Graduateness and Employability: student perceptions of the personal outcomes of university education

Abstract

There is considerable pressure to expand the student take-up of university places in the United Kingdom. This has had implications for the nature of provision and pedagogy in higher education. In particular there is a tension between graduateness as a state after the completion of a course, and employability as an assessment of the economic worth of a student at that time. This investigation charts the background to the tension and reports on findings from 400 students at the commencement, and 400 students at the completion of their university courses. Evidence indicates that economic motivation is more important than the pursuit of knowledge and that instrumentalism directed towards employment is increasingly expected of higher education courses. Graduateness alone is not seen by students as a sufficient basis for continued personal and institutional investment and hoped for success in a highly competitive, flexible, and globally responsive, environment. The extension of partnerships between higher education and employers is considered essential if student numbers are to be maintained.