University of Aberdeen: Approach to learning Draft final report 27 August 2008 University of Aberdeen: Approach to learning Draft final report Contents Summary of key findings ......................................................................................................... i Annex A: Purpose of the research and methodology ...................................................... A-1 Annex B: Literature review ................................................................................................. B-1 Annex C: Sector Skills Council interviews ........................................................................ C-1 Annex D: Online Employer Survey..................................................................................... D-1 Annex E: Telephone Employer Survey .............................................................................. E-1 Contact: Robert Wootton Tel: Approved by: Michael Frearson Date: 01223 209400 email: rowootton@sqw.co.uk August 2008 Associate Director www.sqw.co.uk University of Aberdeen: Approach to learning Draft final report Summary of key findings Introduction 1. The University of Aberdeen is currently undertaking a wide-ranging review of its curriculum with the aim of optimising Aberdeen’s attractiveness to students and the attractiveness of its graduates to employers. SQW Consulting was commissioned by the University of Aberdeen in July 2008 to undertake research on what employers want from graduates in general, how employers regard Aberdeen graduates and to test employers’ responses on a set of attributes being proposed by the University. The Curriculum Commission was set up following an invitation by the Principal of the University in February 2007 to colleagues to reflect on whether the University’s curriculum is fit for purpose for the 21st century. The Commission subsequently proposed a set of graduate attributes covering three areas – academic excellence, skills and attributes, and readiness for life1 – and part of the purpose of the study has been to test these attributes with employers. 2. After carrying out a series of scoping interviews with University staff and a review of literature relevant to the study, the main fieldwork for the study focused on consulting with local, regional, national and international graduate recruiters. The three components included: an online survey of employers which involved cooperation with the Association of Graduate Recruiters (AGR) and the University of Aberdeen’s Careers Service. These two organisations sent the survey details and a link to the online survey to a range of employers. The online survey was intended to capture information on the level and type of graduate recruitment by employers, and employers’ ratings of the importance different graduate attributes a telephone survey of employers who had volunteered to take part following completion of the online survey and further telephone interviews with employers listed on the Careers Service database. The aim of the telephone interviews was to complement the online survey findings by collecting more in-depth qualitative information on the views of graduate employers a telephone survey of Sector Skills Councils (SSCs) where we approached all SSCs to obtain sector-specific views of what employers think of and want in graduates. We carried out 11 interviews with SSCs covering a range of sectors including aerospace, automotive, biotechnology, chemicals, energy (oil, gas, water, nuclear, waste), engineering, fashion and textiles, finance, pharmaceuticals, public sector and transport. 1 The definitions used for academic excellence, skills and approach, and readiness for life are taken from the first Curriculum Commission report and given in full in various annexes to this report. i University of Aberdeen: Approach to learning Draft final report 3. The survey work generated a total of 118 responses/interviews: 84 responses from employers completing the online survey; 23 telephone interviews with employers; and 11 telephone interviews with SSCs. What employers want in general 4. Whilst different employers and sectors will have different skills and knowledge requirements, it is clear from the research that there are generic skills employers would like to find in the graduates they recruit. At a high level employers appear to want skills and approach attributes as much as if not more than academic excellence; with readiness for life attributes seen as the least importance of all three components. All of the research highlighted the importance and value of ‘transferable skills and approaches’ with employers looking for graduates with a skillset that includes management and leadership skills, the ability to solve problems, good written and verbal communication skills, and the ability to work as part of a team. 5. This balance in favour of skills and approach over academic excellence may partly be based on the assumption that graduates already possess knowledge of their degree subjects. But, a graduate’s achievement in their degree subject alone is not sufficient for them to be recruited as employers highlighted the importance of graduates being able to apply this learning in the workplace. With this in mind, the need for graduates to gain relevant work experience featured prominently across all of the different sets of interviews. 6. However, as expected employers did have different views about the attributes they would like from graduates. The pattern which emerged is that employers recruiting from the more vocational subjects, such as engineering, law and IT, require relevant subject and sectorspecific skills, knowledge and understanding. Whereas other employers were most interested in recruiting graduates with well developed ‘soft skills’. However, even those employers recruiting graduates from the more vocational subjects also wanted well developed ‘soft skills’ in addition to academic excellence. 7. When comparing the three colleges within the University, graduates’ in depth knowledge of their degree discipline was more highly valued by employers recruiting from subjects within the Colleges of Arts and Social Sciences and Physical Sciences than by employers recruiting from subjects within the College of Life Sciences and Medicine. 8. A majority of graduate employers had mixed views on whether current graduates possess the skills and attributes they need. Skills they felt were lacking in graduates included the following: good attitude to work; communication skills; maturity; a ‘hands on’ approach to work; knowledge of a foreign language; numeracy; business acumen/commercial awareness; and work/practical experience. This perspective was endorsed by the SSCs as they were of the view that many of these skills and experience are missing in graduates; they felt that graduates lack both experience of the world of work and the softer skills. ii University of Aberdeen: Approach to learning Draft final report How employers rate the proposed Aberdeen Graduate Attributes 9. Employers provided high ratings overall for the graduate attributes being proposed by the University. All of the skills and approach attributes were rated highly by respondents, even more highly than the academic excellence attributes. The readiness for life attributes were also rated highly but less so than either the other two components. The attributes that employers rated more highly than others are summarised in Table 1. Table 1 : Attributes rated most highly by employers Aberdeen Graduate Attributes Attributes rated highly Academic excellence a capacity for independent conceptual and creative thinking an intellectual curiosity and willingness to question accepted wisdom and to be open to new ideas graduates’ communication skills their ability to work independently and as part of a team graduates’ self-awareness and ability to develop their openness to lifelong learning Skills and approach Readiness for life Source: SQW (2008) Aberdeen approach to learning 10. An overwhelming majority of graduate employers rated these attributes as either very important or important in the next 10-15 years with skills and approach and academic excellence attributes slightly more important than readiness for life attributes. Time given for non-degree subject learning 11. Employers were asked to provide views on the amount of time that should be given in undergraduate degree programmes for non-degree subject learning. A majority of graduate employers felt that between 10% and 50% should spent acquiring knowledge, understanding and skills outside an undergraduate’s degree discipline and a larger proportion felt that between 21% and 30% of an undergraduates’ time would be most preferable. Unprompted, this indicates that the 25% of time proposed by the University would be acceptable to many employers. This level was confirmed by the SSCs as they continually stressed the need for graduates to be able to demonstrate more experience on their CV than just their degree studies i.e. skills and work experience gained outside their course. iii University of Aberdeen: Approach to learning Draft final report Annex A: Purpose of the research and methodology Purpose of the study A.1 In July 2008 SQW Consulting was commissioned by the University of Aberdeen to carry out a piece of research consulting with employers on the University’s proposals for enhancing learning and increasing the employability of its graduates. A.2 The Curriculum Commission was set up following an invitation by the Principal of the University in February 2007 to colleagues to reflect on whether the University’s curriculum is fit for purpose for the 21st century. Essentially the University wishes to gain a better understanding of what employers want from graduates, (where possible) how employers perceived Aberdeen graduates and to gauge their response to the graduate attributes being proposed by the University’s Curriculum Commission in its first report, ‘Enhancing learning: the Aberdeen approach’ (27 February 2008). The attributes listed in this report fall under three headings – academic excellence, skills and attributes, and readiness for life – and are defined as follows below: Table A-1: Aberdeen Graduate Attributes Academic excellence In-depth and extensive knowledge, understanding and skills at internationally recognised levels in their chosen discipline A breadth of knowledge, understanding and skills beyond their chosen discipline(s) An ability to participate in the creation of new knowledge and understanding through research and inquiry A contextual understanding of past and present knowledge and ideas A capacity for independent conceptual and creative thinking An intellectual curiosity and willingness to question accepted wisdom and to be open to new ideas Skills and approach A capacity for problem identification, the collection of evidence, synthesis and dispassionate analysis A capacity for informed argument and reasoning An ability to communicate effectively for different purposes and in different contexts An ability to work independently or as part of a team A diverse set of transferable and general skills Readiness for life An openness to, and an interest in, life-long learning through directed and self-directed study An awareness of personal strengths and weaknesses and a capacity for self-discovery and development An awareness and appreciation of ethical and moral issues An awareness and appreciation of social and cultural diversity An understanding of social and civic responsibilities and of the rights of individuals and groups A readiness for citizenship in a civilised and inclusive society Source: University of Aberdeen (2008) Enhanced Learning: The Aberdeen Approach, First Report of the Curriculum Commission, 27 February 2008 A-1 University of Aberdeen: Approach to learning Draft final report A.3 The second report by the Curriculum Commission ‘Enhanced Study’ was produced in July 2008 and the third – and final report – due in September 2008 will present the main findings of the Commission; and will draw in part upon the findings of this study. A.4 Therefore, the purpose of the study has been to see what employers want from graduates in general, how employers currently regard Aberdeen graduates, and to test employers’ responses to the proposed graduate attributes which are intended to result from the curriculum reforms set out in ‘Enhancing learning.’ Research Methodology A.5 The approach followed was to consult with local, regional, national and international graduate recruiters, where possible ensuring that the recruiters range in size from small employers looking to recruit one or two graduates per year to large employers recruiting in excess of 500. Initially, we carried out a series of scoping interviews – eight in total – with University of Aberdeen staff and a review of literature that the University had already identified relating to the study, as well as any further information that we could find. The scoping phase was intended to inform the design of research instruments for the main part of the fieldwork. A.6 We used three main methods for identifying and surveying employer views: Online survey of employers: to consult with employers the online survey was sent to a number of sources including the Association of Graduate Recruiters (AGR) sent an e-bulletin to 653 employer organisations listed on its database. The e-bulletin explained the purpose for carrying out the survey, as well as a link to the survey. In addition to the original e-bulletin AGR sent a reminder email to the employer organisations University of Aberdeen Careers Service: the Careers Service made available two databases of employers to the study – 42 employers from an employer seminar carried out by the University and 112 employers from Careers Fairs held at the university. The Careers Service sent an email to these employers again providing details and a link to the online survey when we approached the SSCs in order to request their participation in a telephone interview we also asked whether they would be willing – in some shape or form – to distribute the link to the online survey to employers in their sector. Of the SSCs that responded most were unwilling to circulate the survey due to concerns about over burdening their sector with requests to take part in research. Two SSCs – Skillfast and Summit Skills – did put information and a link to the online survey on their websites Telephone survey of employers: organisations who were sent the online survey were asked at the end of the survey whether they would be willing to participate in a follow-up telephone interview. This produced a list of 16 employers and initially led to 14 telephone interviews with employers being carried out. In order to achieve our target number of employer telephone interviews of 22 we then contacted 150 A-2 University of Aberdeen: Approach to learning Draft final report employers directly through the lists of employers that had been sent to us by the Careers Service and who had been suggested by other interviewees2 A.7 Telephone survey of Sector Skills Councils (SSCs): we contacted all 26 SSCs to obtain sector-specific employer views of the graduates that they recruit. The intention was to carry out up to eight telephone interviews with SSCs; in practice we conducted 11 interviews following a positive response from the SSCs. The interviews were carried out mainly with SSC staff responsible for skills development, higher education, research or policy. Annex C describes in more detail the sector coverage of those SSCs that we interviewed – broadly the sectors included aerospace, automotive, biotechnology, chemicals, energy (oil, gas, water, nuclear, waste), engineering, fashion and textiles, finance, pharmaceuticals, public sector, transport Table A-2 shows the number of interviews carried out by the research team. In summary, the online survey generated 84 responses from employers and 23 and 11 telephone interviews were achieved with employers and SSCs, respectively. Table A-2 : Summary of survey methodology Survey method Sample size Target interviews Achieved interviews Online survey of employers AGR – 653 As many as possible 84 22 23 8 11 Careers Service seminar – 42 Careers Service Fairs – 112 Telephone survey of employers Online sample – 16 Careers Service – 150 Telephone survey of Sector Skills Councils (SSCs) 26 Source: SQW (2008) Aberdeen approach to learning. A.8 The quantitative and qualitative responses to the survey work were analysed using Microsoft Excel and NVivo software and the full analysis for each survey can be found in Annexes C-E. A.9 We also contacted the THES to enquiry whether it would be possible to interrogate data from the graduate recruiter surveys returned in 2006 and 2007 for the ‘World University Rankings’, which would allow us to understand the type and location of international employers who recruit Aberdeen graduates. The THES referred us to the organisation that undertakes the survey – QS Network3 – though unfortunately they were unable to respond with any information within the timeframe of this study. 2 These employers came from interviews with members of the Curriculum Reform Commission of the University of Aberdeen from the scoping stage of the research project, and from the Sector Skills Councils. 3 http://www.topuniversities.com/worlduniversityrankings/?gclid=CO6WlriDq5UCFROA1QodGBoJjw A-3 University of Aberdeen: Approach to learning Draft final report Annex B: Literature review General policy direction University of Aberdeen B.1 The University of Aberdeen is currently undertaking a wide-ranging review of its curriculum with the aim of optimising Aberdeen’s attractiveness to students and the attractiveness of its graduates to employers. B.2 The University’s Strategic Plan 2007-2010 The Frontiers of Excellence highlighted the role of the University in “providing an excellent and sustainable learning environment that delivers a dynamic curriculum, informed and driven by academic discovery, and equips our students with the reasoning, communication, entrepreneurial and analytical skills that will enable them to lead and adapt to change throughout their lives”.4 The Leitch Review of Skills, The Scottish Government Skills Strategy and The Future of Higher Education B.3 Both the Leitch Review of Skills and Skills for Scotland: A Lifelong Skills Strategy highlighted the vital importance of skills for the UK economy and for the Scottish economy respectively. The Leitch Review recognised the importance of higher education institutions in achieving its vision of achieving world class skills for the UK and called for “increased engagement and investment from employers with higher education, to drive management, innovation and workforce development.”5 B.4 The Future of Higher Education published in 2003 also highlights the importance of higher education in closing the productivity gap which can only be achieved through an up-skilling of the workforce. It also acknowledges that “the pace of both social and technological change means that education, including higher education, can no longer be confined to the early years of life” and that “today’s generation of students will need to return to learning – full-time or part-time – on more than one occasion across their lifetime in order to refresh their knowledge, upgrade their skills and sustain their employability”.6 What employers want from graduates B.5 ‘Employability’ is a broad term and can be defined in many ways. Mantz Yorke 7 defines ‘employability’ as a context-dependent term whereby “a student can demonstrate employability in respect of a job if he or she can demonstrate a set of achievements relevant to that job”. Whilst this definition acknowledges that different employers and sectors will have different skills and knowledge requirements, it is also clear from the research we have 4 University of Aberdeen (2007), Strategic Plan 2007-2010 The Frontiers of Excellence Lord Sandy Leitch (2006), Leitch Review of Skills Final Report, p.21 6 DfES (2003), UK: The Future of Higher Education, p.20 7 Mantz Yorke (2006), Learning and Employability Series one: Employability in higher education- what it is- what it is not, p.10 5 B-1 University of Aberdeen: Approach to learning Draft final report carried out that there are generic skills that employers would like to find in the graduates they recruit. B.6 The literature we have reviewed along with findings from the National Employer Skills Survey 2007 all point to important skills gaps amongst the graduate workforce. Figure B-1 below shows how well prepared for work employers thought under 24 year old graduates have been. Whilst an overwhelming majority of employers were very satisfied with the graduates they recruited (84% either thought graduates were “very well prepared” or “well prepared”), 11% felt graduates were either “very poorly prepared” or “poorly prepared” for work. Figure B-1: How well prepared for work have under 24 year old university/higher education leavers been 100% 90% 80% 70% 57% 60% 50% 40% 30% 27% 20% 9% 10% 2% 5% 0% Very well prepared Well prepared Poorly prepared Very poorly prepared Don't know / Varies too much to say Source: Learning and Skills Council (LSC), National Employer Skills Survey (NESS), 2007 B.7 Table B-1 below gives details of the main skills that employers thought were lacking amongst young graduates, including the following: technical and practical skills/job specific skills (20% of respondent employers), lack of life experience/experience of the working world (18%), experience (12%), and oral communication skills/communication skills (12%). These are the same skills highlighted by the documents we reviewed in the scoping stage. Table B-1: Skills lacking amongst University/Higher Education leavers Skills lacking % of employers Technical and practical skills / Job specific skills 20% Lack of life experience/experience of working world 18% Experience (inc. business, practical) 12% Oral communication skills / Communication skills (unspecified) 12% Work ethic / Poor attitude to work 11% Lack of motivation/enthusiasm/commitment (including only interested in money) 9% Poor education / general knowledge / no skills (unspecified) 9% B-2 University of Aberdeen: Approach to learning Draft final report Skills lacking % of employers Customer service skills 8% Literacy skills 8% Social/People skills 7% Other 7% Time keeping skills / Punctuality (including attendance) 7% Common sense 6% Working long hours / Hard work (including 9-5, 5 days a week) 4% Numeracy skills 4% Written communication skills 3% Basic IT/Computer skills 3% No particular reason 3% Poor attitude (unspecified) (including manners, respect) 2% Initiative 2% Office/Administration skills 2% Organisational skills 2% Discipline (unspecified.) 2% Confidence 2% Team working skills 1% Personal appearance / Presentation 1% Responsibility (unspecified.) 1% Interview skills (inc. preparation, technique) 0% Source: Learning and Skills Council (LSC), National Employer Skills Survey (NESS), 2007 B.8 The documents we reviewed showed that employers value a graduate’s achievement in their degree subject, but that this alone is not sufficient for them to be recruited. The documents also highlighted the fact that the importance of the knowledge of subject discipline will vary widely across different employment sectors. For example, employers in specialist industries such as the computer industry are likely to require graduates to have very good subject knowledge and understanding, whilst employers in social work are more likely to require “general graduateness”8 (i.e. more generic qualities and skills held by all graduates). B.9 Despite the context-specific nature of employability, all employers want to recruit wellrounded individuals. The Higher Education Careers Service Unit defines the qualities and skills that graduate employers want as follows: … experiences of work, maturity, a more instrumentally-focused and informed approach to their higher education experience and often, clear 8 Ibid Mantz Yorke (2006), p6 B-3 University of Aberdeen: Approach to learning Draft final report evidence of their ability to manage time well and take a pro-active approach to career management.9 B.10 The Scottish Government Skills Strategy also acknowledged that employers not only want graduates with degree-subject skill, knowledge and understanding, but that they also need their workforce to have “softer skills” that are essential for the success of their organisation. These skills include the following: effective time management; planning and organising; effective oral and written communication skills; the ability to solve problems; being able to undertake tasks or make submissions at short notice; the ability to work with others to achieve common goals; the ability to think critically and creatively; the ability to learn and continue learning; the ability to take responsibility for professional development and having the skills needed to manage or be managed by others.10 Conclusions B.11 Both the UK and Scottish Governments acknowledge the importance of skills in closing the productivity gap with competitors and the role higher education can play in equipping students with a varied set of skills necessary to their success in employment. Employers are generally satisfied with the graduates they have recruited, but most still stress that they would like well-rounded individuals who not only have the subject-specific knowledge of their degree discipline but also a wider set of employability skills. The Higher Education Career Services Unit has developed an illustrative summary (presented in Table B-2 below) of the skills that most graduate recruiters require, which amplifies the views expressed by the other contributors discussed in this review. Table B-2: Skills that employers want from graduates Type of skill Employers' requirements – “Buzz” words Self-reliance skills Self-awareness – purposeful, focused, self-belief, realistic Pro-activity – resourceful, drive, self-reliant Willingness to learn – Inquisitive, motivated, enthusiastic Self-promotion – positive, persistent, ambitious Networking – initiator, relationship-builder, resourceful Planning action – decision-maker, planner, able to prioritise Team working – supportive, organised, co-ordinator, deliverer Interpersonal skills – listener, adviser, co-operative, assertive Oral communication – communicator, presenter, influencer Leadership – motivator, energetic, visionary Customer orientation – friendly, caring, diplomatic Foreign language – specific language skills Problem-solving – practical, logical, results orientated Flexibility – versatile, willing, multi-skilled People skills General employment skills 9 Higher Education Careers Services Unit (2004), Seven Years On: Graduate Careers in a Changing Labour Market, p14. Similar views are expressed by others. For example, in Employability: Higher Education Institutions engaging with employers, Andrew Bottomley and Helen Williams (2006) assert that graduate recruiters favour applicants with “skills in teamwork, time management, negotiation, research analysis and the ability to come up with practical, creative solutions to a live business problem”, p.10. 