A new report published today by UK Universities explores the question of whether the UK is or isn’t churning too many skilled graduates, and whether the skills developed cater to the needs of the labour market and global knowledge economy. The report suggests that in the next decade, there will be a shortage of skilled graduates, but more critically, a shortage of graduates prepared for employment.
In the document, higher-level skills are defined through qualifications, core and employability skills, and subject level. The report recommends an improved understanding of the applicability of skills within the workforce, increased university-industry dialogue in exploring what employability skills means, renewed appreciation for alternative paths of qualifications, and more research on what subjects are most suitable. While some of these points have been raised before, the report does open discussion as to how best utilise high-level talent. An underlying point to raise is that document places skills within the context of ‘supply and demand’, directly linking HE’s role with employability and developing talent specifically for a workforce.