Metro State Holds Graduation With Brighter Job Market

DENVER (CBS4) - The job market is being flooded with new college graduates, and although hiring isn't back to pre-recession levels, the prospects for new grads seeking jobs are brighter than in the past few years.

A new study by the National Association of Colleges and Employers shows that the companies surveyed plan to hire just over 10 percent more of this year's college graduates than they did last year.

Metro State College in downtown Denver held its graduation ceremony Sunday morning. There were a record number of students graduating with their bachelor's degrees -- more than 1,800.

There is really a mixed bag of opportunities out there for new graduates. Students who picked recession resistant fields like health care and education are likely to have more job prospects. For others the wait could be longer.

Metro State has seen a growth surge in enrollment over the past four years. Enrollment has now plateaued, which ironically could mean more job opportunities for new graduates.

"When the economy is going down and people are going out of work, higher education enrollments go up, and it's very typical. And when the economy is good higher education enrollments go down," Metro State President Stephen Jordan said. "So now that we've seen this period where it is flattening out across the state, we think that indicates that people are starting to go back to work."

Internships are a big advantage in the job market. Penn State reports that half of all internships turn into jobs. Another study found that people who had completed internships in college earned about 15 percent more than those who did not.

Among Sunday's Metro State graduates was a 72-year-old man who received his degree in African-American studies.

Metro State College will officially become Metro State University on July 1.