Jonathan, Mohsin, Caroline, and Fiona are four graduates from Leeds University and Leeds Metropolitan University who completed their degrees in June last year. They had studied hard and paid there fees, and were ready to begin the search for that elusive first job. But, along with over 300,000 other graduate hopefuls, they were joining the job market in the midst of a recession and when the number of students going to university was at the highest it had ever been.

From handing out CVs, applying for work experience and signing on, to returning home, dealing with rejection and, in some cases, finding work, Sarfraz Manzoor pieces their year together.

This programme follows the group in their first six months as graduates. Like their peers, our graduates believed that a degree would be an investment for their futures, with higher salaries and rapid career progression being the expected returns. But will their much coveted degree certificate be a stepping stone to a job, or is it time for them to revaluate this traditional narrative, and reconsider why they went to university in the first place?

In addition to their encounters and thoughts, Sarfraz Manzoor offers insights into the graduate labour market. For example, he hears how important graduates are for the growth of specialist markets in the UK, yet questions whether they are, in fact, up to the task: one company reveals that out of 2000 applications, they were unable to find 20 suitable candidates.

Combining first-hand testimony with wider analysis, Sarfraz Manzoor explores the genuine experience of today's graduate, the impact they have on the economy and society, and what their futures may hold.

Produced by Katie Burningham
A Falling Tree production for BBC Radio 4. Show less