Holding back the years

WHY ARE the words "dynamic" and "enthusiastic" so often associated with youth in an employer's vocabulary?

According to the Employers Forum on Age (EFA) and the Association of Graduate Careers Advisory Services (AGCAS), "ageism" in the workplace is a growing problem, as many mature graduates are now discovering. The organisations claim that graduates as young as 29 are being penalised for their delayed entry into the employment market, because some industries consider them to be too old.

Over the past decade, the number of mature graduates has increased dramatically, and more than one in seven graduates is now aged 26 or over.

However, the EFA and AGCAS say recruitment policies have not kept pace, and that some graduate entry schemes, particularly in advertising and the media, are not open to the over-25s.

Helen Garner, campaign director of the EFA, says: "Two-thirds of mature students who return to study do so to enhance their employment prospects - but many become quickly disillusioned. To become a mature student, many will have given up a job and they often have children. Many go on to get good degrees and their time-management is second to none. They know they have the work experience and don't expect to be judged on their age."

She says that they has been "alarmed" by the numbers of disillusioned mature graduates who have contacted the EFA. It gets at least two calls every week, which Garner believes is the "tip of the iceberg".

She says: "From a business perspective, it is clear that some employers are rejecting potentially rich pool of labour. But from a personal perspective, some individuals are being led to believe that they are 'over the hill' by the time they are 29. That's damaging for society as a whole."

The two organisations, the EFA and the AGCAS, plan a series of activities to highlight the issue of ageism, and they have commissioned a study on good employment practice among graduate recruiters, which is due for release next June.

SUSAN LOCKYER, 39, from Leicestershire, graduated with a BSc in information studies from Loughborough eight years ago "I started university later in life with the hope of improving my career chances. In my last year, I looked through graduate training scheme brochures to find a placement and was horrified to find how many companies had an under-25s-only policy.

I sent off many applications for schemes and drew a blank everywhere.

While most places made excuses, there were a couple that were quite open about their policies.

I think employers are very shortsighted with regard to recruiting mature graduates. I have skills that younger graduates don't have. Many of them start on training schemes fresh from university, without a clue of the etiquette of how to behave in the workplace, unwilling to muck in and unaware of the stresses of working.

I feel very angry that doors were closed on me because of my age. The claim that younger people have more to offer is ridiculous. Like any form of discrimination, age just shouldn't be an issue."

KENDRA PERROT, 27, from Canterbury, is currently a secretarial administrator.

She obtained a BA in contemporary drama at Brunel, and an MA in media production at the University of Kent "On finishing my Masters, I started looking for jobs in film production, but I was amazed to find that, at 27, I was seen as too old for certain jobs. The common excuse is that I am over-experienced, but I am sure the issue of age is a bigger factor.

It seems employers have certain expectations of a woman of 27 - they think I am going to want to settle down and have kids really soon, but that's not the case at all. I think mature graduates have certain life skills that younger people haven't yet developed. Also, shouldn't it be down to individuals to prove themselves?

There is so much competition in the workplace already, with more people having degrees, it is really disheartening to find your age being an added obstacle. I am going to keep on trying to find jobs in the media, but I don't hold out much hope.

It appears that I have very little time left before I really am just far too old."

I HAD a hilarious interview to get into Oxford. There were two dons taking the interview. One was a feminist Marxist and one was a really louche, laid-back academic. They fired lots of very difficult questions at me; it was very daunting. Eventually, the laid-back don asked me: "So what makes you tick?" I replied, "being aroused", because they had given me such a hard time. I got in, to my relief.

Three years later, when I was graduating, I ran into the laid-back don, who said: "I'll never forget your interview, when you said being aroused was what made you tick." Apparently, when I had left the room, the feminist told him "that told you!" So I really got into Oxford under false pretences.

I read geography, which was a great subject. I didn't spend three years learning about rock formations - I learnt about economics, politics and social issues. I was interested in journalism and my dissertation was about the impact of the media on our lives. It's a subject you can really make what you want out of.

Before Oxford, I was at St Paul's, a day pupil at a girl's school.

Going straight to Oxford did give me a false impression of what life was really like. When you start out in the real world, it is a shock to find that no one cares what results you got in your degree.

I'm a daughter of an Oxford don and I grew up in Oxford, so going back was very familiar. I completely loved my time at Oxford and it is such a beautiful place. University does really teach you to think for yourself. I had one tutorial a week, so it is really up to you how much you get out of it. It tests your powers of self-discipline.

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