A new survey conducted by a group of researchers has revealed that over 62 percent of Australian managers consider higher education qualifications as an essential requirement for hiring staff.
The survey, which was conducted with the participation of thousands of Australian managers, showed that a lot of them rated their staff’s higher education qualifications as “important” or “very important” to the jobs performed.
While only 53 percent of the staff or Australian graduates consider the same assessment.
Graduates’ qualifications and demands of their jobs
Notably, the result from the survey, which was published in the 2019 Employer Satisfaction Survey, revealed a secure connection between graduates’ qualifications and demands of their jobs, as relayed by Australian managers.
As published, the survey revealed that 80 percent of health and Australian education managers, consider the education qualifications important for giving out employment, while almost 70 percent of the graduates do.
However, about 50 percent of Australian managers of creative arts, information technology, commerce, and management graduates rate the qualifications as significant to the work.
Notably, Australian employers requirement pertaining to their workers’ qualifications has continued to decline than they had in 2018, and marginally less so currently.
The survey also revealed that Australian managers’ satisfaction with graduates also declined from a 2018 peak, decreasing by almost one percentage point to 84 percent.
The report noted:
Overall, there appears to be a strong relationship between skills and knowledge acquired by higher education graduates and the requirements of their jobs after graduation.
Australian managers getting work-ready graduates
Catriona Jackson, Chief executive of Australia Universities, said Australia’s universities are producing graduates who are work-ready, highly employable and able to add relevant contributions in the workplace.
According to her, she sees the survey as a strong endorsement, from employers, that Australia’s universities are preparing students to succeed in the workforce.
She said:
The survey affirms the value of higher education qualifications for employment, as feedback from the people who see first hand a graduate’s skills in action has shown.
Notably, Education minister Dan Tehan also noted that the government had made graduate employment outcomes the key metric in its performance-based university funding scheme.
Tehan added that about 330,000 Australians are expected to get a university degree in 2020.
The survey used for additional findings
The study was reportedly large enough to compare results by field of education, institution, and demographic group, among other variables.
According to the survey, private and niche universities attracted the most significant employer satisfaction ratings.
While Bond University topped the table for the second year running, followed by the University of Divinity, Australian Catholic University, and the universities of Wollongong and Notre Dame Australia.
Murdoch University recorded the lowest overall satisfaction rating of about 76 percent, with the universities of New England, Western Australia, and Torrens also rating below 80 percent.
