Universities UK response to CIPD report on graduate skills
Universities UK has responded to the report from the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD) today looking at the number of graduates in the labour market.
Nicola Dandridge, Chief Executive of Universities UK, said: “UK graduates are still in a substantially better position to obtain a job and, on average, earn substantially more than non-graduates over a working lifetime.
“Recent government [Graduate Labour Market Statistics] showed that more graduates are in work this year than at any time since 2007. Graduates also earn almost £10,000 a year more than people without degrees.
“Skilled graduates are increasingly in demand from employers. The Association of Graduate Recruiters’ (AGR) predicted an 11.9% rise in vacancies this year, following an increase of 4.3% last year.
“The kinds of skills that higher education provides, the ability to think critically and to analyse and present evidence, are lifelong and are going to be increasingly in demand as the number of high-skilled jobs increase.
“Many graduates do not go straight into their chosen careers after graduating. Some will get short-term jobs to fund further study or to go travelling. Employment figures looking at what graduates are doing three and a half years after graduation show that the vast majority are in full-time employment.”
