A university degree does not a good workie make

European employers think that university does not prepare students for the workplace, recent research by the European Framework for Work Experience has shown.

The results from the Employer Research Report on Work Experience and Work-related Skills confirm the widely held view that university does not fully prepare students for the rigours of the real world.

It said: “employers thought academic training alone was far too removed from real business.” The research also reveals that employers were “unhappy about the level of students’ key competencies.”

“Whilst evaluating the survey results,” the report says, “it became obvious that there is a broad gap between the employers’ expectations and requirements… and the quality of students’ relevant experiences.”

It continues: “A purely academic background, it appears, is insufficient from the employer’s perspective.”

The report also stated that employers placed more emphasis on specialised work experience than on the type of work experience that contributed to the acquisition of key competencies, in such areas as time management, problem-solving, self-development and teamwork.

Among its conclusions, the report suggested that both employers and young graduates realise the importance of acquiring experience for career development. It recommended: “developing such an attitude needs to start as early as possible.”

Universities were also urged to “assess how closely the training they offer relates to actual business life.”

The report, taken from an anonymous voluntary survey of 500 small, medium and large-sized enterprises across the UK, Germany, Spain, Finland and Romania was carried out to identify what levels of importance they placed on work experience, and to underline the skills and competencies students need to be able to demonstrate in the workplace.

It was made available to participants at the European Work Experience Conference, held in Brighton on 13-14 June 2005.