10 Scottish Government (2007), Skills for Scotland: A Lifelong Skills Strategy, p.8 B-4 University of Aberdeen: Approach to learning Draft final report Type of skill Specialist skills Employers' requirements – “Buzz” words Business acumen – entrepreneurial, competitive, risk taker IT/computer literacy – office skills, keyboard skills, software packages Numeracy – accurate, quick-thinker, methodical Commitment – dedicated, trustworthy, conscientious Specific occupational skills – specialist relevant knowledge, e.g. languages, IT Technical skills – e.g. journalism, engineering, accounting, sales Source: Higher Education Careers Services Unit and agcas in association with UCAS (2008), What do Graduates do? 2008 Career Planning for Higher Education and Beyond References Andrew Bottomley and Helen Williams (2006), Employability: Higher Education Institutions engaging with employers. A guide to international best practice in engaging employers in the curriculum. Commonwealth of Australia, Department of Employment, Education, Training and Youth Affairs (1998), Review of Higher Education Financing and Policy DfES (2003) UK: The Future of Higher Education Future Skills Scotland (2007), How 'smart' are Scottish jobs? FutureSkills Scotland (2006), What do employers want? Higher Education Careers Services Unit and agcas in association with UCAS (2008), What do graduates do? 2008- Career Planning for Higher Education and Beyond Higher Education Careers Services Unit (2004), Seven Years On: Graduate Careers in a Changing Labour Market House of Commons Education and Skills Committee (2007), The Bologna Process, Fourth Report of Session 2006–07 Report, together with formal minutes, oral and written evidence Learning and Skills Council (LSC) (2007), National Employer Skills Survey (NESS) Lord Sandy Leitch (2006), Leitch Review of Skills Final Report Mantz Yorke (2006), Learning and Employability Series one: Employability in higher education- what it is- what it is not Mantz Yorke and Peter T Knight (2006), Learning and Employability Series three: Embedding employability into the curriculum Scottish Government (2007), Skills for Scotland: A Lifelong Skills Strategy The Boyer Commission on Educating Undergraduates in the Research University (1998), Reinventing Undergraduate Education: A Blueprint for America’s Research Universities University of Aberdeen (2007), Strategic Plan 2007-2010 The Frontiers of Excellence B-5 University of Aberdeen: Approach to learning Draft final report Annex C: Sector Skills Council interviews Survey methodology C.1 As part of our approach to understand how employers perceive graduates we contacted all 26 Sector Skills Councils (SSCs) to get sector-specific employer views of the graduates that they recruit. The intention was to carry out up to eight telephone interviews with SSCs that responded to our request to participate in the research. In the end we conducted 11 interviews following a positive response from the SSCs listed in Table C-1, in which we have also included a description of the size of firms operating in the sector and the level of graduate recruitment. The interviews were carried out mainly with SSC staff responsible for skills development, higher education, research or policy. Table C-1: Coverage of Sector Skills Councils SSC Sector coverage Sector description Level of graduate recruitment Asset Skills Property, Housing Facilities Management, Housing, Cleaning and Car Parking industries. Mainly small and medium size enterprises (SMEs). Medium to low number of graduates recruited annually Cogent Chemicals and Pharmaceuticals, Oil and Gas, Nuclear, Petroleum and Polymer industries. Everything from small firms through large privately-owned UK companies; the sector has some of the biggest multinationals including Chevron, BP, Shell, GSK, Pfizer and AstraZeneca. Recruit around 4,000 graduates per year of which 50% are Science, Technology, Engineering or Mathematics (STEM) graduates. The top 5 STEM subjects that employers recruit from are: chemistry, mechanical engineering, chemical and process engineering, biology, and electronic and electronical engineering. The top non-STEM subjects are business management and accountancy. Energy and Utilities Skills Electricity, Gas, Waste Management and Water industries. The electricity, gas and water sectors are dominated by large assetowning utilities whereas waste management has a high proportion of SMEs. Water gas and electricity use more graduates than is normal in the UK whilst the waste management sector is predominantly comprises SMEs and recruits few graduates. Financial Services Financial Services industry. Employers of all sizes from small firms to large multinationals. The sector has recruited between 8,000 and 11,000 graduates a year for the past five years. Go Skills Passenger Transport industries. Complete range of firm sizes; anything from FTS 100 companies to sole traders. On an annual basis, from 100 to 1,000 graduates are recruited across the sector but it varies according to companies, with some take on large numbers of graduates every year and some only one every few years. Graduates are most likely to be recruited for bus and rail engineering, general C-1 University of Aberdeen: Approach to learning Draft final report SSC Sector coverage Sector description Level of graduate recruitment management and management of transport planning positions. Government Skills Central Government, all civil service departments and agencies, unaffiliated non-departmental government bodies and Armed Forces. Covers all civil servants in departments and agencies (including those in the devolved administrations and the Northern Ireland Civil Service); staff in nondepartmental government bodies not already affiliated to another SSC (around 60,000 staff); and the Armed Forces. In total, this adds up to around 800,000 staff. Unsure about level of recruitment. Institute of the Motor Industry Automotive Retail industries. 86% of employers work in SMEs including many micro businesses. Low numbers of graduates are recruited overall with small numbers on a firm by firm basis. Lifelong Learning UK (LLUK) Community Learning and Development, Further Education, Higher Education, Libraries, Archives and Information Services and Work Based Learning. The whole range of size of organisations from small private training providers to large universities. Two thirds of the lifelong learning workforce is qualified up to degree level (about 700,000 people). Semta (Science, Engineering & Manufacturing Technologies) Aerospace, Automotive, Bioscience, Electrical, Electronics, Maintenance, Marine, Mathematics, Mechanical, Metals and Engineered Metal Products industries The whole range of companies. Semta only carry out research on a certain number of companies so it is difficult to give an overall number for the sector. From their research in 2004/05, about 1,400 graduates were recruited to the bioscience sector alone. Skillfast Fashion and Textiles – manufacturing, trading and services. The biggest companies in the sector are still classified as SMEs; 90% of firms are sole traders and partnerships. The average size of the sector is becoming smaller year on year, and more fragmented. HE provision relating to this sector totals around 3,000 graduates per year but very few firms have formal graduate programmes due to their small size. There are six graduates coming out of university for every job opportunity. Summit Skills Building Services Engineering: Electrotechnical, Heating, Ventilating, Air Conditioning, Refrigeration and Plumbing industries. Only 2% of firms employ more than 50 people in this sector. There is not enough of provision for the sector so employers tend to recruit from other sectors (e.g. geography). Overall low recruit of graduates but there are around 100,000 people employed as managers, professionals, technicians etc. all who need to have graduatelevel qualifications. Source: SQW (2008) Aberdeen approach to learning. C.2 The discussion with SSCs covered three main areas: C-2 University of Aberdeen: Approach to learning Draft final report their general views on what employers are looking for in the graduates they recruit, and whether there are any attributes and skills that current graduates currently lack more specifically what employers in their sectors require, if gaps and weaknesses exist and what role universities could play in addressing these, and how the three attributes – academic excellence, skills and approach, and readiness for life skills – are valued by employers. General views on graduates What employers are looking for C.3 The pervading view from SSCs was that for technical professions employers are looking for specific technical skills, knowledge and understanding. However employers in general want a good balance between discipline-specific knowledge, practical experience and interest in the field of work that the graduate is applying for. The majority of respondent SSCs highlighted the importance of graduates already having had some work experience by the time they have left university and are applying the jobs. Employers are looking for graduates who are close to being or already are ready for work, and who can ‘hit the ground running’. Graduates with the ‘right’ attitude, good time keeping and a strong work ethic are valued by recruiters. How graduates fit into an organisation is particularly important for smaller firms. C.4 The responses from SSCs reveal that employers have high expectations of the skills and attributes graduates should possess. Employers are looking for graduates with management and leadership skills, the ability to solve problems, good written and verbal communication skills, and the ability to work as part of a team. They want graduates who are willing to learn. C.5 SSCs for employment sectors with a large number of small firms commented that SMEs do not necessarily need or want top end graduates. Instead they require graduates who can do the job, are competent, have the right character and are willing to undergo training. One SSC also mentioned that in their sector, graduates who can work with people of all ages, from different backgrounds and with disabilities are valued. Attributes and skills that graduates lack C.6 Of the 11 SSCs interviewed only one clearly felt that that in its sector employers would argue that graduates lack any specific attributes and skills. For the other SSCs both a lack of experience of the work and softer skills were the main areas where employers feel that there are gaps. On the former issue, employers link the lack of work readiness to graduates being unable to apply their knowledge to the job in question, in a real life context. With regard the latter softer skills that graduates do not have include: project management and management in general – an inability to deal with and manage others leadership problem solving and analytical skills C-3 University of Aberdeen: Approach to learning Draft final report C.7 work independently and in teams written and verbal communication skills attitude to work numerical skills. Typically, SSCs reported that graduates lack these ‘soft skills’ because at university they learn to think in an academic environment. Employers are willing to pay for graduate training to ‘top up’ their ‘soft skills’, but they do not want to pay for training graduates in the skills they should have acquired at university. Sector specific views on graduates C.8 SSCs were asked to identify particular skills and attributes employers in their sectors are looking for in graduates. Two highlighted a deficiency in technical skills reported by employers in their sectors: Cogent (Chemicals and Pharmaceuticals, Oil and Gas, Nuclear, Petroleum and Polymer industries); and Skillfast (fashion and textiles). C.9 Sector-specific skills and attributes identified by respondent SSCs are displayed in Table C-2 below. Aside from sector-specific skills, knowledge and understanding, SSCs reported most frequently ‘soft skills’ such as leadership, management (including people management and interpersonal skills) and communication skills. Table C-2: Skills and attributes by sector Sector/industry area What employers are looking for Surveying and town planning High levels of mathematics, communication, people management and IT skills Property, estate and facilities management Technical skills plus leadership and management skills Housing Leadership and people skills if dealing with housing associations Financial services Good numeracy and quantitative skills, leadership, management and interpersonal skills Passenger transport – delivery High level of general management skills, ability to deal with customers, people skills Passenger transport – engineering Technical skills with the ability to apply theoretical knowledge in the work environment Government – public sector Technical knowledge is important when recruiting economists, statisticians etc. Broadly the sector needs graduates with good communication, leadership and management skills Fashion and textiles Technical skills are the overriding driver followed by commercial awareness Retail automotive Management and leadership skills Chemical, pharmaceuticals, oil and gas, nuclear Academic/technical knowledge, practical experience, problem solving, critical thinking, synthesis of evidence, communication and management skills Water, gas and electricity Technical skills combined with a good attitude, and communication and problem solving skills C-4 University of Aberdeen: Approach to learning Draft final report Sector/industry area What employers are looking for Waste management Technical skills (legal requirement to be qualified to manage a landfill site) Teaching (at all levels) Management and leadership, skills