fbpx

Good Reasons to Study Event Management

So the team here at College of Event Management (CoEM), noticed this infographic the other day. It’s called Life at 23: Then and Now. It’s published by a very credible source, namely the Longitudinal Surveys of Australian Youth program run by the National Centre for Vocational Education Research (NCVER), so info-wise we’re in good hands. Their description of the survey is as follows: “This infographic provides a snapshot of where 23-year-old Australians are at when it comes to their study, work, life at home and satisfaction with life. We compare the latest data from [those] who were 23-years-old in 2017, with those that went before them 10 years earlier to understand how things have changed over time for young Australians.”

Have a look at the Infographic HERE >>

Admittedly, there’s a lot to take in when examining the whole infographic but for the purpose of simplicity let’s hone in on a couple of areas that we’re more qualified to comment on ie education and employment. Points in those areas that we think worth noting are:

  1.  An increase in number of university graduates
  2.  A decrease in FT employment
  3.  72% say not enough jobs available (as opposed to 35% 10 yrs ago)
  4.  Job barriers – 75% say not enough work experience
  5.  50% lack the right kind of education/training
Excerpt of an infographic showing numbers and icons pertaining educational stats among young adults
Education details from: Life at 23: Then and Now
Excerpt of an infographic showing numbers and icons pertaining to employment stats barriers among young adults
Employment details from: Life at 23: Then and Now
Excerpt of an infographic showing numbers and icons pertaining to job barriers among young adults
Perceived Barriers detail from: Life at 23: Then and Now

So, what’s this information telling us??

That there are more people than ever going to uni but more people feeling that they are not equipped with the right skills to join the work force. And even if adequately skilled, they feel that there aren’t enough full time jobs to go around. Hmm. A much less happy picture than that of 10 years ago.
 

We asked the CoEM Team what they thought of these findings. This response hit the nail on the head…“72% are looking for jobs in the wrong field!” We all had a bit of a laugh about that at the time, but on reflection that our Course Advisor was absolutely correct. If you’re thinking about a career, why not consider one that can actually offer you full time employment?

Enter the events management industry. It’s big, it’s bold and it’s flourishing today and into the future. The stats from the government website JobOutlook look healthy and happily take care of points 2 & 3:

  • 21% sustained growth in employment forecast out to 2022
  • 70% of those working in the area of ‘event organisers’ are working full-time
  • Below average unemployment rates

But what about points 4 and 5? Yep, we can tackle those too. At CoEM, we educate our event management students in ways that give them the best chance of employment after their course. After all, isn’t a job outcome the reason most people are studying?? For example, the majority of CoEM Diploma students work on real events via our Industry Engagement Program, Event Talent Agency and in collaboration with our long list of industry partners. It’s a successful recipe that we witness on a regular basis and can be seen here by student feedback:

I’m so happy that I finalised my diploma 2 weeks ago. It was such an amazing experience studying at the college. I feel very proud professionally, I just got a position as event coordinator at and I can’t be more grateful to the college and my teachers for being so supportive. Giovanna

Wow, what a year it’s been! The internship led to casual employment as Event Coordinator and I just signed a full time contract this week in a newly created position; Events and Project Officer. Happy days! Career change complete. Jo

One of the best things about the course is hands on experience. We do site visits with the class and have plenty of opportunities to connect with leading event organisations through volunteering. [The] college helps you to network with the right people to get you in any part of events that you’d like to go. Silviu

New permanent job! I’m now the sponsorship manager for [some big] clients. BIG job, very full on at the moment – but I absolutely love it!! We started to bump in today…I’m the crazy one on site grinning away! Roz

So, what can we as education providers do about that slightly gloomy 10 year picture? Continue to produce well-skilled, job-ready graduates and help to place them into as many full time event management roles as possible. That’s our mission in a nutshell. And the results from these surveys make us all the hungrier to do so.

Photo courtesy of Daniil Silantev on Unsplash

Leave a Reply