The projected starting salary of ?22,000 for graduates is calculated by the Association of Graduate Recruiters on the basis of salaries paid by blue-chip employers, who recruit only a fraction of graduates. ("Graduate starting wage up 4.8%", February 11).
The NatWest survey, which found that the average starting salary in 2004 was up 7 per cent to ?13,600, is much more representative.
Glen Crust
Founder,