relating to the widening participation agenda, ICT skills, communication skills and ability to engage learners, subject-specific skills Bioscience Scientific knowledge and skills in chemistry, biological science or mathematics, IT and management skills, knowledge of regulatory standards, practical/work experience (degrees with industrial placements are favoured) Engineering Knowledge of subject area plus work/practical experience Building services Different areas of technical expertise linked to an understanding of what happens on site Source: SQW (2008) Aberdeen approach to learning. C.10 C.11 When the SSCs were asked how universities should address gaps and weaknesses in graduate skills, most emphasised the need for greater employer engagement between the HE sector and industry. They argued that closer collaboration between employers and universities could reduce the identified skills gaps employers in their sectors experience when recruiting graduates. They suggested the following actions: identify universities which are good at involving employers in the delivery of technical skills and share this good practice within the HE sector develop HE/employer fora to enable employers to inform curriculum design and delivery through stronger dialogue with universities encourage academic staff to spend more time in industry in order to understand the working environments some of their learners will enter improve access to a broader range of learning opportunities, including provision which has been tailored to the employment sectors and occupations graduates intend to enter enable students to apply their academic learning to the world of work, and seek excellence in both. Overall, the view was that higher education needed to listen more to the needs of employers in particular sectors. Attributes valued by employers C.12 The SSCs were asked how highly they think employers in their sectors would value each of the three components proposed in the Aberdeen Graduate Attributes framework: academic excellence11, skills and approach12 and readiness for life13. 11 The definition we have used for academic excellence is taken from the first Curriculum Commission report and includes the following attributes: “In depth and extensive knowledge, understanding and skills at internationallyrecognised levels in their chosen discipline(s), a breadth of knowledge, understanding and skills beyond their chosen discipline(s), an ability to participate in the creation of new knowledge and understanding through research and inquiry; a contextual understanding of past and present knowledge and ideas, a capacity for independent C-5 University of Aberdeen: Approach to learning Draft final report Academic excellence C.13 Most of the respondent SSCs reported that employers in their sectors would value the ‘academic excellence’ attributes highly, but qualified this by noting differences between employers in the different parts of their sectors and also between the different occupations graduates are recruited to, drawing a distinction between sector-specific and more general graduate roles. Only two respondent SSCs did not agree, reporting that employers in their sectors (passenger transport and automotive retail skills) valued applied knowledge over academic excellence. C.14 Even so, in the passenger transport sector employers require graduates with a basic knowledge of engineering which may be acquired at university, whereas in the automotive retail sector employers look for graduates who are competent to work in the sector. In contrast, the other respondent SSCs reported that employers in their sectors do value academic excellence and recognise the benefits of recruiting a graduate with a good degree. Skills and approach C.15 Most of the respondent SSCs argued that employers in their sectors would value the ‘skills and approach’ attributes as equally important to the ‘academic excellence’ attributes. Employers in their sectors think that skills such as problem solving, communication and working independently or as part of a team are extremely important, and would employ graduates who have acquired these attributes at university. Some the SSCs even claimed that strong ‘skills and approach’ attributes could compensate for deficiencies in other areas. It was asserted that some employers will recruit business studies graduates because they often possess these generic attributes, and go on to acquire sector-specific and technical skills, knowledge and understanding once in employment. The SSCs also placed a strong emphasis graduates’ ability to apply and communicate their ‘academic excellence’ attributes in a work environment, and felt the ‘skills and approach’ attributes would help them to do this. Readiness for life C.16 Whilst all SSCs felt that employers in their sectors would value graduates who could demonstrate the ‘readiness for life’ attributes, none valued these attributes more highly than the ‘academic excellence’ or ‘skills and approach’ attributes. A few SSCs gave examples of particular employment sectors or occupations where graduates ‘readiness for life’ attributes would be important, for example in urban regeneration, housing services and social work. conceptual and creative thinking and an intellectual curiosity and willingness to question accepted wisdom and to be open to new ideas.” 12 The definition we have used for skills and approach is taken from the first Curriculum Commission report and includes the following attributes: “A capacity for problem identification, the collection of evidence, synthesis and dispassionate analysis; a capacity for informed argument and reasoning; an ability to communicate effectively for different purposes and in different contexts; an ability to work independently or as part of a team and a diverse set of transferable and general skills.” 13 The definition we have used for readiness for life is taken from the first Curriculum Commission report and includes the following attributes: “An openness to, and an interest in, life-long learning through directed and selfdirected study; an awareness of personal strengths and weaknesses and a capacity for self-discovery and development; an awareness and appreciation of social and cultural diversity; an understanding of social and civic responsibilities and of the rights of individuals and groups and a readiness for citizenship in a civilised and inclusive society.” C-6 University of Aberdeen: Approach to learning Draft final report Time spent acquiring knowledge, understanding and skills outside a degree C.17 SSCs were asked to comment on how much of an undergraduate’s time employers would expect them to have spent on acquiring knowledge, understanding and skills outside their degree discipline. A common theme throughout the interviews with employers was the need for graduates to be able to demonstrate more experience on their CV than just their degree studies, and most respondent SSCs stressed the need for graduates to be able to present relevant work experience in their applications. C.18 Most of the SSCs stated that it should be the role of higher education to provide graduates with ‘skills and approach’ attributes such as leadership, management, communication, problem solving, analytical skills etc. The respondent SSCs thought that they could be acquired either by students spending more time in work or in their degree courses; preferably both. Conclusions C.19 In general the SSCs interviewed felt that employers are looking for a good balance between discipline-specific knowledge and practical experience; they stressed the importance of graduates already having had some work experience by the time they have left university and that graduates should not just rely on their degree to get a job. In terms of the skillset that employers desire, they want graduates with management and leadership skills, the ability to solve problems, good written and verbal communication skills, and the ability to work as part of a team. They also want graduates who are willing to learn. C.20 However, the SSCs claimed that many of these skills and experience are missing in graduates as they lack both experience of the world of work and the softer skills. At a sector level, two SSCs highlighted a deficiency in technical skills reported by employers in the sectors of chemicals, pharmaceuticals, oil and gas, nuclear, petroleum, polymer industries, and fashion and textiles. The most frequently cited ‘soft skills’ that graduates do not possess include leadership, management (including people management and interpersonal skills) and communication skills. C.21 The SSCs reported that employers in their sectors are keen on closer collaboration and greater communication between employers and universities; believing that this could reduce the skills gaps that employers are experiencing. Among the solutions put forward they suggested making better use of best practice in employer engagement, setting up HE/employer fora, academics spending more time in industry and improving the access to HE for employers. C.22 In comparing the value of attributes relating to academic excellence, skills and approach, and readiness for life, the SSCs noted that the balance in value will vary depending on the sector and position/occupation that graduates are recruited to. However, overall the SSCs valued academic excellence and skills and approach attributes as equally important. They claimed that employers recognise the benefits of recruiting a graduate with a good degree but at the same time want graduates to have skills as problem solving, communication and the ability to work independently or as part of a team. These softer skills are extremely important and some the SSCs felt strong skill in these areas could compensate for deficiencies in others. C-7 University of Aberdeen: Approach to learning Draft final report The readiness for life attributes whilst welcomed and seen as important were not as valuable as the other two criteria. C-8 University of Aberdeen: Approach to learning Draft final report Annex D: Online Employer Survey Survey methodology Survey design D.1 The aim of the online survey was to find out the following from a sample of graduate employers: background information on graduate employers: their sector, size of organisation (number of employees and number of graduates employed, location of graduate workforce, which Universities and subject areas they recruit graduates from their ratings of different graduate attributes based on the list provided by the University of Aberdeen’s Curriculum Reform Report – respondents were asked to rate the importance of these attributes for graduate recruitments and to rate the extent to which graduates they recruited in 2007 possessed these attributes, and if they would be willing to participate in further telephone research. Methodology D.2 We used two main sources to design the questions for the online survey: the scoping interviews with members of the Curriculum Commission who were directly asked about which questions we should ask employers and our document review which informed us about the skills and attributes valued by graduate recruiters D.3 The link to the online survey was sent by various means to a sample of graduate employers: an introduction email and the link to the online survey was sent by the University’s Careers Services to employers who have consistently responded to events ran by the University and to relevant employers who participate in Fairs organised by the University’s Career Services the link to the online survey was included in the weekly e-bulletin of the Association of Graduate Recruiters (AGR) some of the Sector Skills Councils (SSCs) agreed to help us circulate the link to their employers in a variety of ways: Skills Fast and Summit Skills both posted the link on their website and Cogent and Financial Services suggested names of employers we should contact for either the online survey or the telephone interview. Response rates D.4 It is difficult to calculate an accurate response rate given that it is not possible to find out how many graduate employers viewed the link that was posted on some SSC websites. D-1 University of Aberdeen: Approach to learning Draft final report D.5 We received 84 responses to the online survey14 and we know that the AGR’s e-bulletin containing the link to our online survey was sent to 653 of their graduate employers and that the University of Aberdeen’s Career services sent an introduction email with the online survey link to a total of 154 employers.15 These numbers give us an approximate response rate of 10%.16 D.6 The number of respondents to each question does not always add up to the total of 84 responses to the overall survey, this is because in analysing the responses to the survey, we have only included the valid responses for each question as not all respondents answered all of the questions in the online survey. Each figure or table provides the total number of respondents by question so the proportions are worked out as a percentage of responses rather than a percentage of all respondents. Background details on survey respondents D.7 Overall, more than 80% of the survey respondents were part of senior management or responsible for staff recruitment, with a significant share of respondents directly responsible for graduate recruitment or management. From a total of 79 respondents17, 38 (48%) are graduate recruiters or managers. Fifteen (19%) of the respondents are chief executives/ directors and ten (13%) are human resource executives or managers (Figure D-1). This indicates that the respondents were very involved in either graduate recruitment or recruitment strategy and therefore well qualified to comment on their organisation’s graduate recruitment and management. 