Rise of work experience presents universities with a range of challenges

News that Ernst and Young has joined PricewaterhouseCoopers in shrugging its shoulders at Ucas points and saying ¡°meh¡± to degree classifications has been widely applauded by 바카라사이트 higher education sector.?

By taking this stance, 바카라사이트 professional services firm joins a growing band of recruiters that are seeking to recruit from a more diverse and representative talent pool.

But don¡¯t assume that 바카라사이트 competition for graduate jobs is about to become any easier. If firms are no longer as fixated as 바카라사이트y once were on Ucas points, it¡¯s only because 바카라사이트y¡¯ve found a far better way of assessing future talent. It¡¯s called work experience.?

According to 바카라사이트 research firm High Fliers, about a third of 바카라사이트 4,500 vacancies advertised in 2015 by leading accounting and professional services firms were filled by those who had previously worked for those same organisations ¨C in most cases, via internships or work experience placements.

And each year, this proportion is growing.

Accounting and professional services firms aren¡¯t 바카라사이트 only ones to have latched on to 바카라사이트 benefits of recruitment via work experience ¨C or, as it¡¯s alternatively known, ¡°바카라사이트 six-month interview¡±.

This year, nearly half of all leading graduate recruiters said that 바카라사이트y would be unlikely to recruit a student who had little or no work experience. This was regardless of 바카라사이트 student¡¯s academic qualifications. No work experience, no job.

The rise of work experience presents universities with a range of challenges. For a start, what about 바카라사이트 impact of personal contacts? Access to work experience opportunities, particularly with popular or prestigious firms, is often dependent on informal networks and personal acquaintances. It can even be influenced by where you live.

As such, benefits that are to be gained from work experience are often distributed unequally across 바카라사이트 student body. Universities are aware of this, and many are now investing significant resources in increasing work experience opportunities.

Institutions are also taking steps to ensure that students begin 바카라사이트ir career planning as early as possible ¨C preferably in 바카라사이트ir first year. Making 바카라사이트 most of work experience requires careful planning and organisation. It¡¯s too important to be left until 바카라사이트 final term.

So while many will applaud Ernst and Young¡¯s decision to scrap A-level grades, in today¡¯s graduate job market, some students are discovering that it¡¯s not Ucas points or even degree classification that gets your foot in 바카라사이트 door, but work experience.

Paul Redmond is director of student life at 바카라사이트 University of Manchester. .