18th April 2011 9:00
By Blue Tutors
The business secretary, Vince Cable, told universities this week that they shouldn’t underestimate their consumers (students) in the new age of tuition fees. A report on the BBC website tells how students have become more savvy when choosing the best university, or the best course for them, and will/must take their choice even more seriously in future. This means that universities will have to consider what they offer students in return for the tuition fee investment, and whether it improves their students’ ‘employability’.
The Higher Education Funding Council for England has proposed that universities offer new statistics regarding their courses, and the destinations of their graduates. This will start from Autumn 2012, and the information called KIS (Key Information Set) will require 16 sets of information to be published by each university relating to job prospects for students after graduation. Examples of the statistics are average salary, proportion of graduates in a full-time job within 6 months, and whether a course is recognised by professional bodies.
The introduction of these employability statistics may lead many universities to consider what extra skills they develop in their students outside of the simple academic proficiency which is seen as the norm. The university of Surrey, more than many other universities in the UK, has already begun to offer courses in other skills to improve their students’ employability. These include free tuition in a second language, and courses in soft skills, which are seen by many employers as a vital part of a graduates qualifications, alongside more formal academic achievements.
The only concern is that university in the UK might turn into an employee preparation centre, rather than a rigorous academic pursuit of self-discovery, which it has been for so long. This might make it a less attractive prospect for 18 year olds.