英伦广角 2009-02-15 金融危机对大学生的影响

There is a chill wind blowing through the campus of Keele university these days and it's nothing to do with the weather. Students fear the recession and the downturn in graduate recruitment, may mean their studies lead them nowhere, but a dole¹ queue. Students' Union president Talah Omran Al Rubaie already has her degree, and will give up her union post this summer, but she's not looking forward to launching herself onto the jobs market.

"The fact that, you are graduating today, and tomorrow you might not be able to get a job, is a very very scary prospect², I think it also has an impact on the students that have just graduated from high school, or leaving at 16, and they're thinking “Is it worth coming to university, is it worth getting a degree.”

In the Union cafe, student life goes on as it always has. But these undergraduates know the bubble of academia will not protect them from the recession for long.

"Particularly over Christmas and Easter when you're only home for months, no one's got any jobs to give out for a few weeks."

"My dad works for HBOS which obviously you know, has just gone under,so that's a fact that means he is gonna be made redundant³ by probably Easter, and he was one of the main , for homes with money for helping⁴ with bills and used to pay my tuition fees.

As the recession deepens, some students find themselves with a dilemma⁵: do they stay at university, continue their studies, and hope the graduate job market improves by the time they leave, or do they bailout now and take a job, any job, so they don't get left on the employment shelf.

Keele’s performance in the graduate jobs market has been good so far. The latest figures available show 95% of students leaving do get a job, but that was before the economy fell off a cliff , and the university is working hard to equip its students with the skills to compete in an ever gloomier employment field.

I think the important thing for us is actually to give them tools and ability to actually be able to respond to the environment, I think our students are well enough, aware of the external circumstances.

It's been a long time since a degree guaranteed a job when you left university. But never in the living memory of these students have their job prospects⁶ looked so bleak⁷.

 

1 dole   

n.救济，（失业）救济金；vt.（out）发放，发给

参考例句：

• It's not easy living on the dole.靠领取失业救济金生活并不容易。
• Many families are living on the dole since the strike.罢工以来，许多家庭靠失业救济金度日。

2 prospect   

n.前景，前途；景色，视野

参考例句：

• This state of things holds out a cheerful prospect.事态呈现出可喜的前景。
• The prospect became more evident.前景变得更加明朗了。

3 redundant   

adj.多余的，过剩的；(食物)丰富的；被解雇的

参考例句：

• There are too many redundant words in this book.这本书里多余的词太多。
• Nearly all the redundant worker have been absorbed into other departments.几乎所有冗员，都已调往其他部门任职。

4 helping   

n.食物的一份&adj.帮助人的，辅助的

参考例句：

• The poor children regularly pony up for a second helping of my hamburger. 那些可怜的孩子们总是要求我把我的汉堡包再给他们一份。
• By doing this, they may at times be helping to restore competition. 这样一来, 他在某些时候,有助于竞争的加强。

5 dilemma   

n.困境，进退两难的局面

参考例句：

• I am on the horns of a dilemma about the matter.这件事使我进退两难。
• He was thrown into a dilemma.他陷入困境。

6 prospects   

n.希望，前途(恒为复数)

参考例句：

• There is a mood of pessimism in the company about future job prospects. 公司中有一种对工作前景悲观的情绪。
• They are less sanguine about the company's long-term prospects. 他们对公司的远景不那么乐观。

7 bleak   

adj.(天气)阴冷的；凄凉的；暗淡的

参考例句：

• They showed me into a bleak waiting room.他们引我来到一间阴冷的会客室。
• The company's prospects look pretty bleak.这家公司的前景异常暗淡。