Work experience usual after Uni - graduate jobs

Most graduates have no idea what they want to do after leaving university and need to go on work experience placements to discover what suits them best, it has been claimed.

Martin Pennington, a director at the Association of Graduate Careers Advisory Services, said graduates "need a little bit of time", in some cases years, to decide where they want their careers to go.

"The first two or three years after graduation are crucial in that respect and graduates will change direction," he said. "The first thing is something not to do - not to panic, not to think there are no jobs out there, because there are jobs out there."

Mr Pennington said that by exploring their own skills and aspirations, graduates could move into one career path after university but find themselves working in a completely different sector after three years.

His comments came after it was revealed 39.3% of 2004-5 graduates, including those working in London, said they were "very satisfied" with their careers so far, according to a Destinations of Leavers report published by the Higher Education Statistics Agency.