Latest news: Graduates: We have employability skills

The majority of graduates feel that university provides them with the right skills to enter the world of work, according to new research published by the Higher Education Careers Services Unit (HECSU). 23/01/2012

More than 80% of students who completed three-year degree courses felt they had the necessary employability skills, but 84% felt that they would struggle to find work.

Only 36% of those questioned thought that they would be able to find a job they wanted and 41% were uncertain on their prospects.

The Futuretrack.ac.uk  survey is following 50,000 students from initial application until two years after graduation, with the cohort currently in its third year at university.

‘There is a big question mark over how quickly new graduates will find work; the graduate labour market continues to be tough and it will not be easy, particularly for those who lack employability skills. We urge graduates to seek advice from their university careers service as soon as possible,’ said Jane Artess, research director at HECSU .

The research is at odds with a survey released by recruitment firm Adecco last week. Its survey of graduates and recruiters found that 46% of graduates thought university poorly-equipped them for the world of work, with more than half of employers agreeing.

Skills graduates particularly lacked included interpersonal skills and IT proficiency, according to Adecco. This is inline with the Futuretrack survey, which found that graduates and employers had different opinions on what makes a good employee, with graduates ranking commercial awareness, numeracy and computer literacy less important than a good work ethic, while employers thought the reverse.