The $8 billion profit is roughly double that of the same period in 2010, with the company attributing this to sales of assets in the first half of the year, amounting to $4 billion.

The sales were said to be a “key driver” in the reduction of costs and improvement of operating performance throughout the business. Shell has disclosed that production is down in the second quarter, though it also said that three large scale projects are beginning, increasing European imports and hopefully creating jobs. Chief Executive Peter Voser says that the “new projects should drive [Shell’s] financial performance in the coming quarters.”

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The Association of Graduate Recruiters (AGR) reports that it is expected that for each graduate job vacancy, 70 individual candidates will apply, compared to 49 in 2009 and 31 in 2008.

In addition to this the number of graduate job vacancies available is set to fall by 7 per cent.

The AGR reports that competition for jobs is getting tougher  – with  78 per cent of employers demanding a minimum 2:1 qualification to even be considered.

The AGR Chief Executive stated, “Recruiters are under intense pressure this year dealing with a huge number of applications from graduates for a diminishing pool of jobs.”

In response, the National Union of Students (NUS) have called for increased investment in jobs for graduates, stating, “Graduates will be the engines of our economic recovery and the government must invest in creating the jobs and training opportunities so that this exceptional pool of talent does not stagnate.”

Official statistics indicated that one in ten students who graduated in the summer of 2009 have failed to secure a job.

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The survey found that 60 per cent of the 100 companies surveyed said they are still open for applications, while 55 per cent said they had more confidence in the economy compared to three months ago. In addition, the careers website Graduate Prospects, have reported a 50 per cent increase in advertising from recruiters in January to April 2010, compared to the same period in 2009.

Chief Executive of Graduate Prospects, Mark Hill, stated, “Companies are taking on more graduates as the economy is rebounding. Graduates are not as well off as they were before the recession, but they are in a substantially better position. We hope and expect this trend to continue into 2011.”

Indeed the research and engineering company, Dyson, plans to double the number of engineers it employs, creating up to 350 opportunities for engineering graduates. The company head, James Dyson has highlighted the small number of female engineers in the UK and is said to be encouraging females to take on these new engineering graduate jobs. He stated, “We know that 4 per cent of teenage girls want to be engineers, 14 per cent want to be scientists, and 32 per cent want to be models. We need to change that attitude by improving the cultural recognition of science and engineering.”

His thoughts are further consolidated by Engineering UK, who have found that the UK has the lowest rate of female engineers in Europe. In fact, only 9 percent of engineering professionals are women, compared to 18 per cent in Spain, 26 per cent in Sweden and 20 per cent in Italy.

According to new research compiled by Engineering UK, the independent body that helps to promote engineers’ contribution to the UK, Britain has the lowest rate of female engineers in Europe. Only 9 per cent of our engineering professionals are women, compared to 18 per cent in Spain, 26 per cent in Sweden and 20 per cent in Italy.

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The prize was awarded to Emily Rivers. Emily completed her placement year at Southend University Hospital. The placement was one that Emily successfully secured herself, and was unpaid.

In order to generate some much needed cash Emily made money by:

• Training as a phlebotomist and working part-time in the clinic
• Working as part-time Medical Laboratory Assistant in the evenings

Emily was holding down 3 jobs during her placement year. Despite this, she still successfully completed her portfolio well within the time period and impressively gained a Distinction at the City and Guilds Licentiateship. Speaking of her achievement, Emily’s supervisor said that she was an asset to the department and had the potential to “take her career far”.

Benefits of the Industrial Placement Year

Completing a placement year is a great way for students to not only gain invaluable work experience but also to  increase your employability. Research shows that 70 per cent of employers prefer students with work experience.

Taking a placement is also a useful way for you to explore possible career opportunities and help you make potentially valuable contacts to help you once you have graduated.

The University of Hertfordshire has a dedicated Graduate Futures Team to help students get placements within the scientific industry. 

Completed an Industrial Placement Year in Science? Register with CK Science Now!

CK Science is a leading independent scientific recruitment agency for science jobs. We successfully help some of the top scientific, chemical, biotechnology and pharmaceutical companies from around the world to recruit high calibre individuals to their science jobs.

We are always on the look out for science graduates who have completed an industrial placement year. If you are an experienced graduate looking for your dream job in science, register with CK Science here.