- The AAGE Future of Early Careers report finds graduates rate the people side of their program highest, including colleagues (83%), networking with other graduates (79%) and supervisor support (77%).
- Nearly every employer assigns a buddy (92%), but only 54% of graduates find theirs useful, against 84% at the Top 15 employers.
- Graduate supervisors carry a double load. 33% of employers struggle to find managers with the time and capability, and only half train them.
- Reneging is rising. 17% of candidates now accept multiple offers, up from 9% two years earlier, and 12% decline after accepting.
- The window between offer and start date is where programs win or lose graduates, and most employers still fill it with emails.
The AAGE Future of Early Careers report says the fundamentals of a graduate program still matter most, and the people side is where the biggest gaps sit. Graduates rate their colleagues, their cohort and their supervisor above almost everything else. The gap between average programs and the best ones is widest in exactly those areas. That's the part of a program PowerProv works on with graduate cohorts across Australia.
What did the AAGE Future of Early Careers report find?
The report, produced by the Australian Association of Graduate Employers with McCrindle, pulls together surveys of graduates, candidates, interns and employers. Its core message is that the basics of a good program still hold, but they need to be applied with more agility.
AAGE, The Future of Early Careers Report
A few headline shifts stand out. Forecasting how many graduate roles to fill is now the top recruitment challenge (38%, up from 25%). Budget pressure jumped from 7% to 26% of employers. And only 14% of employers say AI is changing the number or type of early careers roles, so the talk of AI wiping out graduate jobs isn't showing up in this data. Launching the report, AAGE CEO Shanan Green told HRD that employers still prioritise communication, critical thinking, judgement and teamwork when they hire graduates.
How do you support the managers who supervise graduates?
Graduate supervisors are doing two jobs at once. They deliver their own work and they develop someone else's career. The AAGE data shows many organisations don't give them the time or the tools for the second job.
- 51% of employers say managing graduates' career progression expectations is their top challenge in developing and retaining them.
- 33% say it's hard to find managers with the time and capability to manage graduates. That's a capacity problem, not a people problem.
- Only 50% of organisations invest in training for their graduate supervisors. The other half are left to work it out alone.
The report describes graduates as moving at sprint pace inside structures built for a marathon. Supervisors sit in the middle, keeping ambitious people motivated without promises the organisation can't keep.
What supervisors need is the same skill set graduates are building: listening properly, setting clear expectations and having hard conversations early. Training both groups side by side gives them a shared language for those conversations. PowerProv's graduate cohort training can be customised to bring supervisors into the same program.
What turns a graduate buddy into a useful one?
A buddy is useful when they're set up to succeed, not just named on an onboarding checklist. The AAGE found 92% of employers allocate a buddy, yet only 54% of graduates rate their buddy as useful. At the Top 15 employers, it's 84%.
That 30-point gap is the largest in the report's comparison of Top 15 employers against all graduates. The second largest is the opportunity for community involvement, at 84% versus 55%.
A buddy is usually a colleague with a full workload of their own, and some will be tomorrow's graduate supervisors. Handing them a new graduate with no guidance on what the role involves is how a buddy turns into a name on a list. The best programs treat the buddy relationship as a skill, which means making time for it and teaching people how to build trust quickly.
What do graduates value most in a graduate program?
Graduates value the people around them above almost everything else. The AAGE Graduate Survey found the top-rated parts of a graduate program are the chance to work with colleagues (83% excellent or very good), to network with other graduates (79%) and the organisation's commitment to a diverse, inclusive workforce (78%). Support from a supervisor or manager follows at 77%.
The report also notes face-to-face contact is the preferred way to communicate with colleagues across every generation, Gen Z included.
This is where PowerProv starts with graduate cohorts. Confidence at work comes from what PowerProv calls the ensemble mindset: walking in each day trusting that the people around you have your back and will treat a mistake as something to learn from, not something to blame. Once that psychological safety is in place, graduates speak up sooner, ask better questions and recover from early stumbles faster.
“I loved seeing my team go outside their comfort zone and get more closely connected and confident.”— Jayne O., Digital Marketing Manager
How do you stop graduates reneging before they start?
The gap between accepting an offer and turning up on day one is where many graduate programs now lose people. The AAGE Candidate Survey shows why that window matters:
- 17% of candidates accepted multiple offers, up from 14% the year before and 9% the year before that.
- 12% of candidates who receive an offer decline it after accepting.
- 26% keep applying for other jobs after accepting an offer, double the 13% of the year before.
