Are graduates a waste of taxpayers’ money?

- A quarter of students and recent graduates would not have gone to university
- Nearly half do not believe that university has improved their communication skills
- Only 15% think that university has significantly improved their ability to work as a team

GradFutures’ latest survey can reveal that one in four current undergraduate students and recent graduates wish that they had not bothered with university, and would rather have gone straight into work. This is a further blow to the previous Labour government’s target to get 50% of young people through university.

On top of this, 43% of students and graduates think that their time at university has failed significantly to improve their ability to communicate. This could explain why so many of them feel that they would have been better off bypassing university all together.

It is clear that many respondents feel that the skills they will need to secure a graduate job do not come hand in hand with a university degree. Only 15% of students and recent graduates feel that university has meaningfully enhanced their teamwork skills – a highly sought-after skill in most of the nation’s workplaces.

GradFutures’ CEO Ian Sprackling says, “These findings raise many questions: should so many students be herded automatically into university if it serves no purpose? Are we considering what is truly best for the talent of tomorrow if a quarter of those with a degree feel that they would have been better off without one? It is clear that the Coalition government need seriously to consider their policies surrounding Higher Education, and GradFutures is eager to join the debate. Should the taxpayer be funding those who will not profit at all from a university degree?”

About the study

The findings are based on an analysis of 323 students and recent graduates from across the UK.

About GradFutures.com

GradFutures is a leading graduate recruitment website. In addition to the most comprehensive listing of graduate schemes, internships and sandwich placements, GradFutures provides students with careers advice and access to a regularly updated blog.

Contact Information

Olivia Ide

PR Executive

GradFutures

Contact via E-mail