This document discusses higher education and business collaboration on global graduates. It notes the changing global landscape including globalization, knowledge economies, and the impact of technology. There are opportunities for graduates in growing sectors like creative industries and STEM fields. Research shows attributes valued in global graduates include cultural dexterity and seeing themselves as world citizens. Employers value postgraduates for specialized knowledge and skills but question the value of taught masters without experience. Successful collaboration requires shared goals, communication, values, objectives, trust and identifying stakeholders.

1. Global Graduates
Higher Education/Business
Collaboration
Peter Forbes
National Centre for Universities and Business
Ulster May 2013

2. Landscape
Globalisation
Flat economies
Changing funding
HE massification
Supply and demand mismatching
Knowledge economy
Impact on learning of ICT and porous global boundaries

3. Employment
Opportunities
Explosive growth of creative sector
Unfilled demand for STEM capabilities
Advanced manufacturing
SMEs that aspire to grow

4. What Do We
Know
Global Graduates report
Talent Fishing report
Knowledge Transfer Partnerships report

5. Global Attributes

6. “I think we’re starting to see a particular generation where they think
of themselves as quite literally world citizens. I don’t mean
conceptually. I mean they see the world as boundary less: that they
are able to move, shift, work anywhere, and do anything.”
(Prudential)
“I think cultural dexterity is important: an ability not to impose one’s
own culture on another, to be sensitive to other cultures and how to
do business in different environments.”
(PWC)

7. Talent
Fishing
Almost 100 HR Directors and other senior managers sent an on line survey. 43% responded. Plus
issues and experiences were explored through interviews with:
American Express Technologies
Atkins
Atos Origin
BAE Systems
Dialog Devices
E-ON Engineering
HSBC
Institute of Employment Studies
Laser Optical Engineering
Microsoft
PRTM
Qinetiq
RIM
Selex Galileo
Syngenta
Telefonica Europe O2

8. Scope
 All postgraduate study
 MBA level of study recognised as having some
characteristics of its own and the subject of other
research

9. Types of Employers: Trawlers
 ‘Our graduate recruitment is centred on hiring
graduates with a high quality first degree.’
Senior manager - financial services
 ‘MBA or Masters graduates apply but more so those
with Bachelor degrees. They are paid the same,
there is no direct correlation seen in degree and
performance but there is a slight difference in
maturity and they can handle the ups and downs of
business life better.’
Senior manager – IT services

10. Spearfishers
 ‘The number of postgraduates hired is relatively small
and in engineering and production teams that require
very specific knowledge.’ Senior manager - energy

11. Anglers
 ‘Someone with a postgraduate qualification can draw
on this to demonstrate their technical proficiency.’
Senior manager – telecoms
 Employers may prefer postgraduates for a particular
role or function and because they can be more
mature and contribute more quickly. In some
instances, a good first degree plus work experience
may be equally suitable.

12. Harvesters
 These use multiple means to attract postgraduates:
 specialists into research
 generalists into finance, HR and other professional
functions.

13. Baitless
 These don’t seek postgraduates and see no value.

14. What for you is the value of recruiting staff with a Masters
e.g., MA, MPhil?
Masters strongly
agree
agree partly
agree
disagree total (excl
n/a)
Subject-specific specialist
knowledge
46% 34% 14% 9% 35
Research/technical skills 33% 46% 18% 3% 33
Analytical thinking/problem
solving skills
52% 40% 6% 3% 33
Maturity 15% 39% 33% 12% 33
New ideas, help innovate 24% 50% 24% 3% 34
Guaranteed high calibre
candidates
6% 24% 52% 18% 33
Future leadership potential 16% 34% 44% 6.30% 32

15. What for you is the value of recruiting staff with a Doctorate
e.g. PhD, EngD, DPhil ?
Doctorates strongly
agree
agree partly agree disagree total (excl
n/a)
Subject-specific
specialist knowledge
62% 24% 6% 9% 34
Research/technical skills 56% 31% 6% 8% 36
Analytical
thinking/problem solving
skills
58% 28% 8% 6% 36
Maturity 21% 32% 29% 18% 34
New ideas, help innovate 38% 35% 24% 3% 34
Guaranteed high calibre
candidates
10% 26% 55% 23% 31
Future leadership
potential
9% 27% 50% 18% 34

16. Issues for Employers

17. Some reflections
The changing context for taught masters
•Global competition is commonly against graduates with 3 to 4+ years’ higher
education
•Questionable employment value of taught masters without life or work
experience
•Under researched part time postgraduate study
Lessons from the widening participation agenda?
•UK campuses are valuably multicultural
•Can more advantage be taken of porous geographical boundaries?
•Are global opportunities only for graduate leaders?

18. The Challenge
 "We know that postgraduates are important drivers of
innovation, entrepreneurship and growth and that
many employers value postgraduate level skills.
 However, HEIs and businesses could do more to
work together to ensure postgraduates have the
business-facing skills that employers need –
particularly leadership skills and work experience."

19. Some reflections
The Authentic Graduate
• Dr. Peter Hawkins
• Authenticity
• Building windmills means good career tactics
• Learner ownership of their learning and life planning
Life Wide Learning
• Emeritus Professor Norman Jackson
• Equivalence of value of practical, academic and social learning
• Impact of mobile and social media

20. Knowledge Transfer Partnerships
 150 cases examined
 Success factors demonstrate the value of applying
the rules of collaboration (Spence, Hackman):
 Shared agenda
 Shared language
 Shared values
 Stretching, achievable objectives
 Clear identification of the participants
 Trust
 Can apply widely to HE/business collaboration