Graduate caught working for artist (5)
I believe the answer is:
bacon
'artist' is the definition.
(painter Francis Bacon)
'graduate caught working' is the wordplay.
'graduate' becomes 'ba' (someone with a Bachelor of Arts degree).
'caught' becomes 'c' (cricket abbreviation).
'working' becomes 'on' (on can mean working or activated).
'ba'+'c'+'on'='BACON'
'for' is the link.
(Other definitions for bacon that I've seen before include "Breakfast meat?" , "modern artist" , "Irish-born painter" , "Cut of pork" , "early scientist" .)