More than half of senior decision makers in companies that employ graduates say none or few of them are “work ready”, according to new research commissioned for The Times and The Sunday Times Good University Guide.

The YouGov survey findings to mark the launch of the new edition of the Good University Guide, published on September 22, call into question the effectiveness of the millions of pounds universities are spending in augmenting degrees with programmes designed to equip their graduates with the workplace skills to make them an immediate asset to employers.

The new Good University Guide will publish the definitive rankings for British universities next weekend, bringing together for the first time the previous separate university guides published by The Times and The Sunday Times.

In all 52% of graduate employers said none or few graduate recruits were work ready when they joined – with 17% of companies saying none of them were work ready and a further 35% saying only a few of them were. By contrast, just under one in five (19%) businesses said all or most graduate recruits were work ready – with 5% of businesses saying they all were and a further 14% saying just a few of them were work ready.

The survey also found that, when made to choose, 61% of employers said the most important factor when considering graduates for a job would be the degree course they studied. Only 17% of employers focused on the grade achieved, while just 8% chose the university attended, suggesting a university’s reputation might hold less weight with employers than is commonly thought. In contrast, among A-Level and university students themselves, just 40% believe their course is the most important to their job prospects, and 32% think their grade will be key, while 16% believe their university is the most important.

Statistics compiled for The Times and The Sunday Times Good University Guide show widely differing fortunes for universities in the jobs market, backing up the YouGov survey findings and underlying how important it is for students, spending thousands on their higher education, to thoroughly research the university market.

Using a unique measure that measures “positive” outcomes for graduates – that is a professional job or a period of graduate-level further study – the new guide shows the best university, Imperial College London achieves a positive outcome for more than 89.2% of graduates, while the worst, Buckinghamshire New University, achieves this for just 43.7% of graduates.

Even universities that are relatively highly ranked overall, such as Essex and Sussex, can fare poorly when viewed from the perspective of positive graduate outcomes. The two universities achieve positive outcomes for 51.8% and 54.4% of their graduates respectively.

With most universities now charging tuition fees of £9,000 a year, prospective students will view with an increasingly critical eye the opinions of graduate employers and the wide variation in the performance of universities in helping to secure good outcomes from them.

Alastair McCall, one of the editors of the Good University Guide, said: “University prospectuses are
now full of programmes and initiatives promising to give students more than just a degree. They say
they will equip students with the skills they need to make them more attractive to employers.

“The YouGov survey findings suggest this is an investment that is sorely needed. With the typical degree now costing £27,000 in tuition fees alone, students have a right to be better prepared for the battleground that is the graduate jobs market. The survey also shows how crucial it is to make an informed choice of course and university when investing so much money in a degree."

The YouGov research showed that students are already worrying about their employment prospects and money difficulties while at university. The research, which questioned 511 A-Level and university students and 635 business decision makers, found that 26% of students say their biggest worry is getting a job after they graduate, while 24% are worried about coping financially while at university.
The more traditional student concern of coping academically was the biggest worry for 25% of the vote, demonstrating the pressure students are under today as they prepare to face a hugely competitive job market upon graduation.

Although graduates often require further training when they start a full time job, the research showed that graduates still have a clear advantage in the job market. Almost half of employers (49%) say they are more likely to favour a university graduate over someone without a degree when recruiting. In addition, when asked how much they would pay a graduate and a non-graduate working in two identical roles, 18% of employers said they would pay the graduate more, despite the job being exactly the same (75% of employers would pay equally).

The rise in the cost of attending university over recent years is reflected in students’ concerns about finances. As well as the 24% who rank money as their main worry, most students expect they will need to find multiple ways to fund their studies. Four out of five (81%) will use a student loan, with more than half also relying on money from parents (63%); savings (59%); and money from a job whilst studying (56%); while one in ten (11%) are even planning to take out or use a bank or building society loan.

Despite clear concerns about the financial pressures of university life, just 2% of students said value for money of tuition fees was the most important factor in choosing which university to attend. The most popular reason was the degree courses on offer (29%), followed by 20% each for graduate prospects and employability and overall rating in university guides.

The study also found that London appears to be the most graduate friendly area in Great Britain. Of the London-based employers surveyed, 71% said they favour someone with a degree when considering applicants for a new role, and 25% said they would pay a graduate more than a non-graduate working in an identical role.

The Good University Guide, published on September 22, is part of The Times and The Sunday Times Education Month, which marks the start of the new academic year. The special series of supplements began in The Sunday Times on September 8 with quick guides for kids, introducing them to subjects such as history, science and language. Quick guides for adults begin the following Sunday, including classical music, literature and theatre.

THE BEST UNIVERSITIES FOR GRADUATE PROSPECTS
% of graduates gaining professional jobs or going into further graduate-level study
1 Imperial College London 89.2
2 Cambridge 85.1
3 Bath 83.6
4 Buckingham 83.1
5 Durham 82.6
6 King's College London 82.0
7 Robert Gordon 81.8
8 Birmingham 80.8
9 St Andrews 80.5
10 University College London 79.8
Source: The Times and The Sunday Times Good University Guide

THE WORST UNIVERSITIES FOR GRADUATE PROSPECTS
% of graduates gaining professional jobs or going into further graduate-level study
1 Buckinghamshire New 43.7
2 East London 43.8
3 Highlands and Islands 43.9
4 London Metropolitan 45.6
5 Southampton Solent 48.5
6 Sunderland 49.6
7 Ulster 50.7
8 University for Creative Arts 51.2
9 Essex 51.8
10 Cardiff Metropolitan 52.0
Source: The Times and The Sunday Times Good University Guide