Article 2004

Are There too Many Graduates in the UK?: A Literature Review and an Analysis of Graduate Employability

Industry and Higher Education
Journal · Vol. 18 · Issue 4 · pp. 243-254
Abstract

The recent White Paper, The Future of Higher Education, and the annual increase in the number of young people achieving passes at A-level (the final secondary-school examinations) have fuelled an ongoing debate on whether too many people are now entering higher education in the UK. At the centre of the ‘too many graduates’ argument is the issue of employability: is the nation producing enough graduates to meet the needs of the knowledge economy or is there an abundance of graduates in the workplace who do not need degrees to do their jobs? This article identifies key arguments in the increasing participation and employability debate. © 2004, © 2004 SAGE Publications.

Keywords

Author Keywords

Vocational training Higher education Graduate employability widening participation foundation degrees

Index Keywords

Author Affiliations
Sheffield Hallam University, Sheffield, South Yorkshire, United Kingdom
Enhancing Student Employability Co-ordination Team (ESECT), Sheffield Hallam University, Sheffield, South Yorkshire, United Kingdom
Funding & Acknowledgements
No funding information
References 10 References
1 Addis, Mark, Basic skills and small business competitiveness: Some conceptual considerations, Education + Training, 45, 3, pp. 152-161, (2003)
2 Association of Graduate Recruiters, (2004)
3 Background Literature Review for Piu Project on Workforce Development, (1998)
4 Bennett, Neville, Patterns of core and generic skill provision in higher education, Higher Education, 37, 1, pp. 71-93, (1999)
5 Biglan, Anthony, The characteristics of subject matter in different academic areas, Journal of Applied Psychology, 57, 3, pp. 195-203, (1973)
6 A Report to the Higher Education Funding Council for England by the Enhancing Student Employability Co Ordination Team Esect, (2003)
7 Corporate Communications Press Release, (2000)
8 Guile, David John, Apprenticeship as a conceptual basis for a social theory of learning, Journal of Vocational Education and Training, 50, 2, pp. 173-192, (1998)
9 Journal of Education and Work, (2003)
10 Revisiting the Benefits of Higher Education, (2003)
Quick Actions
Full Text via DOI
Citation Metrics
39
Times Cited (Scopus)

References 10
Document Identifiers