Graduates unfit for work, say top firms

Britain's biggest companies have warned that, despite a record number of graduates entering the job market, many lack the basic skills needed for employment. Almost half of businesses said that they did not expect to receive "sufficient applications from graduates with the correct skills" in 2006. In 2005, 598 positions were left unfilled as a third of employers said that they could not find candidates of sufficient quality.

Managers cite a series of shortcomings in potential recruits, including:

• Too much time spent working on degrees and not enough joining clubs and societies, where students might work in teams
• Not enough experience of giving presentations in tutorials, leaving new graduates unable to communicate ideas in the work place
• Poor spelling, grammar and mathematical ability which mean that graduates are making basic mistakes, writing illiterate memos and are in need of constant supervision.

The recruitment crisis comes at a time of record growth in the graduate market. Starting salaries are expected to average £23,000 and the number of vacancies available is likely to rise for the third year running.

A survey by the Association of Graduate Recruiters (AGR) shows that many of the 260,000 graduates are being let down by the university system. Carl Gilleard, chief executive of the AGR, said: "Graduates must have the right aptitude, which partly comes down to the skills they can offer. If they concentrate purely on academic studies and have no work experience, they are not going to impress the employer."

Mr Gilleard admits that business is partly to blame, by shifting the balance in favour of more academic degrees. Companies are setting ever-higher entry requirements in an attempt to find the cleverest applicants.

(The Times, 7 February 2006)