Ruth Bridgstock wins funding to investigate the psychology of creative graduate transitions to the workforce

Dr. Ruth Bridgstock of CCi’s Creative Workforce Program and Melissa Hyde of the School of Psychology at QUT have been awarded funding under the QUT Faculty of Health Collaborative Grants program to investigate psychological aspects of university graduate education-to-work transitions in the fields of Creative Industries and Psychology.

The project aim is to explore third year students’ beliefs about moving into the workforce when they graduate, including which strategies they will use to seek employment and cope with setbacks. Understanding student strategies to navigate successful/unsuccessful entry attempts will highlight required development for students, which then can be fed back into QUT programs to improve graduate outcomes.

In Australia, graduate outcomes are measured by the national Graduate Destinations survey (GDS). National GDS results indicate that nearly a third of psychology, and nearly half of creative industries 3-year Bachelor degree graduates not going on to further study are still seeking work by the time of graduation. Psychology and CI are among the bottom 4 fields of study out of 40 in terms of Bachelor graduate outcomes.

The current approach taken to improve outcomes for graduates emphasises capabilities and skills rather than psychological factors. Research shows that there are a range of psychological factors that impact on students’ management of their approaches to work and careers, including efficacy and identity.

Third year students who will be graduating shortly will be interviewed in September in October, and preliminary findings will be available at the end of 2010.

For more information, please contact Ruth Bridgstock r.bridgstock@qut.edu.au