CHOOSE life, choose the University of Central Lancashire, choose finding an easy way to get a job.

Perhaps not the exact words of Ewan McGregor in Trainspotting, but the message still rings true for Preston's students after a new survey revealed that only 4.8 per cent of last year's graduates are still out of work.

Exactly 86 per cent of last year's graduates replied to the survey, 15 per cent of whom had carried on with their studies. More than 65 per cent have found employment - many with high-flying firms such as GUS, Marks and Spencer, BT and BAe.

The study, called First Destination, has been greeted with delight by university bosses, who say they have worked hard to make their students employable.

Peter Rankin, head of careers at the university, said: "This recent survey into the destination of our graduates is a reflection of the good work being done throughout the university to ensure employability of our students.

"Over the past few years staff have been working hard to ensure that skills gained on academic courses are relevent to employers and that students are well prepared for employment.

"It shows the determination of the university to ensure that its graduates can move quickly and successfully into successful careers after graduation."

And if it's guaranteed job prospects you are after then according to the figures you're better off going to the university's department of health.

Only 1.7 per cent of students from that department are still out of work, while eight per cent of students from the Faculty of Design and Technology are unemployed eight months after graduation.

Converted for the new archive on 14 July 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.