3-28-96
Contacts:
Larry Hanneman, Engineering Career Services, (515) 294-
2540
Teddi Barron, Engineering Communications, (515) 294-0262
Skip Derra, News Service, (515) 294-4917
JOB OUTLOOK IMPROVING FOR ISU ENGINEERING GRADS
AMES, Iowa -- After a three-year stagnation, the demand for engineering graduates appears to be on the rise, according to Larry Hanneman, director of Iowa State's engineering career services.
"Comparing fall 1995 to fall 1994, we had a 21 percent increase in the number of companies recruiting engineers at Iowa State," Hanneman said.
During the months of September, October and November 1995, 153 companies conducted more than 3,100 job interviews with ISU engineering students planning to graduate in the fall of 1995 or spring of 1996. For the same period in 1994, 126 companies conducted about 2,500 interviews, Hanneman said.
The increased demand for Iowa State engineering graduates is part of a national trend that reflects an improved economy.
"This increased activity also appears to be broad based," Hanneman said. "Fall 1995 graduates in agricultural, civil, computer, construction, electrical and industrial engineering all enjoyed greater than 75 percent placement one week prior to graduation."
Many major corporations stepped up recruiting activities last fall. "Companies are sending recruiters to Ames more than once or for longer stays, or they're sending more than one recruiter," Hanneman said.
The increase in the number of interviews comes not only from existing industrial customers, but also from companies recruiting Iowa State engineering graduates for the first time or firms returning after an absence of several years. These include: Intel Corp., Santa Clara, Calif.; Microsoft, Redmond, Wash.; Caterpillar Inc., Peoria, Ill.; Loral Defense Systems, St. Paul, Minn.; and Orent Graphics, Omaha, Neb.
Most corporations select 15 to 30 engineering schools as targets for their recruiting efforts, Hanneman said. Iowa State is a "targeted" engineering school for many Fortune 500 companies, including 3M Co., St. Paul, Minn.; Deere & Co., Moline, Ill.; Dow Corning Corp., Midland, Mich.; Gateway 2000, North Sioux City, S.D.; General Motors Corp., Detroit; Hewlett Packard Co., Palo Alto, Calif.; Phillips Petroleum Co., Bartlesville, Okla.; Rockwell International Corp., Pittsburgh; and Texas Instruments Inc., Dallas.
Each year, about 650 students graduate with engineering degrees from Iowa State. The average starting salary for fall 1995 graduates was $36,336 up 6.5 percent from fall 1994.
-30-
Diana Pounds, University Relations, dpounds@iastate.edu
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3/28/96