New research amongst engineering graduate employers carried out by The Knowledge Partnership and the Association of Graduate Employers (AGR) highlights commercial awareness and communication skills as the areas where universities are failing to prepare graduates well enough. And when asked which skills will become increasingly important, employers ranked these attributes as second only to information technology.
The report is based on a national survey of engineering graduate employers and in depth interviews with industry members of the AGR. It reveals that over 30% of engineering employers are critical, or at best neutral when asked how well engineering degrees prepare students for employment. Though complimentary about the technical knowledge graduates have, interviewees were also concerned about the lack of core engineering skills of many applicants.
“Much has been reported about the shortage of engineering graduates for industry but employers have concerns about the quality of some applicants and their lack of broader abilities like commercial awareness and core engineering skills,” commented the report’s author, David Sanderson.
Perhaps surprisingly employers also report they are increasingly assessing graduate applicants, who they view as their future senior management, for their ethical standards and cultural awareness as well as engineering and business attributes.
The report, which includes analysis of all available labour market performance data, provides those developing engineering courses and the employability of engineering graduates with a comprehensive analysis of employers’ views and market data. The findings highlight what employers are looking for in the best partnerships with universities. Access to academics figures highly but employers don’t want a superficial relationship with universities. As one employer put it: “Too often advisory boards and meetings with universities are just talking shops. We want real influence over content and teaching.
