Polly Curtis
Wednesday July 3, 2002
Undergraduates could in future have to prove that they are “employable” in order to obtain a degree, universities indicated today.
The proposal is included in a report by Universities UK, which represents university vice-chancellors, and sets out ways of making graduates more business friendly.
UUK president Professor Roderick Floud attacked business for blaming graduates’ lack of business skills on universities, saying they should help devise more relevant courses and offer students more work experience.
He also defended universities against accusations that they are “dumbing down”, offering “Mickey Mouse vocational degrees” and that they are blighted by “institutional elitism”, and called for more input into degrees from business to suit their needs.
The report, produced with the Careers Service Unit, urged businesses to provide more work experience placements and allow more of their employees to attend part-time university courses that would improve their skills.
Professor Floud said: “We should look at the potential for giving credit for employability learning in the assessment and grading process so that it’s credible and meaningful for students.”
He claimed that working class and ethnic minority graduates were often ignored by businesses that recruit large numbers of graduates – and that, by implication, included many blue-chip firms.
He insisted universities were “not complacent” when it came to attracting more students who were not white and middle class.
They were working with schools to broaden their intake as they tried to meet the government’s target that, by 2010, half of all people under 30 should have experienced higher education, Professor Floud said.
“Many large graduate employers still do not engage meaningfully with the higher education sector – they simply stand back and list the skills that graduates ought to have when they reach them.’Oven-ready graduates’ is the term I’ve heard.”
Carl Gilleard, chief executive of the Association of Graduate recruiters, admitted that the phrase “oven-ready graduates” was one he had been using.
“Employers now do expect skills as well as a good brain so that they can hit the ground running. But we’re not asking for a finished product and I do agree that employers should play their part,” said Mr Gillieard.
He added that if the government’s widening participation agenda was to be successful, universities needed to make sure that the new graduates met the employer’s needs.
Professor Floud said: “The way in which graduates are recruited is also an issue, as there is substantial evidence to suggest that mature, working class and ethnic minority graduates appear to be disadvantaged when they apply for jobs.
“And paradoxically, the larger graduate recruiters often bypass those universities and colleges that do most to enhance their students’ employability.”
Professor Floud said failure to address this issue would have “serious ramifications” and added: “It is time, therefore, for all employers of our graduates to engage fully with us in universities.
“We are making strides in the right direction and today I’m calling on all employers – small as well as large, public as well as private – to do the same.”
Commenting on UUK’s report on Enhancing Employability, Mandy Telford, the NUS national president, said that degrees needed to retain their choice and flexibility.
“NUS believes that while it makes sense to link degrees with employability and include the business community in the process, a degree is about more than just improving your employability. People study to widen their horizons and gain knowledge about a subject that they are passionate about. We hope that these initiatives will keep choices open for students and not narrow the range of subjects available for study.
“NUS cautiously welcomes the work experience initiative for students. However, with the current financial pressures on students, the chances are that students from poorer backgrounds will not be able to take up these opportunities if they are unpaid as they will have to continue in paid work stacking shelves or pulling pints.”
I’m sorry. But this is fucked up.
Will
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