14 This number includes both complete and incomplete responses; we decided not to exclude those incomplete responses as their responses to individual questions were still valid. All response rates in the analysis are given by individual questions. 15 42 of which are employers that have consistently responded to events ran by the University and 112 who are exhibitors at the Fairs run by the University’s Career services. 16 As mentioned previously, this number should be treated with caution as the link posted on the AGR’s e-bulletin could have been seen by fewer graduate employers than those it was sent to and we do not know how many employers might have seen the link posted on SSC websites or been sent the link in an email through their SSC. 17 It should be noted that 79 was not the total number of respondents for each question. The number of respondents varies for each question and is specified throughout as “total respondents”. D-2 University of Aberdeen: Approach to learning Draft final report Positions of survey respondents Figure D-1: Respondents by occupation Executive Assistant Commanding Officer Environmental Adviser Regional Business Adviser Training and development HR Executive/ Manager Manager Graduate recruitment director/manager Chief executive/director 0 5 10 15 20 25 30 35 40 Number of organisations Source: SQW (2008) Aberdeen approach to learning. Base: 79 responses. D.8 Respondents who took part in the online employer survey came from a range of industry sectors. These are presented in Figure D-2. The most common sectors reported by respondents are financial intermediation, construction, oil and gas exploration, public administration and defence, legal and education. Science sectors are well represented by the sample of employers which included two Biomedical/pharmacological organisations, three engineering firms and three sub-sea engineering companies. Figure D-2: Respondents by industry sectors of operation Subsea industry/ engineering Other Legal Engineering Transport, storage and communication Biomedical/pharmacol ogical Real estate, renting and business activities Construction Public administration and defence Education Oil and gas exploration Financial intermediation Manufacturing Information Technology Source: SQW (2008) Aberdeen approach to learning. Base: 132 responses. D-3 University of Aberdeen: Approach to learning Draft final report Note: Other industries comprises of Agriculture, hunting and forestry, Fishing, Health and social work, Hotels and restaurants, Mining and quarrying, Other community, social and personal service activities, Wholesale and retail trade, Graduate recruitment, Leisure and sport, Marketing Information (Research) and Security. D.9 Overall, 27 (35%) out of a total of 78 employers said they employed fewer than 250 full- and part-time staff (Figure D-3); these are conventionally defined as small to medium enterprises (SMEs) by the European Commission. Thirteen per cent of all employers had fewer than nine staff and are defined as micro enterprises. Sixty five per cent of the employers have over 250 staff members and are defined as large enterprises with 49% of respondents (38 graduate employers) having over 1001 employees. This significant proportion of larger employers in the sample perhaps reflects that graduate employers tend to be larger employers running formal graduate programmes. The employers surveyed represent reasonably well a range of enterprises including large enterprises with sizeable graduate programmes. Figure D-3: Organisations by number of employees (full time and part time) currently employed Number of organisations 40 35 30 25 20 15 10 5 0 1-9 10-25 26-50 51-100 101-250 251-500 501-1000 1001 or over Size of organisations (number of employees) Source: SQW (2008) Aberdeen approach to learning. Base: 78 responses. D.10 Half of the employers said their graduate workforce is mainly located in Scotland and a significant proportion said they are located across the whole of the UK. Out of 84 respondents, 40 (50%) said their organisation’s graduate workforce is mainly located in Scotland and 27 (32%) said their graduates are distributed all over the UK. Seventeen (20%) of the respondents reported that graduates are located in parts of the UK other than Scotland and 22 (26%) said overseas18. Single respondents reported that their organisation’s graduates are mainly located in Afghanistan, Iraq, Luxembourg, South Africa, Hong Kong and the USA. 18 The number of responses is greater than the number of respondents because some respondents said there was more than one main country location for graduates in the organisation. D-4 University of Aberdeen: Approach to learning Draft final report Figure D-4: Employers by main locations of graduate workforce 45 Number of organisations 40 35 30 25 20 15 10 5 0 Scotland Other parts of the UK All of the UK Overseas Other Location of graduates Source: SQW (2008) Aberdeen approach to learning. Base: 84 responses. A large number of employers, who said they have graduates located in Scotland, said they are mainly located in or near Aberdeen. Out of 52 organisations with graduates located in Scotland, 30 (58%) said they were mainly located in or near Aberdeen, 25 (48%) in or near Edinburgh and 19 (37%) in or near Glasgow (Figure D-5) 19. Figure D-5: Organisations by main Scotland locations of graduate workforce (respondent with graduates located in Scotland) Location of organisations within Scotland D.11 All over Scotland None Elgin, Moray In/near Stirling In/near Inverness In/near Glasgow In/near Edinburgh In/near Dundee In/near Aberdeen 0 5 10 15 20 25 30 35 Number of organisations Source: SQW (2008) Aberdeen approach to learning. Base: 97 responses. 19 The number of responses is greater than the number of respondents because some respondents said there was more than one main location graduates in the organisation in Scotland. D-5 University of Aberdeen: Approach to learning Draft final report Graduate recruitment in 2007 D.12 The most common numbers of graduates recruited in 2007 according to 63 respondent employers was five or less per organisation (Figure D-6). Out of 63 employers who told us how many graduates they recruited in 2007, 21 (33%) recruited between zero and five graduates in 2007, seven (11%) recruited between six and ten graduates and 14 (22%) recruited between 11 and 25 graduates. Seven organisations (11%) recruited in excess of 501 graduates in 2007. This means that the majority of the employers surveyed (67%) are recruiting fairly small number of graduates, less than 25 graduates per year. The large graduate recruiters who employ over 501 graduates every year only represented 11% of the survey respondents. Figure D-6: Organisations by number of graduates recruited in 2007 Number of organisations 25 20 15 10 5 0 0-5 6-10 11-25 26-50 51-100 101-250 251-500 501 + Number of graduates recruited Source: SQW (2008) Aberdeen approach to learning. Base: 63 responses. D.13 Overall, recruitment plans of the surveyed employers for 2008 look very similar to 2007. Twenty per cent of respondent employers (from a total of 64) said they are planning to recruit fewer graduates in 2008, however this figure is exceeded by the 23% of respondents who said they plan to recruit more graduates. From a total of 64 respondents who told us how the number of graduates recruited in 2007 compares with planned recruitment for 2008, 36 (56%) are planning to recruit the same number of graduates in 2008 (Figure D-7). D-6 University of Aberdeen: Approach to learning Draft final report Figure D-7: The graduate recruitment plans of organisations surveyed for 2008 We are planning to recruit fewer graduates in 2008 (13 respondents) We are planning to recruit the same number of graduates in 2008 (36 respondents) We are planning to recruit more graduates in 2008 (15 respondents) Source: SQW (2008) Aberdeen approach to learning. Base: 64 responses. D.14 Since 2006, graduate recruitment by the surveyed employers has been expanding overall with 64% either recruiting the same number of graduates or recruiting more. From a total of 63 respondents who reported how the number of graduates recruited in 2007 compared with the number recruited in 2006, eight (13%) said they recruited more graduates in 2006 and 23 (37%) said they recruited fewer. The majority of 32 respondents (51%) recruited the same number of graduates in 2006 as 2007 (Figure D-8). Figure D-8: The graduate recruitment plans of organisations surveyed in 2006 compared to 2007 We recruited fewer graduates in 2006 (23 respondents) We recruited the same number of graduates in 2006 (32 respondents) We recruited more graduates in 2006 (8 respondents) Source: SQW (2008) Aberdeen approach to learning. Base: 63 responses D.15 Amongst the respondent employers there was a predilection for recruiting graduates that live in Scotland. Seventy one respondents answered the question, “which countries do you recruit D-7 University of Aberdeen: Approach to learning Draft final report graduates from?” and many of the respondents provided more than one answer to this question. Scotland was most frequently cited (see Figure D-9). Figure D-9: Organisations by countries they recruit graduates from 70 Number of organisations 60 50 40 30 20 10 0 England Wales Northern Ireland Scotland Overseas Location graduates are recruited from Source: SQW (2008) Aberdeen approach to learning. Base: 214 responses D.16 An overwhelming majority of the surveyed employers who recruit from Scottish universities said they recruit graduates from the University of Aberdeen. Eighty five per cent of 52 employers cited the University of Aberdeen as a Scottish university they recruit graduates from; most of these also recruit from other universities. Close behind Aberdeen are the Universities of Edinburgh, Glasgow and Strathclyde. Following on from these the next most popular universities to recruit graduates from are Robert Gordon University, the University of Dundee and Heriot Watt University (Table D-1). Table D-1: Scottish universities graduates are recruited from University name Count of responses Edinburgh College of Arts 5 Glasgow Caledonian University 18 Glasgow School of Arts 4 Heriot-Watt University 30 Napier University 22 Open University in Scotland 6 Queen Margaret University 10 Robert Gordon University 36 Royal Scottish Academy of Music & Drama 3 Scottish Agricultural College (SAC) 4 UHI Millennium Institute 5 D-8 University of Aberdeen: Approach to learning Draft final report University name Count of responses University of Aberdeen 44 University of Abertay Dundee 14 University of Dundee 32 University of Edinburgh 37 University of Glasgow 38 University of St Andrews 27 University of Stirling 20 University of Strathclyde 37 University of the West of Scotland 8 Total respondents 52 Total responses 400 Source: SQW (2008) Aberdeen approach to learning. Base: 400 responses. D.17 First degree level was the most frequently reported graduate level employers said they recruited from in 2007. A significant proportion also said they recruit masters graduates. Fifty five out of 58 respondents (95%) said they recruit first degree level graduates, whilst 35 (60%) recruit masters and 10 (17%) doctoral graduate (Figure D-10). Figure D-10: Graduate levels employers recruit from Number of organisations 60 50 40 30 20 10 0 Undergraduate level Master level Doctoral level Post graduate diploma (Legal Practice) Graduate Level Source: SQW (2008) Aberdeen approach to learning. Base: 103 responses. D.18 Respondent employers identified a wide range of different subject areas from which their organisation recruits graduates. These are presented in Table D-2 where they have been grouped into the three main colleges of the University of Aberdeen. Overall, subjects offered by the College of Arts and Social Sciences were more frequently cited, on 105 occasions. D-9 University of Aberdeen: Approach to learning Draft final report Next, subjects offered by the College of Physical Sciences were mentioned on 80 occasions and subjects offered by the College of Life Sciences and Medicine 34 times. Table D-2: Subject areas employers recruit from School College of Arts and Social Sciences (105) College of Physical Sciences (80) College of Life Sciences and Medicine (34) Subject area Count of responses Accountancy and Finance 2 Business and management 32 Construction 2 Education 6 Humanities 14 Language and literature 9 Law 24 Property and surveying 3 Social sciences 13 Chemistry 10 Computing 17 Engineering 27 Geosciences 1 Maths 15 Physics 10 Biological sciences- Environmental, ecological 10 Biological sciences- Molecular, physiological 5 Leisure and sports 2 Life sciences 11 Medicine and dentistry 6 Total respondents 54 Total responses 219 Source: SQW (2008) Aberdeen approach to learning. Base: 219 responses. Desirable graduate attributes Graduate attributes in general D.19 Employers were asked to rate the importance of the following general graduate attributes in their recruitment decisions, the first four of which encapsulate the three elements of the Aberdeen Graduate Attributes framework: ‘academic excellence’ (items A and B); ‘skills and approach’ (C); ‘readiness for life (D). D-10 University of Aberdeen: Approach to learning Draft final report A: in-depth knowledge, understanding and skills related to an applicant’s degree discipline B: broader knowledge, understanding and skills related to more than an applicant’s degree discipline alone C: transferable skills and approaches, such as problem