UK UNIVERSITIES are struggling to prepare students for the modern workplace #FutureofEmployment

UK UNIVERSITIES are struggling to keep pace with global competitors in preparing students for the modern workplace, new data analysis from the Global University Employability Ranking reveals. 

According to time series analysis – published with this week’s 2018 report – the UK’s performance in the ranking this decade has declined considerably, with firms increasingly citing German and East Asian institutions as top producers of workplace-ready graduates.

The annual ranking – produced by HR consultancy, Emerging, and published by Times Higher Education (THE) – lists the top 150 institutions worldwide for employability, based on a global survey of around 7,000 recruitment and international managers from major businesses.

This year, new time series analysis reveals countries’ overall performance since the first edition of the survey and ranking in 2011, based on annual representation and ranking positions (methodology and tables below). The UK does largely hold its position in this year’s ranking, retaining 10 institutions – with several rising – and led again by Cambridge University (see first table below). 

However, in 2011 it was the second best represented nation globally, with 15 in the top 150. Since then, the country’s overall performance for graduate employability – both in terms of representation and ranking positions – has declined more than any other European nation. Only the US has declined more.

France has also declined since 2011. The country also has 10 institutions included in this year’s ranking – down from 12 last year, placing it global joint third with the UK.

In contrast, Germany – which employs strong industry experience for students, favoured by recruiters – has soared, becoming the most-improved European nation for overall performance since 2011 (see final table below). It overtakes France this year to become second most represented nation globally, after the US.

The 2018 global listing is topped by Harvard University, which climbs one spot to switch places with the California Institute of Technology (Caltech). The Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and the University of Cambridge both rise one place to third and fourth, while Stanford University scales two positions this year, to place fifth.

Other global takeaways from the 2011-2018 time series data analysis:

The global employability gap is narrowing as US dominance wanes

The global top 10 of the 2018 employability ranking now spans five countries – up from four last year.

And while the US continues to dominate the ranking, the time series data analysis reveals a swiftly narrowing global employability gap. Since 2011, the US has experienced a sharp decline in performance – greater than any other nation in the table.

It comes amid intensified competition – particularly from East Asia. The nation has 34 institutions in the top 150 this year, compared to 55 in 2011, with six universities in the top 10 – a fall from seven last year.

In East Asia, South Korea soars but China is slower to improve

South Korea has leapt from one representative in the top 150 in 2011 to six this year – and the overall performance of its institutions in the 2018 table is up almost two-fold from last year. The nation’s swift ascent means it now has almost as many entries in the top 150 as China (see table below).Hong Kong, Taiwan and Singapore have also shown good improvement since 2011, while the National University of Singapore rises this year to join the 2018 global top 10.However, while mainland China does lead the region for graduate employability, it has not experienced this same surge in recent years. The nation has rocketed up THE’s World University Rankings, but for graduate employability, its rise is considerably slower – with just minimal change compared with four years ago. 

This may reflect the traditional emphasis placed by Chinese institutions on hard, practical skills, as opposed to softer skills, such as communication and teamwork, increasingly favoured by employers. Whereas Hong Kong, Taiwan, Singapore and South Korea, while offering strong links with industry, may have been swifter to recognise the importance of soft skills.

Key takeaways from the 2018 Global University Employability Survey:

• Most countries place higher value on soft skills – but China values hard skills more. The 2018 survey reveals that most countries value soft skills, such as collaboration and communication – whereas harder, practical skills are valued most in China.

• There is an East-West divide in the importance placed on critical thinking. There was also a noticeable difference in the emphasis placed on graduates having critical thinking skills between countries in East Asia and Europe or North America. In the US, 90 per cent of employers rated this as very important, while in China this fell to 75 per cent.

• Firms see interdisciplinary or problem-based learning as the key area for universities to strengthen: 71 per cent of respondents rated it as a very important measure to improve on – higher than any other issue.

 
Laurent Dupasquier, Managing Partner at Emerging, said: “Today’s digital world makes for a constantly evolving workplace – the skills required in many roles will need regular updating and it has become impossible to determine which of them will change tomorrow, and how. While digital skills are increasingly valued by recruiters, more than anything, universities must instil in students the capacity to adapt and keep learning: these will be crucial skills for success not only to cope, but thrive in a transforming workplace. University-industry collaboration will also be of increasing value, in order provide students with the necessary on-the-ground experience.”Simon Baker, Data Editor at Times Higher Education (THE) said:  “The most-improved countries for graduate employability are those equipping students with softer skills increasingly favoured among recruiters, such as teamwork – alongside the strongest possible industry experience. This is certainly true of Germany and South Korea – the stand out performers of the decade so far.“In contrast, the analysis reveals the extent of the decline in performance among traditionally dominant countries, including the UK. British institutions have had comparatively much weaker industry links. This, combined with the rise and increasing international outlook of Asian universities, as well as the use of English becoming more widespread – removing the UK’s natural competitive advantage – means Britain is struggling to keep pace with global competitors in preparing students for work.”

RESULTS: Institution, national and time series tables (Credit: Emerging)

2018 Global University Employability Rankings country table – UK

2018 Global University Employability Rankings – Global top 150

Global University Employability Rankings – total number of institutions per country/region:

 
Global University Employability Rankings – time series performance scores 
(Methodology in notes to editors, below)
 

Ranking methodology:

To produce the Global University Employability Ranking, an online survey was completed by two panels of participants between May and September 2018. The panels included respondents from 22 countries: Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, France, Germany, India, Israel, Italy, Japan, Mexico, Morocco, the Netherlands, Singapore, South Africa, South Korea, Spain, the United Arab Emirates, Sweden, the UK and the US. 
 
Both panels amounted to a total of about 7,000 respondents who casted around 75,000 votes for universities they felt were the best for graduate employability. Together they represent employers that have recruited more than 250,000 young graduates in the past 12 months. 
 
The first panel, which also filled out a survey on graduate skills for future jobs, consisted of recruiters at management level with at least five years’ experience hiring or working with graduates. The second panel consisted of managing directors of international companies. 
Participants of the two panels could not vote for any university in their own country. Votes were aggregated into scores for each university to produce the ranking.
 
The sample size of recruiters from each country was determined by the nation’s student population, GDP and number of higher education institutions.

The survey was designed by the French human resources consultancy Emerging, and has been conducted for the past eight years by employment research institute Trendence. It has been published exclusively by Times Higher Education since 2015.

2011-2018 time series analysis methodology:

 The wider analysis comes from looking at the relative performance of countries in each employability ranking since 2011. An aggregate score was calculated every year for each country based on the placings of its institutions in the top 150. A university scored 150 points for coming first, 149 for second and so on. It is an indicator of national higher education systems’ evolution over time.

About Times Higher Education (THE): The world’s most authoritative source of data, analysis and information on higher education, with five decades’ experience dedicated to the field.

About Emerging: A HR consultancy and professional training agency. A specialist in optimizing recruitment and integrating young talents.  Emerging has commissioned and produced the Global University Employability Ranking and Survey since 2011.  

About Trendence: The Global University Employability Survey is conducted by polling institute Trendence – an independent consulting and market research company for employer branding and personnel marketing.