A recently released survey of UK graduates paints a relatively bleak picture of the employment prospects for recent graduates.

Real Prospects is a new annual survey of graduates in employment which seeks to gauge their opinions on how the realities of working life match up with the expectations they had for their career after leaving university.

The survey, which polled 24,500 graduates in full- and part-time employment, found a clear difference in the satisfaction levels of those on a graduate scheme and those who weren’t. According to the survey:

• One third of graduates believed that their employer had not lived up to their expectations.
• 90% of graduates agreed that opportunities to progress were important, but less than three in five were satisfied with the prospects they faced.
• A third believed that management stifled innovation and undervalued their opinions.
• Only 56% felt that they were being kept informed of financial changes within their company.
• 79% felt confident about their employer’s future despite the recession.

The survey also found that the first full fee-paying group of graduates achieved a salary of around £18,000 over four years, but this figure was £7k higher if they found a place on a graduate training programme.

One in three graduates expressed a lack of confidence in their senior management team, and only 58% believed that their organisation was well-managed. Those working in the private sector were more likely to indicate that they believed their organisation to be managed well. Also, while half of all respondents indicated that they wanted more opportunity to innovate, 36% felt that the company they worked for inhibited innovation.

60% believed that their managers were good at listening to the views of their staff, but only 55% thought their managers were good at implementing staff suggestions and 47% felt that employees were able to influence management decisions.

Overall, graduates who had found a place on a graduate training programme reported a much higher rate of job satisfaction than those who had not.

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