Engineering Interns Paid Most at $20.79/Hour

Bachelor’s degree level students studying engineering and computer science command the highest average wages among paid interns, according to a new study published by the National Association of Colleges and Employers (NACE).

Overall, employers taking part in NACE’s 2012 Internship & Co-op Survey reported paying their engineering major interns an average of $18.54 per hour, and computer science/IT major interns an average of $17.77.

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Intern Hiring Expected to Increase 12% This Summer

Employers expect to hire more college students for summer internships this year, according to a new study conducted by the National Association of Colleges and Employers (NACE). Employers taking part in NACE’s 2012 Internship & Co-op Survey report plans to increase internship hires by 8.5 percent over last year and nearly all expect to pay their interns.

“This reflects the focus of these internship programs,” says Marilyn Mackes, NACE executive director. “Employers taking part in the survey use their internship programs to feed their full-time hiring efforts; as a result, they pay their interns to ensure the best talent pool possible.” Continue Reading

Higher Starting Salaries Seen by Class of 2011

The college Class of 2011 outpaced the preceding class in average starting salary. Overall, 2011 graduates at the bachelor’s degree level began their first post-graduation job with an average salary of $41,701—up 2.3 percent over the average salary for Class of 2010 graduates, according to NACE’s Winter 2012 Salary Survey report.

In fact, the report shows that average starting salaries grew across the board, albeit modestly in most cases. “Graduates in the engineering and computer science disciplines fared best in terms of overall average starting salary, and computer science graduates saw the largest overall increase,” says Marilyn Mackes, NACE executive director. (See Figure 1.)

As a group, the average starting salary for engineering graduates is $61,872—up 1.5 percent over the 2010 average ($60,971). For students earning degrees in the computer science majors, the average starting salary now stands at $60,594, a 4.1 percent increase over the $58,229 posted in 2010.

Teamwork, Verbal Communication Top “Soft Skills” Employers Seek in Job Candidates

What “soft skills” do employers see as most important in potential employees?

Employers looking to hire new college graduates place the ability to work in a team at the top of the list, according to a new survey conducted by the National Association of Colleges and Employers (NACE).

Among employers taking part in NACE’s Job Outlook 2012 survey, verbal communication skills; decision-making/problem-solving skills; the ability to obtain and process information; and the ability to plan, organize, and prioritize work rounded out the top five “soft skills.” (See Figure 1.) Continue Reading

Facebook Embraced by U.S. Department of Labor to Help Students and Grads Find Employment

Secretary of Labor Hilda L. Solis today announced an innovative partnership that leverages the combined audience and expertise of officials from the U.S. Department of Labor, Facebook, the National Association of State Workforce Agencies, DirectEmployers Association and the National Association of Colleges and Employers to provide crucial employment resources to job seekers through the use of social networks. Continue Reading

Salary Offers Increase 6 percent for Class of 2011 to $51,171

The overall average salary offer to Class of 2011 graduates has risen 6 percent over last year’s average, according to a new survey published by the National Association of Colleges and Employers (NACE).

NACE’s Fall 2011 Salary Survey report shows the overall average salary offer to a bachelor’s degree graduate rose from $48,288 for the Class of 2010 to $51,171 for the Class of 2011. Continue Reading

College students with paid internships more likely to get jobs, higher starting salaries

Paid internships correlate to job-search success, according to a new study conducted by the National Association of Colleges and Employers (NACE).

Class of 2011 graduates who took part in a paid internship were more likely to get a job offer, have a job in hand by the time they graduated, and receive a higher starting salary offer than their peers who undertook an unpaid internship or no internship at all, according to results of NACE’s 2011 Student Survey. Continue Reading

Business, Engineering, and Computer Science 2011 Grads Most Sought After by Employers

Employers are most interested in hiring new college graduates with bachelor’s degrees in the business, engineering, and computer science fields, according to results of a new survey conducted by the National Association of Colleges and Employers (NACE).

Nearly 62 percent of the organizations taking part in NACE’s Job Outlook 2011 survey cited plans to hire accounting graduates. Other popular degrees at the bachelor’s degree level included:

• Finance degree (57 percent of respondents);
• Electrical engineering degree (53.5 percent );
• Computer science degree (53 percent);
• Mechanical engineering degree (53 percent); and
• Business administration degree with a specialization in accounting, finance, and management (52 percent).

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