More school leavers than ever are choosing to study at university. In fact, in the UK, more than a third of 18-year olds enrolled on a full-time undergraduate course last year. Indeed, the higher education entry rate among 16-year olds increased to 37.5% in 2022, the second highest level!
A university degree has, for a long time, been seen as the ticket to a good job and prospective career for the future. But there’s always been an underlying concern among employers around how prepared graduates are for life outside education. Indeed, in recent years, there have been rumblings that many students leaving university don’t have the soft skills employers are looking for, nor the practical commonsense experience either.
So, with graduates facing ‘the worst job market’ for seven years, is there any truth to the question of universities not preparing graduates well enough for full-time work after university?
The changing job market
Adzuna’s latest job market report showed that the number of vacancies available for graduates has actually gone up in the UK. But, and it’s a big but, roles for graduates has dropped 20.8% this year. In May 2023 alone, there were 11.6% fewer graduate vacancies advertised compared to last year.
With approximately 570,000 students due to graduate from the UK’s universities this year, the number going for every vacancy has gone up significantly, too. So, are universities helping students gain the necessary soft skills and developing their practical experience to differentiate themselves from their compatriots to employers?
With the Fourth Industrial Revolution taking off, developments in artificial intelligence, genetics, robotics and 3D printing are accelerating. Therefore, jobs too are changing. The Future of Jobs predicts that 65% of children starting primary school will be employed in jobs that don’t exist at the moment. When you couple that with a study from WEF that showed almost half of businesses are planning to reduce their workforce due to technology integration, graduates are going to have to be more prepared for their future.
That’s not to say there won’t be jobs available, there will be but they will be much more technology related. This leads to an increased demand for a completely different set of skills; or does it? Employers are already putting much more emphasis on problem solving, critical thinking and self-management skills, not to mention other soft skills that are very much in demand, such as communication, adaptability, work ethic, emotional intelligence and creativity.
This demonstrates that employers are already planning for the future and are looking for the talent that has these skills. So, are universities behind the curve and should they be doing more to prepare students for a new technology-led world of work? Shouldn’t they be helping students master these soft skills as well as the hard knowledge, increase their experience and ultimately employability?
How can universities prepare students?
So, how can universities help prepare students for the ‘real world’? How can they ensure they learn the necessary skills employers are looking for which aren’t necessarily taught in the moment?
While organisations are able to tweak and improve their employee’s technical skills through training, problem solving, communication, teamwork and behaviour skills – and often do – many of these skills can be learnt before students enter the workplace. For example:
– Combining real-life and virtual group projects that offer valuable opportunities, like making presentations and holding debates. This will encourage students to develop communication, presentations and teamwork skills.
– Offer real work experience. As the job market changes and develops, work experience becomes even more valuable. Although employability can’t necessarily be taught, making sure students have access to practical opportunities can offer students the vital experience they need. It also opens up opportunities to make potentially important professional connections.
– Encourage the promotion of digital collaborations. To retain their ‘edge’, universities should be opening up and working more with industry leaders. Collaboration with potential employers will feed down to students and help them, as well as their teachers, truly understand what employers are looking for from graduates.
– Promoting work with others in the digital sector. This helps students gain knowledge and gives them a better insight into their career choices.
– Partnering with industry leaders in established educational settings to open up opportunities to scale teaching and learning.
But there is a caveat in that a certain amount of the responsibility lies at the feet of the students themselves. There’s a lot they can do to help their employability credentials, such as summer jobs and volunteering.At Auxato, we work closely with employers and graduates entering the workplace, matching the right people with the right companies, and the right roles. As one of the UK’s leading executive search and marketing communication recruitment agencies, we have access to many companies who play a key role helping to shape our leaders of the future. Check out our latest jobs page and lets work together.