Response to Commons public accounts committee report

Alison Hodgson, Chair, the Association of Graduate Recruiters

We welcome the call from the Commons public accounts committee for employers to work more closely with universities and colleges and the introduction of networks to aid communication.

Graduate employers are particularly concerned with employability issues, particularly with the rapid expansion of higher education opportunities within the UK.

In order to plug this skills gap, we need to work with higher education institutions to ensure students are entering the workplace fully equipped with the skills needed. In particular we need them to be able to demonstrate softer skills such as team-working, cultural awareness, leadership and communication skills, as well as academic achievement.

Higher education programmes that take employability seriously can strengthen graduates ìwork-readinessî by ensuring they have the ability to apply theory and knowledge in practical ways in the workplace. Encouragingly, more institutions and courses are doing just that by embedding key skills training into the curriculum but more needs to be done.

Ultimately it is the responsibility of each student to develop their employability skills, but by working closely with HE institutions, businesses can give students the tools to help them do this.

The following is some practical advice we recommended to our members on how they can work more closely with colleges and universities:

Offer structured work experience that focuses on quality and delivers meaningful outputs, as well as a review of performance

Maintain a dialogue with HE Careers Services to support them in providing current data to students about work, its demands etc.

Get involved in courses and curriculum development, providing course material and case studies to support tutors

Provide skills training for the workplace, for example participating in existing third party programmes such as the CRAC Insight series which bring together students, business tutors and young graduate managers

Encourage students to develop self-awareness and the ability to articulate their own employability by, for example, offering coaching resources to students in how their skills can best be recorded and substantiated