It's also the time of year when thousands of young (and not so young) hopefuls embark on their degree courses at university. As I write, Freshers' Week is in full swing. Last year I had to pay a visit to a UK university at the start of term and there was a marked sense of expectation and excitement around the place with lots of fresh faced students milling around the stands of various societies offering fun in all its guises, political debate, sports of every persuasion, voluntary work and even ballroom dancing!
This year an impressive 600,000 people applied for courses in higher education; this despite headline grabbing stories of graduate unemployment and rising levels of student debt. The commitment of so many to gain further knowledge and skills has to be admired and employers should also be relieved that so many people have ambitions to improve their lot.
There is still a great belief that education is the way to a better quality of life and for many that is best displayed through obtaining a better job and career prospects.
Two things will make all the difference as to whether these ambitions will be realised. The first is outside of the control of the students themselves. We need a sustained economic recovery to provide the quality and quantity of job opportunities to satisfy the demand. Secondly, students must take control of their own higher education experience and maximise the benefits of their investment by taking full advantage of the many opportunities that are on offer.
Going up to university is about much more that studying, important as that is. It is also about independent living, building lasting relationships, managing your own life and learning and participating in extra curricular activities, yes, even learning how to dance the salsa.
When the upturn comes employers will want to recruit rounded individuals who are well educated, highly skilled, motivated and hungry to learn. The foundations for developing highly employable graduates should be laid from the very start of the higher education experience with the responsibility resting between the institution and the student. Many universities have introduced initiatives to help students develop their employability skills. However, following the adage that you can take a horse to water but you can't make it drink, the students themselves must sign up to the employability agenda.June 2012 may seem like a long way away to an 18 year old as they settle into their room in a hall of residence but as anyone over the age of 30 will vouch for, the best time of your life will quickly pass and it is impossible to turn the clock back or protest "If Only I'd Known".
Employers can play a part in meeting this challenge by opening up work experience placements and internships, attending careers events on campus, running skills sessions and working with academic staff on curriculum development.
If the UK is to successfully compete globally then we need not more graduates but more high quality graduates. Of course, there are challenging issues of how much finance is needed and where it can be raised from, and each of the party conferences will discuss them in the next couple of weeks but of equal importance is the commitment of the key stakeholders and, dare I say, beneficiaries, institutions, students and employers, to the cause.
We are all in it together and if any one partner fails to contribute, we will end up complaining "If Only I'd Known!" and it simply won't do!
Carl Gilleard
Chief Executive
AGR
