Working Out !

According to local radio station KMFM Ashford bosses of a regional quango accepted gifts and hospitality valued at nearly £8,000 in a year, including tickets to Wimbledon, top rugby international fixtures, the opera and music festivals.

Senior managers and directors of the South East England Development Agency (SEEDA) received £7,836 in gifts and hospitality in 2008-09, according to details disclosed to KM Group under the Freedom of Information Act.

Almost 25% of students were not in full time jobs more than 3 years after leaving university.

A fifth of those failed to secure work in graduate professions, finding work in bars,supermarkets and restaurants according to a report from the Higher Education Statistics Agency ( the what? no, me neither).

They also found that more than one in 10 students who left university in 2004-5 had been out of work at least once. The worst part of all of this is that these figures reflect the situation BEFORE the recession was in full swing.

It's getting worse, statistics published by the agency in July showed that 16,835 students leaving full time first degree courses last year were still not employed six months after graduation.