VIVIENNE STERN, DIRECTOR UK HIGHER EDUCATION INTERNATIONAL UNIT GRADUATING TO SUCCESS: HOW UK UNIVERSITIES PREPARE THEIR GRADUATES FOR EMPLOYMENT

I vividly remember the first and only time I visited the careers service at my university in the late

1990s. As a student of English Literature, I had the feeling that I could do a lot of things, but

wasn’t absolutely qualified for anything in particular. I walked into the small, Victorian building

rather hoping that someone else might know what I should be when I grew up.

I left two hours later, having undertaken a rather crude analysis of my personal strengths and

weaknesses. I was dispatched with the advice that I should join the police. At 5 foot 1(1.5

metres), with short sight, I was certain of two things: a) I didn’t want to join the police, and b)

they wouldn’t take me even if I did.

15 (or so) years later I find myself in a career which absolutely suits my interests and abilities.

But, although my university gave me an outstanding education, they did little to guide my path

into a job. Since then, however, UK universities have changed a great deal.

Now all UK universities take this aspect of education very seriously. A number of factors have

driven this shift. Firstly, the expansion in the number of undergraduates at UK universities, as a

proportion of the population has increased the pressure on graduates to differentiate

themselves in the jobs market. Holding a degree often isn’t enough to get a good job.

Employers expect graduates to have skills in team working, presenting, problem solving and the

interpersonal skills to get on at work.

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Secondly, increased tuition fees for both domestic and international students studying in the UK

has increased student expectations of the support they will get to find jobs to repay the

investment they have made.

Thirdly, the recent economic downturn in the UK has increased the pressure on graduates in the

labour market, and universities have responded by taking additional steps to help them prepare

for an even more fiercely competitive labour market – and to help them create their own jobs if

they can’t find employment elsewhere. Finally, the UK government has taken a sustained interest

in how well universities perform in creating employable graduates. For over a decade, the UK’s

Higher Education Statistics Agency has been collecting data on the employment outcomes of

graduates 6 months and 3 years after graduation. These figures are now publicly available and

are part of a set of information – known as the ‘Key Information Set’ designed to help potential

students chose the right course for them, available via the UNISTATS website. The effort that UK

universities have made to increase the support they offer their students to find work is part of a

broader shift – also supported by UK government policy – which has seen the links between

universities and business become increasingly close. Indeed, university policy sits in the

Department for Business, Innovation and Skills in the UK.

A recent report, titled Forging Futures published by Universities UK and the UK Commission for

Employment and Skills describes the ways in which universities and employers are collaborating

to fill skills gaps, and to equip graduates with skills which answer the specific needs of the

labour market in particular parts of the country. For example Aston University, which places

great emphasis on the employability of its graduates, and which consistently ranks in the top ten

for graduate employment in the UK, has worked with Capgemini to develop two full degrees in

Software Engineering and Information Systems, to help meet Capgemini’s demand for skilled

graduates. The university is also one of many UK universities which ensures that all its students

have the opportunity to undertake a placement with an employer, or spend a period of time

studying abroad during their degree. Impressively, over a third of Aston graduates are offered

jobs by their placement employer.

Harper Adams University, which is a world leader in agricultural education and research, also

uses its close links with major farming and food producing enterprises generate industry-

relevant content for its courses. Like Aston it offers placement opportunities for 100% of

students, producing graduates who are capable of filling much needed skills shortages in a

major UK industry. Evidence demonstrates that this close link with employers is a powerful factor

in boosting employability. Every higher education institution in the UK will have its own story to

tell about how it goes about developing and sustaining these links- often in quite specific

sectors of the economy. Meanwhile, UK universities have also been investing substantially in

developing their careers support services. Investment in staffing as well as new IT systems is

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enabling universities to offer increasingly tailored careers and employability advice. New

emphasis on providing additional careers consultants, online e-guidance services, careers

workshops and more one-to-one advice and guidance reflects the importance being placed on

employability. The support universities provide is not, by any means, focused exclusively on

filling local labour market needs. As universities across the UK internationalise, they increasingly

focus on how to prepare their graduates for jobs around the world.

At the University of Huddersfield, the careers service now provides tailored support specifically

for international students, with dedicated careers advisers and software which enables students

to search for job opportunities in their home countries. In fact, we know that a period of time

spent studying abroad makes a difference to graduate employability in itself. A new study on

the impact of the European Union's Erasmus student exchange programme shows that

graduates with international experience fare much better on the job market. They are half as

likely to experience long-term unemployment compared with those who have not studied or

trained abroad and, five years after graduation, their unemployment rate is 23% lower.

Universities also increasingly support students who want to start their own businesses when the

graduate – whether at home or abroad. For example The University of East Anglia has

introduced a student enterprise officer in its Careers Service and has created a fund to invest in

graduate start-ups, while many other universities, including Imperial College London, have an

academic and practical focus on encouraging entrepreneurship in graduates. Many universities

provide incubators for graduate start-ups, and space where they can develop alongside other

local businesses.

Over the last decade the wide range of support offered by UK universities to help their

graduates get jobs has developed considerably. The measure of the success of these initiatives

can be seen in the job prospects of graduates. Despite the expansion of the UK higher

education sector over the last three decades, the net gain from having a UK degree remains one

of the highest in the world.

According to the OECD, in 2011 UK tertiary graduates’ earnings from employment for the 25 to

64 age group were 57% higher than those with upper secondary qualifications (equivalent to A-

levels). And, although the economic outlook in the UK remains challenging, evidence shows that

the demand for UK graduates continues to grow, with businesses predicting that occupations

where graduates are in the majority will account for nearly 80% of new jobs created in the UK

economy by 2020.

In any system of mass higher education, preparing graduates for work will be an important

feature. I believe universities around the world have a lot to learn from each other about how

best to do this. We welcome opportunities to debate this with other higher education systems.

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Fare supported throughout the year by an academic supervisor from their degree course, as

employers, having benefitted from Aston’s expertise, can then serve as mentors for the next

generation of business hopefuls (as well, in some cases offer them placement opportunities).

Aston is part of the Goldman Sachs 10,000 Small

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Vivienne is the Director of the UK Higher Education International Unit which represents the UK

higher education sector internationally. The Unit works to support the UK higher education

sector's international activities, and to promote its distinctive strengths overseas.

Prior to her role in the Unit, Vivienne was Head of Political Affairs at Universities UK where she

was responsible for developing and implementing the political strategy for the membership

body representing 134 UK Universities. She previously worked in the UK Parliament for the Chair

of the Education and Skills Select Committee, and as a Policy Advisor for Universities UK,

specialising in quality, student experience, innovation and university-business links. She is a

graduate in English Literature from the University of Cambridge.

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