Few of the people reading this will be of an age to have had a gap year, and apart from a slight jealousy over those today lounging on Thai beaches, few of you will regard yourselves as disadvantaged. Yet more recent graduates have managed to convince themselves, their credit card-wielding parents and even some employers that taking a year out to conquer Kilimanjaro, help Brazilian street children or tread grapes on a kibbutz is essential to their personal and professional development. But is it?
According to research carried out by recruitment communications experts TMP Worldwide and online recruiters TARGETjobs, undergraduates remain optimistic about the economy. Considering themselves immune to rising unemployment, 54% of those surveyed are planning a gap year. Asked why, almost 60% responded with 'To broaden my view of the world' and more than 50% with 'To develop my employability skills'. They're certainly an earnest bunch, and asked what skills they hoped to pick up during their gap year, they mentioned independence, communication and language skills, cultural awareness and entrepreneurial skills.
These skills may match those sought by would-be employers of returning 'gappies' as they are apparently now known, but the returnees are falling through a gap and failing to make it to the blue-chip companies they envisaged working for. One of the key concerns of gappies is that taking a year out distances them from recruiters and employers. They also seem to be failing to adequately communicate their newly acquired skills when applying for jobs. So if skills are being acquired yet not capitalised on, and employers are failing to recruit the cream of the crop, what is the point of gap years? Who is benefiting, other than the tourism industry and the eternal student reluctant to join the workforce?
According to research carried out by recruitment communications experts TMP Worldwide and online recruiters TARGETjobs, undergraduates remain optimistic about the economy. Considering themselves immune to rising unemployment, 54% of those surveyed are planning a gap year. Asked why, almost 60% responded with 'To broaden my view of the world' and more than 50% with 'To develop my employability skills'. They're certainly an earnest bunch, and asked what skills they hoped to pick up during their gap year, they mentioned independence, communication and language skills, cultural awareness and entrepreneurial skills.
These skills may match those sought by would-be employers of returning 'gappies' as they are apparently now known, but the returnees are falling through a gap and failing to make it to the blue-chip companies they envisaged working for. One of the key concerns of gappies is that taking a year out distances them from recruiters and employers. They also seem to be failing to adequately communicate their newly acquired skills when applying for jobs. So if skills are being acquired yet not capitalised on, and employers are failing to recruit the cream of the crop, what is the point of gap years? Who is benefiting, other than the tourism industry and the eternal student reluctant to join the workforce?
Comments (4)
Posted by jojo | September 25, 2008 4:07 PM
Thing is the skills gappies have are not actually skills. They are attributes you pick up merely through being a live and going outside your house. There is no connection between gap years and employability. A gap year is a lovely thing to do if you have the time and the money but that's it. Of course there are some who demonstrate their engineering skills (helping design and implement an irrigation system or refurbishing agricultural equipment for example)... but that's a specialised thing and obviously useful to some employers. But on the whole when I see CVs full of travel bragging and lists of exotic destinations I'm not remotely impressed.
Posted on September 25, 2008 16:07
Posted by Sonja Stockton | September 29, 2008 12:51 PM
Gap years can be a very rewarding and useful experience and at PwC we support them particularly if the individuals concerned have a clear focus which enables them to hone employable skills that can be transferred into the workplace. Undertaking projects which challenge, bring about change and involve managing budgets are invaluable as they are aligned to our competencies. We welcome opportunities that enrich graduates lives and give them broader 'life experience' skills. We would also prefer those that have a burning desire to take time out do so before they start work rather than in the midst of undertaking their accountancy exams. This is one of the reasons why PwC offers graduates a deferred entry route into the firm.
Posted on September 29, 2008 12:51
Posted by Steve White | September 29, 2008 12:53 PM
Gap years are not a waste of time. It’s as simple as that. It’s crucial, though, that a gap year doesn’t disintegrate into something as vague as ‘travelling.’ We’re talking about an entire year here, so employers need to know just why they should care about what was done with it.
Good recruiters will know of and keep in contact with anyone taking time out, whether it be for a career break or a gap year. If you’re to get back into the swing of the job market when you return, making the effort to keep in touch with recruiters and ex-employers with the odd email will certainly pay dividends when the year is up.
Posted on September 29, 2008 12:53
Posted by Maggie Berry | September 29, 2008 12:56 PM
I don’t think gap years are a waste of time at all. At womenintechnology.co.uk we have come across many graduates who have experienced amazing things on these trips and really improved their independence and the other skills mentioned. After being in the education bubble for over fifteen years, this can be a very useful experience. The problem seems to lie in the “gappers’” ability to sell themselves – to communicate what skills they developed and how they would be beneficial in the workplace. Maybe some employers have a prejudice against gap years, maybe the application process doesn’t allow skills to be showcased, maybe it’s down to bad CVs or maybe it’s a combination of the three.
Posted on September 29, 2008 12:56