AGR PAGES MANIFESTO MEASURING UP THE AGR


The pace of change and of globalisation has revolutionised our working lives and transformed both the aspirations of young people and the needs of employers. A degree is now a pre- requisite for around one in three entry- level jobs. The business of recruiting, paying and training graduates costs employers anything up to £3bn each year and has become a significant industry itself. Employers work harder each year to stay ahead of trends in the graduate market and develop ever more sophisticated methods for attracting and retaining the best graduate talent.


talentopportunity prosperity


If these are busy and challenging times for graduate recruiters, the position for graduates is arguably even tougher. When the class of 2010 enters the job market they will find a landscape scarcely recognisable to their parents. The concept of ‘cradle to grave’ employment is ancient history and the young people graduating this year will have many jobs, and sometimes even several careers, before they end their working life aged about 70.


In the last year, economic turmoil has changed the rules once again for students and employers and turned the graduate recruitment sector on its head. While the AGR’s most recent survey showed a levelling off of graduate vacancy cuts the situation has still far from normalised. Average graduate pay remains stuck at 2008 levels while Lord Browne’s Independent Review of Higher Education and Student Finance is expected to report back in summer 2010 with a series of challenging recommendations.


A manifesto for graduate recruitment


Meanwhile universities are facing funding cuts as well as pressure to both widen participation and improve teaching standards. The degree classification system is widely recognised as no longer fit for


employable when they graduate. Our manifesto called for employability skills to be embedded in degree courses. Today there is absolutely no doubt that universities are taking the employability agenda seriously. Linked to managing expectations and the


Carl Gilleard


purpose and many employers and parents are asking whether our system of higher education and of preparing young people for the workplace needs overhauling.


In our opinion, there has never been a greater need or a better time for government, employers and universities to begin an honest and open dialogue about the future of higher education and graduate employment. Our prosperity and productivity – as well as the future of our young people – depend on it.


employability agenda was the launch of the HEAR (the Higher Education Achievement Report) in October. More than 80 institutions have already signed up to the HEAR; another of our calls for action. One proposal that seems to have fallen on


Carl Gilleard Chief Executive AGR


“ When the class of 2010 enters the job market, they will find a landscape scarcely recognisable to their parents.”


We are halfway through the life of this Parliament which might explain why the mood at this year’s round of party conferences was subdued. As the next election approaches we can expect the parties to start preparing their election manifestos. AGR published its own manifesto in the run


up to the 2010 election. Entitled “Talent, Opportunity, Prosperity – a manifesto for graduate recruitment” copies were sent to every MP including party leaders. Mid-term seems an appropriate time to reflect on how many of our proposals have come to pass. The manifesto contained seven calls for


action. The first asked for the removal of the artificial 50% participation target for higher education. This was one of the more contentious calls as we claimed that “growing numbers of students are studying degree courses which lack rigour”. The emphasis we argued should always be on quality of provision over quantity. I recall defending our position with the chair of Universities UK on BBC 4’s Today programme with John Humphrys acting as referee. Thankfully the 50% target has disappeared


without trace. The focus must be on ensuring the quality of the student experience while the offering must adapt to meet the needs of a wider range of backgrounds and abilities.


8 GRADUATE RECRUITER Another controversial aspect of our


manifesto was a call to gradually lift the cap off tuition fees with its complete removal in 2020; the rationale being that raising tuition fees would create a genuine market in the HE sector and drive up standards. We called for safeguards to protect the most disadvantaged students and for fees to be repaid only when graduates were in full-time employment and earning at least £15,000. We now know that the cap on tuition fees is


£9,000 with most institutions charging the maximum allowed. The Government has kept the principle of no one having to pay back their loan until they are earning a minimum of £21,000. While interest rates have risen to 9% on loans, it still represents a good deal for graduates. Funding arrangements for universities


appear overly complex and uncertainty over how much funding they will attract must make budgeting a nightmare. The new dawn has however resulted in institutions taking the student experience seriously and focusing on managing student expectations. The introduction of Key Information Sets will contribute to greater transparency around the offering and returns on investing in higher education. A part of meeting student expectations is for institutions to ensure their students are


deaf ears, at least partially, was for best practice and adequate resources for university and school careers services. The new arrangements for careers guidance in schools fall well short of what our members expect. This is especially disappointing considering the growing complexity of the educational, career and financial choices young people have to make. Tax breaks for employers of graduates have


been mooted but youth unemployment remains unacceptably high. Only time will tell if Government can produce the catalyst to create job opportunities for fresh, and consequently vulnerable, entrants to the labour market. Our final call was for a more flexible visa


system, acknowledging that many of our members wish to recruit the best talent internationally. This is an ongoing concern and the recent muddle over student visas only serves to make matters worse. Our manifesto was not only a bold move but


most of what we called for was on the money! It should encourage us to repeat the exercise next time around. The calls for action reflected the views of the AGR Board and took account of what members were saying in network meetings and surveys. Next time individual members will be also be able to contribute via our LinkedIn community. A few doubters disputed the merits of


producing a manifesto. I believe they were misguided. Graduate recruitment and development is important to businesses and to graduates. AGR has a responsibility to influence political agendas where they impact on our world.


Carl Gilleard, Chief Executive, AGR


Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19  |  Page 20  |  Page 21  |  Page 22  |  Page 23  |  Page 24  |  Page 25  |  Page 26  |  Page 27  |  Page 28  |  Page 29  |  Page 30  |  Page 31  |  Page 32