solving, communication, teamwork, numeracy D: contextual understanding of different disciplines’ approaches to tackling global, social, ethical and moral issues E: work experience, work placements, study overseas or voluntary activities F: foreign languages. D.20 With very little variation across subject areas, recruiters valued graduates transferable skills and approaches (C) as the most important general graduate attribute. By contrast, foreign languages (F) were rated as least important. Almost equal weighting was given to graduates’ in-depth knowledge of their degree discipline (A), their broader knowledge, understanding and skills (B), and their work experience (E). While not regarded as unimportant, employers were more likely to be indifferent to graduates’ contextual understanding (D) than to other attributes apart from foreign languages (F). D.21 Graduates’ in-depth knowledge of their degree discipline (A) was more highly valued by employers recruiting from subjects within the Colleges of Arts and Social Sciences (77% rated this as being important or very important) and Physical Sciences (78%) than employers recruiting from subjects within the College of Life Sciences and Medicine (59%). Employers of graduates from this college were also less likely to be impressed by graduates’ contextual understanding (D) than employers recruiting from the other two colleges. D-11 University of Aberdeen: Approach to learning Draft final report Figure D-11: Importance of certain graduate attributes (all respondents) 50 45 Number of respondents 40 35 30 25 20 15 10 5 0 A B C D E F Graduate Attributes Very important (1) Important (2) Indifferent (3) Unimportant (4) D.22 Source: SQW (2008) Aberdeen approach to learning. Base: 346 responses Figure D-12: Importance of certain graduate attributes – College of Arts and Social Sciences 40 Number of respondents 35 30 25 20 15 10 5 0 A B C D E F Graduate Attributes Very important (1) Important (2) Indifferent (3) Unimportant (4) D.23 Source: SQW (2008) Aberdeen approach to learning. Base: 286 responses D-12 University of Aberdeen: Approach to learning Draft final report Figure D-13: Importance of certain graduate attributes – College of Physical Sciences 35 Number of respondents 30 25 20 15 10 5 0 A B C D E F Graduate Attributes Very important (1) Important (2) Indifferent (3) Unimportant (4) D.24 Source: SQW (2008) Aberdeen approach to learning. Base: 214 responses Figure D-14: Importance of certain graduate attributes – College of Life Sciences Number of respondents 16 14 12 10 8 6 4 2 0 A B C D E F Graduate Attributes Very important (1) Important (2) Indifferent (3) Unimportant (4) D.25 Source: SQW (2008) Aberdeen approach to learning. Base: 101 responses D.26 Twenty-four percent (14 respondents) of graduate employers rated graduates’ foreign languages (F) to be either important or very important. Of these, 11 respondents (79% of those that rated (F) as important or very important) identified particular languages. Amongst those, European languages were the most important, followed by Chinese languages and Russian. Other languages referred to by single respondents included Azeri, Dutch, Finnish, Indian (language not specified) and Italian. D-13 University of Aberdeen: Approach to learning Draft final report Figure D-15: Languages which are important to graduate recruiters Italian Indian Finnish Languages Dutch Azeri Arabic Russian Portuguese Chinese Spanish German French 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 Number of organisations D.27 Source: SQW (2008) Aberdeen approach to learning. Base: 33 responses. Proposed Aberdeen Graduate Attributes in particular D.28 Employers were asked to rate the importance of the 17 more detailed attributes presented within the Aberdeen Graduate Attributes framework under the following headings: ‘academic excellence’; ‘skills and approach’; and ‘readiness for life’. High-level employer responses to these categories of graduate attributes have been discussed above (together with employers’ views of the importance of graduates’ work experience and foreign languages). In this section we look consider how employers value each element within the three categories which comprise the framework. For convenience, the 17 attributes have been coded in the figures presented in this section as follows: Table D-3: Coding of Aberdeen Graduate Attributes Aberdeen Graduate Attributes Coding for figures Academic Excellence attributes In depth and extensive knowledge, understanding and skills at internationally recognised levels in their chosen disciplines A Breadth of knowledge, understanding and skills beyond their chosen disciplines B An ability to participate in the creation of new knowledge and understanding through research and inquiry C A contextual understanding of past and present knowledge and ideas D A capacity for independent conceptual and creative thinking E An intellectual curiosity and willingness to question accepted wisdom and to be open to new ideas F Skills and Approach attributes D-14 University of Aberdeen: Approach to learning Draft final report Aberdeen Graduate Attributes Coding for figures A capacity for problem identification, the collection of evidence, synthesis and dispassionate analysis G A capacity for informed argument and reasoning H An ability to communicate effectively for different purposes and in different contexts I An ability to work independently or as part of a team J A diverse set of transferable and general skills K Readiness for Life attributes An openness to, and an interest in, life-long learning through directed and self-directed study L An awareness of personal strengths and weaknesses and a capacity for self-discovery and development M An awareness and appreciation of ethical and moral issues N An awareness and appreciation of social and cultural diversity O An understanding of social and civic responsibilities and of the rights of individuals and groups P A readiness for citizenship in a civilised and inclusive society Q Source: SQW (2008) Aberdeen approach to learning Academic Excellence D.29 Employers provided a clear ranking of importance for the different graduate attributes within the ‘academic excellence’ group (see Figure D-16). All attributes in this group were rated highly, but with some subtle differences. Employers strongly valued graduates’ independent conceptual and creative thinking (E), intellectual curiosity (F) and research skills (C) over the depth (A) or breath (B) of their subject knowledge, understanding and skills. Almost all (94%) respondents regarded the first two attributes (E and F) as being particularly important. Graduates’ in-depth subject knowledge, understanding and skills (A) was regarded as the least important attribute, next to graduates’ contextual understanding (D), although all attributes generally were rated highly. D-15 University of Aberdeen: Approach to learning Draft final report Figure D-16: Ratings of importance of ‘Academic Excellence’ Attributes 35 Number of respondents 30 25 20 15 10 5 0 A B C D E F Academ ic Excellence Attributes Very important (1) Important (2) Indifferent (3) Unimportant (4) D.30 Source: SQW (2008) Aberdeen approach to learning. Base: 318 responses Skills and Approach D.31 Reflecting the importance given to transferable skills (discussed above), graduate recruiters rated all of the ‘skills and approach’ attributes (Figure D-17) even more highly than the ‘academic excellence’ attributes (Figure D-16). Amongst these generally high ratings, graduates’ communication skills (I) and their ability to work independently and as part of a team (J) stand out as being particularly important to employers. Figure D-17: Ratings of importance of ‘Skills and Approach’ Attributes 45 40 Number of respondents 35 30 25 20 15 10 5 0 G H I J K Skills and Approach Attributes Very important (1) Important (2) Indifferent (3) Unimportant (4) D.32 Source: SQW (2008) Aberdeen approach to learning. Base: 263 responses D-16 University of Aberdeen: Approach to learning Draft final report Readiness for Life D.33 Again, employers rated all of the attributes in this group highly, but less so than either the ‘academic excellence’ or ‘skills and approach’ attributes. Reflecting the training which many employers provide for their graduate recruits, the most important attributes in this group for employers were graduates’ self awareness and ability to develop (M) followed by their openness to lifelong learning (L). The attribute which interested employers least was graduates’ readiness for citizenship (Q). Figure D-18: Ratings of importance of ‘Readiness for Life’ Attributes Number of respondents 40 35 30 25 20 15 10 5 0 L M N O P Q Readiness for Life Attributes Very important (1) Important (2) Indifferent (3) Unimportant (4) D.34 Source: SQW (2008) Aberdeen approach to learning. Base: 322 responses Extent to which graduates recruited in 2007 possessed these graduates attributes D.35 Overall, graduate employers felt that the graduates they recruited in 2007 possessed these graduate attributes (Figure D-19). Eighty percent of graduate employers rated graduates’ academic excellence as either excellent or good (33% excellent and 47% good), 78% rated their skills and approach attributes as either excellent or good (33% and 45% respectively) and 59% rated their readiness for life attributes as either excellent or good (14% and 45% respectively). D.36 Only 2 % of graduate recruiters rated graduates’ academic excellence as poor whilst 6% and 8% rated their skills and approach attributes and readiness for life attributes as poor respectively. D-17 University of Aberdeen: Approach to learning Draft final report Figure D-19: Extent to which graduates recruited in 2007 possessed these graduate attributes 30 25 20 15 10 5 0 Excellent Good Academic excellence attributes Satisfactory Poor Skills and approach attributes Don't know Readiness for life attributes Source: SQW (2008) Aberdeen approach to learning. Base: 51 respondents Importance of these graduate attributes in the next 10-15 years D.37 An overwhelming majority of graduate employers rated these graduate attributes as either very important or important in the next 10-15 years (Figure D-20). Ninety-three percent felt academic excellence would be either very important or important (38% and 55% respectively) compared with 98% who felt skills and approach would be very important or important (64% and 33% respectively) and 88% rating readiness for life attributes as either very important or important (60% and 29% respectively). Figure D-20: Importance of these graduate attributes in the next 10-15 years 30 25 20 15 10 5 0 Very important Important Academic excellence attributes Indifferent Unimportant Skills and approach attributes Don't know Readiness for life attributes D-18 University of Aberdeen: Approach to learning Draft final report Source: SQW (2008) Aberdeen approach to learning. Base: 42 respondents Amount of time undergraduates should spent on acquiring knowledge, understanding and skills outside their degree discipline D.38 When asked how much of undergraduates’ time should be spent on acquiring knowledge, understanding and skills outside their degree discipline, just two out of 53 respondents said over 50% of the time and two said less than 10% of the time. A majority felt that between 10% and 50% of the time would be preferable. Reflecting the findings in the employer telephone interviews, a larger proportion (19 respondents representing 36% of the sample) felt that between 21% and 30% of an undergraduates’ time would be most preferable. This indicates that the 25% of time proposed by the University would be acceptable to many employers. Figure D-21: Employers’ views on the amount of time undergraduates should spend on acquiring knowledge, understanding and skills outside of their degree disciplines More than 50% (2 respondents) 0-10% (2 respondents) 31-50% (17 respondents) 11-20% (13 respondents) 21-30% (19 respondents) D.39 Source: SQW (2008) Aberdeen approach to learning. Base: 53 respondents. Conclusions Characteristics of respondents D.40 Most of the survey respondents were part of senior management or responsible for staff recruitment and came from a range of industry sectors. The respondents surveyed represented a wide range of enterprise sizes with micro enterprises of less than nine employees and organisations of 1001 staffs and over all represented although an overwhelming majority of graduate employers came from larger organisation (65% of graduate employers have from 251 to 1001 and more employees). D-19 University of Aberdeen: Approach to learning Draft final report D.41 The number of graduates recruited by respondents in 2007 varied widely with a majority of graduate employers recruiting less than 25 graduates a year and some recruiting more than 501. D.42 Fifty percent of respondents indicated that their graduate workforce is mainly located in Scotland with 58% of those stating that their graduate workforce is mainly located in or near Aberdeen. D.43 Scotland was the most often cited country from which graduate employers recruit from. A majority of graduate recruiters who recruit from Scotland stated that they recruited graduates from the University of Aberdeen (85% of employers who recruit graduates that live in Scotland). D.44 A majority of respondents were planning to recruit the same number of graduates in 2008 than they did in 2007 (56%) and overall, graduate employers had been expanding their graduate recruitment since 2006 by either recruiting the same number of graduates or recruiting more. D.45 Graduate employers were also most likely to be recruiting graduates at undergraduate