When candidates back out, the most common reasons are a better graduate program elsewhere (46%) or treating the first offer as a safety net (30%).
Most employers fill that window with information. 79% stay in touch through phone and email updates. Fewer invite graduates to social events (57%) or introduce them to their buddy (54%). The report's own advice is to move from sharing corporate information to inviting graduates into a community they want to belong to.
A graduate who already knows their cohort by name, and has laughed with them, has a real reason to turn up. PowerProv can run a cohort session before start dates as a pre-boarding event, or in the first week as part of induction. Either way, graduates arrive already connected.
How do you justify graduate spend when budgets are tight?
Show that the spend changes behaviour, not just satisfaction scores. With 26% of employers now naming budget as a recruitment challenge, graduate program managers need evidence that holds up with finance.
The AAGE found employers spend an average of $4,500 per graduate on training across the program. Losing one graduate after offer, or in the first year, wastes that plus the cost of recruiting them. The 90-day turnover risk makes the early weeks the highest-value place to invest.
PowerProv measures its results through the Personal Power Index™, an ongoing longitudinal study that tracks participants before and after every workshop. 98% of participants report improvement in self-confidence, collaboration, listening and professional relationships. Every program is backed by a money-back guarantee, and sessions are introvert-friendly, with no one put on the spot.
“Well suited to any organisation that wants to help their teams connect more, improve focus, active listening and have fun.”— Katrina M., People and Culture
What should you do before your next cohort starts?
The months before a new cohort starts decide how they arrive. Five moves, based on the report:
- Plan contact between offer and start date. Replace some update emails with at least one in-person cohort event.
- Brief your buddies. Tell them what the role involves, give them time for it, and teach them how to build trust quickly.
- Back your supervisors. If they haven't had training for the role, the first week of the new cohort is a good time to start.
- Build cohort connection in week one. Graduates rate networking with each other at 79%, so make it happen early.
- Measure what changes. Track confidence and connection, not just attendance, so the budget case writes itself next year.
For more ideas, see what top program managers rely on.
- The people side of a graduate program is where it's won or lost. Colleagues, cohort, buddy and supervisor are what graduates rate highest, and where the Top 15 employers pull furthest ahead.
- The offer-to-start window is now a retention risk. Rising multiple offers and reneging mean connection needs to start before day one, not after it.
PowerProv has run workshops for 13+ years, holds a 4.9-star rating and works with graduate cohorts of 12 or more, in person across Australia or online. Book a discovery call to plan your next cohort, or see how it works first.
Sources
- The Future of Early Careers Report · Australian Association of Graduate Employers
- Digital skills pay premium as AI-ready graduates enter the workforce · HRD
- Personal Power Index™ · PowerProv
Frequently asked questions
What is the AAGE Future of Early Careers report?
It's a report from the Australian Association of Graduate Employers, produced with research firm McCrindle. It combines the AAGE's candidate, employer, graduate and intern surveys, plus an AI impact survey. Together they cover thousands of responses, including 3,266 graduates and 153 employers, from the AAGE's latest survey cycle.
Why do graduates renege on job offers?
According to the AAGE, the main reasons candidates decline an offer after accepting it are that a graduate program elsewhere looked better (46%), the offer was a safety net until something better came along (30%), or they wanted a different employer (27%). The share of candidates accepting multiple offers has nearly doubled in three years, to 17%.
What makes a graduate buddy program work?
The AAGE found 92% of employers assign graduates a buddy, but only 54% of graduates rate their buddy as useful. At the Top 15 employers, that figure is 84%. Buddies work when they're chosen with care, given time for the role and equipped with the listening and conversation skills to build real trust with a new graduate.
How much do Australian employers spend training each graduate?
The AAGE Employer Survey found employers spend an average of $4,500 per graduate on training across the graduate program, not counting professional qualifications. Two in five employers provide at least 11 days of technical training and professional training in the first year. Budget is now a challenge for 26% of employers, up from 7% the year before.
Is AI reducing graduate roles in Australia?
Not much, so far. The AAGE found only 14% of employers say AI is influencing the number or types of early careers roles in their organisation. The report reads this as roles being reshaped rather than removed. Graduates are using AI more, though, with 42% of candidates now using generative AI during recruitment.
How do you support the managers who supervise graduates?
Give them time and training. The AAGE found 33% of employers struggle to find managers with the time and capability to manage graduates, and only 50% invest in training for graduate supervisors. Supervisors need the same people skills graduates are building: listening, setting clear expectations and handling hard conversations. Training both groups side by side gives them a shared language.
