Nearly 1500 graduate vacancies left unfilled because of skills deficit
In a recent report by the Association of Graduate Recruiters, it was revealed that nearly 1500 graduate vacancies were left unfilled last year because of graduates lacking in skills.
According to the latest statistics released by representative body the Association of Graduate Recruiters, around 1422 graduate positions were left unfilled last year because of graduates lacking in skills or turning down offers. This is hitting some sectors more than others, with Computing and IT and Telecommunications suffering more than most.
It was revealed that in 2014, of the 1422 of unfilled vacancies, in Telecommunications and IT 11.8% of vacancies were left unfilled. Employers reported that the main causes for this issue was students either not having the appropriate or sought after skills, in a technical or professional capacity, or turning down offers for employment.
However, the Association of Graduate Recruiters did highlight a big improvement coming in 2015. It predicted that vacancies were set to rise by 11.9% in 2015. It has predicted that the sectors that will see the biggest growth in vacancies will be Construction, Engineering and IT and Telecommunications. This is following an equally welcome 4.3% rise in vacancies that happened in 2014.
Speaking about their findings, Stephen Isherwood, Chief Executive of the Association of Graduate Recruiters, believes that although the rise in vacancies is welcomes news, there are areas of concern. He said 'Graduate vacancies continue to grow year on year and graduates are still more likely to be employed than non-graduates. But tensions persist. Employers would have recruited more graduates, over 1,400 more, if they could have found enough candidates with the right mix of skills.'
Isherwood also highlighted the importance of work experience, after the Association found over a quarter of graduate positions were filled by people who had already worked at that particular company. Isherwood said 'The importance of work experience cannot be stressed to students enough. Candidates that understand the world of work, understand their own skills and can translate that into a compelling proposition are much more likely to be successful in the jobs market.'
By James Howell
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