Work experience for every undergraduate in new commitment from universities

• 1.4m students to benefit from hands on work experience as part of their degree 
• Major new initiative between universities and employers sets out practical steps for supporting graduates into the world of work
• Recommendations include life-long career support, and regionally based graduate schemes for SMEs
• Plans wins the support of British Chamber of Commerce and other business groups

Universities and employers have today come together behind a major new plan to help get more graduates into good jobs.

Published by Universities UK (UUK) with support from Pearson and the British Chambers of Commerce, the Future Jobs Roadmap sets out a series of steps for universities, business and government to take to better support graduates into work.

The proposals stand to benefit the 1.4 million undergraduates who are expected to be studying at universities in England each year in the 2030s, and are designed to strengthen the UK's skills pipeline, improve the route into employment for graduates and drive economic growth, as the labour market changes.  

The Roadmap has been developed based on conversations with around 200 employers, business groups and universities and responds to the growing challenge facing young people and employers alike. 

The plan comes at a pivotal moment for the economy. As the government develops its ten-year plan and industrial strategy, universities are stepping forward with a practical offer to help deliver the high-level skills, graduate talent and growth the country needs. It also responds to the wider pressures facing young people entering the Labour market. While graduates are far less likely not to be in education, employment or training (NEET) than non-graduates, the overall number of NEETs recently passed one million for the first time. 

The Future Jobs Roadmap will help graduates of every background, and the employers who need them, to succeed.

Key commitments include:

• An ambition for all undergraduates to have access to meaningful work-based learning by 2035, with a milestone of reaching 50% by 2030.
• Ensuring AI tools are accessible to every undergraduate student and every course has a lecturer who is an AI trailblazer' so that graduates have the skills to be AI pioneers in the workplace.
• Providing graduates with universal lifetime entitlement to careers support both while they are at university and throughout their career to ensure they are set up for success and can navigate labour market change.
• Expanding employer co-designed learning and modular provision.
• Supporting regional graduate schemes to connect graduates with SMEs.
• Making it easier for employers to engage with universities.

The Roadmap also calls on government to support youth employment through targeted measures to encourage recruitment and strengthen pathways into work, including extending the relief on National Insurance Contributions to all young people under 25. 

Professor Malcolm Press, President of Universities UK and Vice-Chancellor of Manchester Metropolitan University, said:

"This Roadmap is the result of universities listening carefully to employers about the challenges they face and the skills they need, and responding with action.

"The message we heard was clear: graduates possess significant talent and potential and employers value them highly. But we need to do even more to help students gain workplace experience, develop professional confidence and prepare for a changing economy.

"Universities want to work even more closely with employers, students and government to strengthen opportunities for graduates and support economic growth.

Shevaun Haviland, Director General of the British Chambers of Commerce, said:

Giving firms better access to graduates with the right technical and practical skills is a crucial part of unlocking economic growth. 

The Future Jobs Roadmap is full of practical ideas that reflect what businesses are telling us they need, and could make a real difference for both employers and employees alike.    

By closer collaboration between businesses and universities we can get more students workplace ready. Chamber led Local Skills Improvement Plans across England can play a role in that stronger relationship."

Roisin Currie CBE, Chief Executive of Greggs, said:

"We are living in a world where the only constant now is change. Universities and business need to work together to develop a high-skilled workforce which is adapting to that change.

"Graduates are a critical part of our workforce, so I welcome university efforts to understand more about the challenges business are facing over the next decade and how they can help us address those challenges. A lot of the solutions are in our gift, if we have a strong, long-term vision."

Rebecca Marmeli, Head of Vocational Higher Education at Pearson, said:

"Employers consistently tell us that they value the high-level skills graduates bring but want stronger connections between education and the workplace. We were proud to support this work, bringing employers and universities together across the UK.

The Roadmap's focus on meaningful work-based learning, human and digital skills, and stronger employer partnerships offers practical ways to widen opportunity, support graduates into employment and contribute to economic growth.

Paramedic Science BSc (Hons) student, Carl Birks, 36, Doncaster, South Yorkshire is entering his final of four years' study at the University of Bradford, which includes a placement sandwich year with the Yorkshire Ambulance Service. He says the opportunity to gain real-world exposure to the role, while also earning a wage, was a major attraction in choosing to study at the University of Bradford:

The year has had a huge impact on my confidence, clinical decision-making, and overall knowledge of the paramedic role. Being able to work on a double crewed ambulance and attend a variety of patient call outs in a frontline clinical environment, and being able to apply the knowledge gained so far through university to real patients, has helped me to develop both professionally and personally. It has ensured I am in the best possible position to complete my degree and embark on my career as a paramedic.

ENDS

Government figures suggest there could be over 1.4 million undergraduate students each year in the 2030s in England.

Release home - Student loan forecasts for England - Explore education statistics - GOV.UK

Recent polling for UUK found that eight out of ten employers (81%) believed that more or the same number of people should go to university to meet the UK's skills needs, and nearly half (47%) of employers with vacancies reported finding it difficult to recruit for entry-level roles. Evidence shows over 87% of working-age graduates were in employment in 2023/24, compared to 68% of non-graduates.