More than 80% of graduates say university led to job they wanted – survey

Some 84.5% of Scottish graduates credit going to university with enabling them to find the job they wanted, according to a survey.

Research from the umbrella group Universities Scotland also found that 74% of graduates found a job which reflected their ambitions in under a year due to their degree.

Research company Censuswide surveyed 500 Scottish graduates and 502 business leaders across Scotland in June and July.

Among the business leaders, 75% believed that going to university enables graduates to build transferable skills.

Sir Paul Grice, vice-convener of Universities Scotland and principal of Queen Margaret University, said: “It’s hugely heartening to see this data reinforce the career-relevance of the skills and experience in an undergraduate degree; both graduates and their employers think so.

“It’s clear from this survey that a degree equips graduates with an enormously valuable set of transferrable skills, highly relevant to a range of sectors and builds a good foundational knowledge of industry.

“The recent Withers review of skills called for Scotland to end the false dichotomy between vocational and academic education.

“This data reinforces that call and makes it clear that universities deliver professionally-relevant skills, highly valued by employers and help to build successful careers.”

In June, James Withers’ independent review of skills training in Scotland recommended a “ruthless” overhaul of the national system.

He called for a single funding body which brings together functions from the Scottish Funding Council and Skills Development Scotland.

Education Secretary Jenny Gilruth said: “Scotland’s internationally renowned universities are among our greatest assets and this research underlines the continued strength and importance of the sector.

“The overwhelming majority of both graduates and business leaders are clear about the role of a university education in securing work and building crucial transferable skills which are vital for our economy.

“We have record numbers of students from Scotland attending our universities, and last week’s report on widening access highlighted that we have a record number of full-time first degree entrants from our most deprived areas, meaning even more people in Scotland are benefitting from the opportunities this research highlights.”