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Durham University announced last week that it would be providing 102 scholarships for its graduates this year so that they can stay on for postgraduate study and improve their skills. They will provide an added incentive of £2,000 and hope that the extra learning will enable their students to find the best graduate jobs in the market when they finally leave the academic world.

Durham say the package is at the outset only being introduced for the current year, but will be reviewed and could possibly be extended in future years if the market for graduate jobs doesn’t perk up.

Pro-vice-chancellor for learning and teaching at Durham University, Professor Anthony Forster, said: "We have some of the most employable graduates in the country, but this scholarship will give them a real chance to upgrade their skills and be in a better position to gain employment once they leave. From the university's perspective, we'd like to help the Durham family of students. It's also about keeping the brightest and best at Durham and in the North East, but we want our graduates to go on and get the best jobs wherever they are."

The £2,000 on offer will not be enough to cover the costs of the extra period of study with fees starting at around £4,000 per year and rising substantially for management-oriented courses. But, it will mean that many students will be able to afford the option of further study at the end of summer instead of looking for employment in the current competitive market.

Durham is usually ranked as one of the top ten universities in the United Kingdom. Some have suggested that the scholarship scheme will also help the university keep a top place in the rankings by reducing the number of students who have graduated without securing employment.

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