Employers say university degrees ‘not essential’ in results day boost
The majority of employers believe university degrees are not essential for success in entry-level roles as A-level students are brimming with confidence despite a tough jobs market, fresh polling has suggested.
In a boost for young people not attending university after results day, a survey by the jobs platform Indeed has suggested that 68 per cent of recruiters believe degrees are not essential for starter jobs.
Over half of employers (52 per cent) in the poll of 500 companies ranked “attitude” as being more important than A-levels.
High energy and fresh ideas are seen as the most valuable qualities that young people can bring to workforces.
The polling of employers appeared to contrast results in a parallel survey of 16 to 19-year-olds as 81 per cent of young people believed their educational qualifications would play a key role in their future career successes.
School leavers are also defiant about their job prospects despite gloomy reports that taxes are hampering employers, AI was replacing jobs and starting salaries remained low.
Seven in ten young Brits also said they felt “confident” about starting out in the workforce while one in five people said AI had no impact on their views of degrees or qualifications.
Indeed’s own internal data suggested that graduate roles were at their weakest level in seven years, falling by as much as 33 per cent since last June.
Separate data by Adzuna has suggested that entry-level jobs had fallen by a third since the launch of ChatGPT.
But young people surveyed said the biggest barriers to finding a job were a lack of work experience and information on where to start.
Universities vs apprenticeships
Meanwhile, two in five employers surveyed recognised there was more to be done on accessibility to training and apprenticeships, with a report by the Labour Party-affiliated Fabian Society suggesting investment in training has dropped by £10.9bn since 2017.
Its report suggested the apprenticeship levy, introduced by former Chancellor George Osborne, failed to leverage investment in skills across the UK.
But industry groups hit back at recommendations to raise the levy and lower the threshold for employers that have to pay a sum into the wider training budget.
Both Rachel Reeves and Keir Starmer have told MP committees in parliament that getting young people into work was a top priority for the government.
The number of young Neets, or people not in employment, education and training, has steadily increased.
The Office for National Statistics said there were some 987,000 Brits aged 16 to 24 not in work at the end of 2024.