Universities ‘not preparing students for the workplace’

Nick Elvin

A majority of employers believe that universities are not adequately preparing students for the workplace, new research from CareerBuilder UK reveals.

Despite the fact that 95% of UK companies plan to hire recent university graduates this year, 54% of respondents said universities are preparing students for “some roles, but not all”, while a further 19% do not believe they are preparing them adequately at all.

When asked to name which workplace skills they think recent graduates’ lack, 49% of employers cited interpersonal or people skills.

Other skills lacking in new graduates included problem-solving skills (40%); creative thinking (39%); oral communication (37%); teamwork (34%); written communication (33%); leadership (32%); project management (24%); research and analysis (19%); maths (17%), and computer and technical (17%).

“Though nearly all UK companies plan to hire recent graduates, the vast majority of these do not feel students are adequately prepared for the workforce,” said Scott Helmes, managing director of CareerBuilder UK. “This finding underscores the need for companies to work more closely with educational institutes to ensure graduates are developing the skills that growing businesses need.”

When asked where specifically educational institutes are letting their students down in preparing for the workforce, employers cited the following concerns:

• Too much emphasis on book learning instead of real world learning (53%);
• I need workers with a blend of technical skills and soft skills (42%);
• Not enough emphasis on internships, work experience and apprenticeships (13%);
• Entry-level roles within my organisation are more complex today (17%);
• Technology is changing too quickly for academics to keep up (12%);
• Not enough students are graduating with the degrees my company needs (12%).

The best job prospects

The survey also looked at which degrees offer the best job prospects. Employers in the UK feel that the most desirable qualification for graduates to hold is a business degree, with 35% of employers naming it the most in-demand degree at their firms, followed closely by computer and information sciences (20%). Engineering degrees are also in high demand (16%), with maths and statistics (15%), and law and legal degrees (14%) rounding out the list.

Where are the opportunities?

Employers are primarily looking towards new graduates to fill roles in information technology (39%) and business development (36%). Opportunities also abound in customer service (32%), and finance and accounting (29%). Health (23%) rounds out the top five job types.

What will these jobs pay?

More than one third of employers (42%) who plan to hire recent college graduates will offer higher starting salaries they did last year. The majority of employers (47%) expect salaries to stay the same, and 11% expect to offer lower starting salaries.

However, salaries are not set in stone. The majority of employers (71%) say they are willing to negotiate salary when extending job offers to recent graduates.

The majority of employers (83%) who plan to hire new college graduates are willing to negotiate or provide new graduates with a variety of perks. After salary, the most popular benefits employers say they will negotiate are flexible hours (41%); bonuses (26%); reimbursement for additional training (26%); paying for a mobile phone (23%); relocation expenses (21%); reimbursement for commuting expenses (19%); more holiday days (22%), and remote working options (17%).