Graduate utilisation and the quality of higher education in the UK.

Mason, Geoff

The rapid transition to mass higher education in Britain has led to concerns as to whether or not the skills and knowledge of the increased supply of graduates are being fully utilised in employment. This paper argues that assessments of graduate utilisation need to take account of recent changes in the quality distribution of higher education output. A detailed investigation of university chemistry departments also found that, due to both the growing diversity of student intakes and cuts in government funding per student, many departments are poorly placed to ensure that all graduates possess the skills and knowledge required in employment. Such limitations may in turn reduce employers' willingness to upgrade traditionally non-graduate jobs in order to take advantage of the increased graduate supply.