improvement in employability among recent technical university graduates. “It is not logical to think that the reason why graduates of TU Delft are more likely to find jobs is the quality of education,” says VSNU spokesperson
Bastiaan Verweij. “It is very high at the TU Delft, but that is the same for other universities. We think it is because of the great demand for technically skilled employees, their high ranked reputation in the world and maybe because the university is located in the Randstad.”
“Of course, many factors play a role,” says Caroline Scheepmaker, manager of the TU Delft Career Center, “but the main factor is indeed the demand of the labor market for highly educated, technically skilled people. It is important to note that these figures differ somewhat for the different master courses. Again, the variations in the labor market are a key factor.” Be that as it may, Scheepmaker maintains that the university’s reputation and high standard of education both contribute to the employability of TU Delft graduates.
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