A continuing high level of unemployment among graduates, where 10% of the total graduate population failed to find any form of graduate jobs last year, provokes the question: are universities adequately equipping students with the transferable skills required for the workplace?
'Traditional degrees' have been under fire for not properly preparing young people for the world of work, and many have suggested dropping the three years of research and academia in favour of something more workplace-focused and vocational such as that announced by Vince Cable earlier this summer. Yet Mike Hill, chief executive of Graduate Prospects, the leading provider of information and opportunities for students and graduates, takes a more positive view of traditional degrees. He said: "A lot of the more traditional degrees, such as English and History, also provide people with the skills required for later life. Sometimes it's necessary for a careers advisor at a university to tease out of the individual just what they have learnt on their degree which they can translate into the workplace." He added: "Degrees are just one step in the journey."