level, 95% compared with 60% recruiting at Masters level and 17% recruiting at doctoral level. D.46 Overall, graduate employers were most likely to be recruiting graduates from subject areas offered by the College of Arts and Social Sciences (cited on 105 occasions). In comparison, subjects offered by the College of Physical Sciences were mentioned 8 times and subjects offered by the College of Life Sciences and Medicine were cited 34 times by graduate employers. What employers want from graduates D.47 Across all graduate employers, the general attribute that was most valued was “transferable skills and approaches” whilst foreign languages were rated as least important. D.48 Graduates’ in depth knowledge of their degree discipline was most highly valued by employers recruiting from subjects within the Colleges of Arts and Social Sciences and Physical Sciences than by employers recruiting from subjects within the College of Life Sciences and Medicine. What employers think of the proposed Aberdeen Graduate Attributes D.49 All of the attributes within the “Academic excellence” attributes were rated highly by respondents. The two attributes that were rated most highly within this strand were: “a capacity for independent conceptual and creative thinking” and “an intellectual curiosity and willingness to question accepted wisdom and to be open to new ideas”. In contract, “in depth subject knowledge, understanding and skills” was regarded as the least important attribute. D.50 All of the “skills and approach” attributes were rated really highly by respondents, even more highly than the “academic excellence” attributes. The two attributes that were rated most highly within this strand were: “graduates’ communication skills” and “their ability to work independently and as part of a team”. D-20 University of Aberdeen: Approach to learning Draft final report D.51 “Readiness for life attributes” were also rated highly but less so than either the “academic excellence” or “skills and approach” attributes. Employers rated most highly those attributes that related to graduates’ commitment to learning and develop with the following attributes being cited as most important: “graduates’ self-awareness and ability to develop” and “their openness to lifelong learning”. D.52 Overall, graduate employers felt that the graduates they recruited in 2007 possessed these graduate attributes. An overwhelming majority of graduate employers rated these graduate attributes as either very important or important in the next 10-15 years with “skills and approach” and “academic excellence” attributes slightly more important than “readiness for life attributes”. Amount of time that should be spent on acquiring knowledge, understanding and skills outside degree discipline D.53 A majority of graduate employers felt that between 10% and 50% should spent acquiring knowledge, understanding and skills outside an undergraduate’s degree discipline and a larger proportion felt that between 21% and 30% of an undergraduates’ time would be most preferable. This indicates that the 25% of time proposed by the University would be acceptable to many employers. D-21 University of Aberdeen: Approach to learning Draft final report Annex E: Telephone Employer Survey Survey methodology E.1 We carried out 23 telephone interviews with graduate recruiters. Most had been sent the online survey and following its completion had volunteered to take part in a telephone interview. The remainder were either contacted directly through the lists of employers sent to us by the Careers Service of the University or had been suggested by other interviewees20. E.2 The aim of the telephone interviews was to complement the online survey findings by collecting more in-depth qualitative information on the views of graduate employers on the following: the skills and attributes they are looking for in graduates the skills gap they have identified in current graduates their rationale for recruiting graduates including whether they offer extensive training to graduates and whether they consider this to be filling gaps left by higher education, and for those graduate employers who recruit Aberdeen graduates only, their rationale for recruiting Aberdeen graduates and their views on their current attributes. Profile of respondents E.3 The following table and figure show the breakdown of interviewees by sector. Unsurprisingly given the fact that a many of interviewees had been contacted through the Career Service of the University, a majority of graduate employers was from the oil and gas exploration/general engineering sector. Table E-1: Interviewees by sector Sector Number of respondents Percentage of total Oil and gas exploration/general engineering 8 35% Finance 3 13% Legal 2 9% Real estate/property 2 9% British army 1 4% Sports and leisure 1 4% Health and social work 1 4% Public administration 1 4% Information Technology 1 4% 20 These included members of the Curriculum Reform Commission of the University of Aberdeen whom we interviewed during the scoping stage of the research project, and also interviewed Sector Skills Councils. E-1 University of Aberdeen: Approach to learning Draft final report Sector Number of respondents Percentage of total Bioscience 1 4% Childcare 1 4% More than one sector 1 4% Total 23 100% Source: SQW (2008) Aberdeen approach to learning Figure E-1: Interviewees by sector Childcare, 4% More than one sector, 4% Bioscience, 4% Oil and gas exploration/general engineering, 35% Real estate/property, 9% Information Technology, 4% Public administration, 4% Health and social work, 4% Legal, 9% Sports and leisure, 4% Finance, 13% Defence, 4% Source: SQW (2008) Aberdeen approach to learning What employers are looking for in graduates Attributes employers want from graduates E.4 Graduate employers had different views about the attributes and skills that they want from graduates. Those employers in the oil and gas exploration/general engineering, Information Technology (IT) and legal sectors are first of all looking for graduates with the relevant technical degrees and academic skills. However, all of these employers also stressed that a good relevant degree or good academic skills are not enough and that there are other generic or ‘soft’ skills that they also require graduates to have in order to succeed in their organisation. E.5 In that respect, graduate employers across all sectors had similar expectations in terms of the skills and attributes that they are looking for in graduates. The following skills were identified as being important21: communication skills 21 This list is not organised in order of importance. It is an exhaustive list of all the skills that respondent employers identified as being important. E-2 University of Aberdeen: Approach to learning Draft final report a good degree (good grade) and/or relevant qualification (specified by graduate employers in oil and gas exploration/general engineering and the IT sectors) ability to work in teams/good interpersonal skills drive/motivation, graduates who are ‘self-starters’ initiative relevant work experience (work, placement, internship) cultural awareness commitment to delivering quality future-oriented ability to work to deadlines/time management/prioritisation good IT skills numeracy and literacy skills analytical and problem solving skills leadership/management/negotiation skills. Skills and attributes that are lacking in current graduates E.6 Of the 23 graduate employers interviewed, eight felt that graduates possess the skills and attributes they are looking for, three felt that they did not at all and 14 had mixed views, often pointing to positive skills and attributes graduates had brought to their organisation whilst also highlighting graduates’ skills shortages and gaps. The respondent employers identified the following positive graduate skills and: good academic/technical knowledge good oral communication: face-to-face, speaking in groups and presentations good team work good at working independently good IT and administration skills self-awareness and knowledge/interest of what is happening in the world proactive and innovative, although they often need to be prompted good time management basic analytical skills. E-3 University of Aberdeen: Approach to learning Draft final report E.7 Four of the graduate employers we interviewed mentioned that they felt that graduates were often ill-prepared to apply for jobs in both the application and interview stage. Graduates do not always carry out research on the company before applying, and this shows in some graduate applications. In addition, it was mentioned that graduates did not always perform well at interview, failing to come up with relevant examples of their skills and experience when questioned and unable to sell their skills in a professional manner. E.8 Amongst the skills and attributes that graduate employers felt were lacking in current graduates were the following, in order of importance: E.9 poor communication skills (especially written skills): a few of the graduate employers mentioned ‘report writing’ as an important skill that graduates lacked, and stressed the lack of literacy skills, spelling and grammar in particular bad attitude to work: one interviewee mentioned graduates talking amongst themselves during company presentations, another mentioned time-keeping and what graduates wear to work as an issue; another cited a ‘can’t be bothered’ attitude of some graduates lack of maturity, enthusiasm and ambition absence of a ‘hands-on’ attitude, inability to face up to challenges no business acumen and commercial awareness little knowledge of a foreign language weak numeracy limited work experience/practical experience. Five graduate employers mentioned communication skills as lacking in graduates, three mentioned attitude to work and two mentioned general maturity, enthusiasm and ambition. Academic excellence E.10 Graduate employers were asked how highly they valued the ‘academic excellence’22 attributes proposed in the Aberdeen Graduate Attributes framework. Overall, most graduate employers valued ‘academic excellence’ to some extent. Some valued the subject-specific knowledge more than others, and most stressed the importance of a graduate’s ability to apply his/her technical/academic knowledge in the workplace. However, even amongst those graduate employers who valued academic excellence and subject-specific knowledge highly, there was a consensus that this knowledge alone was not enough. One interviewee summarised this point succinctly in stating: ‘the technical skills are core in terms of what we look for but it is 22 The definition we have used for academic excellence is taken from the first Curriculum Commission report and includes the following attributes: “In depth and extensive knowledge, understanding and skills at internationallyrecognised levels in their chosen discipline(s), a breadth of knowledge, understanding and skills beyond their chosen discipline(s), an ability to participate in the creation of new knowledge and understanding through research and inquiry; a contextual understanding of past and present knowledge and ideas, a capacity for independent conceptual and creative thinking and an intellectual curiosity and willingness to question accepted wisdom and to be open to new ideas.” E-4 University of Aberdeen: Approach to learning Draft final report not just about that, if they do not have social skills and if they can’t communicate effectively in client situations then that is no good.’ E.11 Most of the respondent graduate employers also valued highly the skills that are derived from higher-level studying, such as inquisitiveness, willingness to learn, research skills, critical thinking, ability to form an argument, and intellectual curiosity. Skills and approach E.12 Graduate employers were asked how highly they valued the proposed ‘skills and approach’23 graduate attributes. These attributes were more highly valued than attributes in the other parts of the framework. As one graduate employer commented: To me, these skills are more important than the academic skills. Candidates that have these attributes are the best candidates that can come in. University is just a minor part of life, so it is about how they take that experience and knowledge and apply it to the workplace. E.13 Graduate employers especially value graduates who can work in teams and communicate effectively. These were the most cited skills that graduate employers value; many employers saw such skills as being vital because their organisation required regular client contact and/or their staff need to work with other teams within their organisation. As one graduate recruiter remarked: ‘you cannot work in any organisation if you cannot engage with people and talk with people in an appropriate manner’. E.14 Other skills relevant to these attributes valued by graduate employers included the following: commitment to self-development ability to work independently ability to think differently/critically/analytically general interpersonal skills. Readiness for life E.15 Graduate employers were asked how highly they valued the ‘readiness for life’24 attributes in graduates. Interviewees were more divided in their response than they had been in response to the other attributes in the framework. Several stated that possessing ‘readiness for life’ attributes would communicate to employers that a graduate is mature and serious about his/her personal development. As one graduate recruiter stated: ‘the graduates that we recruit 23 The definition we have used for skills and approach is taken from the first Curriculum Commission report and includes the following attributes: “A capacity for problem identification, the collection of evidence, synthesis and dispassionate analysis; a capacity for informed argument and reasoning; an ability to communicate effectively for different purposes and in different contexts; an ability to work independently or as part of a team and a diverse set of transferable and general skills.” 24 The definition we have used for readiness for life is taken from the first Curriculum Commission report and includes the following attributes: “An openness to, and an interest in, life-long learning through directed and selfdirected study; an awareness of personal strengths and weaknesses and a capacity for self-discovery and development; an awareness and appreciation of social and cultural diversity; an understanding of social and civic responsibilities and of the rights of individuals and groups and a readiness for citizenship in a civilised and inclusive society.” E-5 University of Aberdeen: Approach to learning Draft final report need to be very motivated and keen to develop themselves; we can’t hold their hands the whole time when they are here so they need to be keen to develop themselves’. E.16 A few of the interviewees also mentioned that it was really important for them to recruit graduates with a commitment to lifelong learning as their sector and organisation was constantly changing and in need of a workforce willing to update and up-skill itself. In addition, many of the employers valued morals and ethics highly because these form an important part of their organisational culture. E.17 All of the graduate employers who felt that the ‘readiness for life’ attributes were very important said that this is because their organisation requires graduates to work abroad and/or to work with people from different cultures and backgrounds. These graduate employers therefore require graduates who are open-minded and culturally-aware in order to fit well into their organisation. One interviewee made this point: A lot of places where we work are different, both culturally and languagewise to the ones where our graduates are from, so it is important that when they move to a new country, they get along and do not cause problems by having arrogant attitudes and being these flashy Westerners. Balance to be struck between the attributes of academic knowledge, skills and approach and readiness for life E.18 Graduate employers were asked whether they felt it would be acceptable to reduce the amount of time an undergraduate spends on developing the ‘academic excellence’ attributes in order to develop the ‘skills and approach’ and ’readiness for life’ attributes. Seven respondents felt that it would, three that it would not, and the remaining 13 expressed mixed views. E.19 Of those graduate employers who had mixed views, one strongly felt that graduates studying for vocational degrees such as medicine and engineering should not see their technical/academic knowledge compromised and that the amount of time they spend on acquiring this knowledge should be upheld. Other employers felt that the ‘readiness for life’ attributes should be delivered within subject-specific contexts rather than as ‘bolt-on’ courses. In addition, some were of the opinion that graduates would be able to gain most of these skills through work experience or internships, and that this would make them ‘stand out’ and be more attractive to employers as they would have had some experience of the world of work and of applying their academic knowledge to ‘real life situations’. E.20 Although most graduate employers found it difficult to comment on the balance that should be struck between the ‘academic excellence’, ‘skills and approach’ and ‘readiness for life’ attributes, the average balance suggested by the 10 interviewees who were able to comment was 72% of time for developing ‘academic excellence’ and 28% for developing ‘skills and approach’ and ‘readiness for life’ attributes. Half of these graduate employers went so far as to suggest a ratio of 50:50 between developing ‘academic excellence’ versus ‘skills and approach’ and ‘readiness for life’ attributes. E-6 University of Aberdeen: Approach to learning Draft final report Internal graduate development Rationale for recruiting graduates E.21 Employers were asked if they were planned to recruit graduates for the medium-to-long term or just for the next two-to-three years. All but two responded that they planned to recruit graduates for the long term. Most mentioned that they employed graduates for the long term because they invest a lot of time and money in them. One employer stated that his rationale for employing graduates was that ‘over the long term the returns make the whole process worthwhile’ whilst another put it more bluntly by saying that ‘we invest in them a lot so we need them to pay it back by working here’. However, many graduate employers acknowledged that graduates tend to change jobs quickly in the first stages of their career. Training provided E.22 Eighteen out of the 23 graduate employers we interviewed (78%) offered significant training to graduates and the remaining five offered some form of training. The type of training provided was essentially technical and company-specific the majority, with some elements (e.g. communication, writing and presentation skills, and project management) focused on skills development. Graduate employers were asked whether they felt the training they provide to graduates is ‘filling gaps’ which should have been addressed by their studies at university. Eleven of our interviewees felt that their graduate training did not fill gaps, eight had mixed views and four felt that it did fill gaps. The responses can be explained as follows: Not gap filling - those graduate employers who felt their training did not fill gaps left by higher education all stated that they provided specific training which was aimed at developing graduates for their role in the organisation and meeting sector- or occupation-specific skills needs, and did expect universities to develop these skills Filling gaps - all of the four graduate employers who felt that their training was filling gaps left by higher education thought that ‘soft skills’ in graduates were of an inadequately low level and that their training had to bring them up to speed in this area; one suggested that work experience/internships would be a valuable way to fill in the ‘soft skills’ gaps Mixed views - these graduate employers felt that that graduates’ skills were adequate but that more could be done at university in areas such as data analysis, report writing and presentations; some of the gaps left by higher education could be filled by doing work placements/internships; although most of the relevant skills were there, some gaps remained to be filled by company training in terms of practical and cultural skills to make graduates more rounded individuals. E-7 University of Aberdeen: Approach to learning Draft final report Employers who recruit from Aberdeen University Reasons for recruiting graduates from Aberdeen University E.23 E.24 Sixteen of the respondent graduate employers (70% of interviewees) had experience of recruiting or interviewing Aberdeen graduates. These graduate employers offered the following reasons for recruiting Aberdeen graduates: the University teaches courses which are relevant to our organisation the University is local Aberdeen graduates have the right skills set for our organisation the University has a good reputation and is going up in the league tables the University’s engineering department is well respected they have previous experience of recruiting from the University. One graduate recruiter’s rationale for recruiting from Aberdeen University was the following: Three reasons: we’re looking for individuals who will want to stay with the company, so local recruitment is preferable and Aberdeen is the local University; the standard and quality of teaching by Aberdeen is very high which means that it produces strong graduates; as a business there are centres of research excellence at the University which we want to link into where the research needs overlap and there are areas of common interest. Aberdeen graduates help to maintain this link because they will have been taught in these areas. Attributes that Aberdeen graduates brought to the job E.25 Some of the graduate employers who had experience of recruiting or interviewing Aberdeen graduates felt unable to comment on what attributes Aberdeen graduates had brought to the job as they felt their views would relate to particular individuals rather than to the University they had attended. Other graduate employers who could comment mentioned the following attributes: open-mindedness; good academic background; good technical knowledge; analytical skills; good team working skills; problem solving and communication skills; familiarity with the research environment; good writing skills; a willingness to learn; and work experience for some of graduates. E.26 Two graduate employers also felt that some Aberdeen graduates lacked ‘worldliness’ and that this could be corrected by including more field trips within the curriculum. They also felt that some graduates were not always well-prepared for interviews. E.27 Only two graduate employers felt able to comment on how Aberdeen graduates compared with graduates from other universities. One of them stated that the University offered a degree that was highly relevant to their company and that Aberdeen graduates therefore had the right technical knowledge compared to other graduates. Another felt that Aberdeen University was less focused on analytical skills applicable across subjects and specifics that E-8 University of Aberdeen: Approach to learning Draft final report relate to the type of work their organisation was involved in compared to graduates from other universities. It is difficult to generalise from these particular examples. Conclusions E.28 Graduate employers had different views about the attributes they would like from graduates. Employers recruiting from the more vocational subjects, such as engineering, law and IT, required relevant subject and sector-specific skills, knowledge and understanding. Other employers were most interested in recruiting graduates with well developed ‘soft skills’. However, even those employers recruiting graduates from the more vocational subjects also wanted well developed ‘soft skills’ in addition to academic excellence. E.29 A majority of graduate employers had mixed views on whether current graduates possess the skills and attributes they need. Skills they felt were lacking in graduates included the following: good attitude to work; communication skills; maturity; a ‘hands on’ approach to work; knowledge of a foreign language; numeracy; business acumen/commercial awareness; and work/practical experience. E.30 ‘Academic excellence’ attributes were valued by all graduate employers to some extent. However many stressed the importance of graduates being able to apply these attributes in the workplace. Graduate employers valued ‘skills and approach’ attributes very highly, and highlighted in particular the importance graduates who can work in teams and work independently, have developed interpersonal skills and the ability to think independently/ critically/ analytically. They were more divided about the ‘readiness for life’ attributes, with some valuing them highly because they would make graduates more mature and committed to their personal development, and others felt that the graduates they recruit should have ethics and morals in line with their organisation. E.31 Graduate employers also had mixed views on whether it would be acceptable to reduce the amount of time spent on developing ‘academic excellence’ in order to accommodate ‘skills and approach’ and ‘readiness for life’ attributes. Those who felt it would be unacceptable stated that degrees in vocational subjects need the right amount of academic/technical knowledge and that this should not be compromised. Others felt that the more generic attributes should be delivered in subject contexts or that work experience/internships would be an ideal way of acquiring them. E.32 When asked about the balance to be struck between the proportion of time which should be devoted to developing non-‘academic excellence’ attributes, this ranged widely from 10% to 50% among the 10 respondent employers. However the 25% of undergraduate time proposed by the University for this purpose is close to the average across these employer responses. E.33 An overwhelming majority of respondent graduate employers offered significant training to their graduates and the remainder also offered some form of training. A majority felt that their training did not fill gaps that should have been addressed by higher education. They acknowledged that their training was often company-specific and aimed at forming graduates to their specific role in their organisation. E-9 University of Aberdeen: Approach to learning Draft final report E.34 A majority of respondent graduate employers had experience of recruiting graduates from Aberdeen University. Their reasons for targeting graduates from Aberdeen University included the following: the University teaches relevant courses to our organisation; the University is based local and having previous experience of recruiting from Aberdeen. Those graduate employers able to comment on the attributes Aberdeen graduates had brought to the job mentioned the following: open-mindedness, good team working skills, good technical knowledge, and familiarity with the research environment. E-10