Universities have always largely measured success by asking: “Did our graduates find jobs?” While still an important question, I increasingly wonder if it’s the wrong one.
The world of work is changing faster than many universities can redesign their programmes. AI continues to evolve rapidly, while industries are transforming. Graduates are likely to regularly move between different organisations, roles and even professions throughout their working lives.
In this environment, should higher education still see its role as producing graduates who are “workplace-ready”, or should we be focused more closely on preparing adaptable people, who are prepared to keep learning, academically and professionally?
Employers aren’t looking for finished products
Personally, I feel a mistake universities often make is to believe their objective is to produce the perfect specialists.
Yes, of course businesses need engineers, lawyers, accountants and marketing professionals with strong technical knowledge and capabilities. This won’t change.
But increasingly, employers are not expecting universities to deliver graduates who already know every process within their organisation. Modern companies have their own processes, systems, cultures and methods of working, and they understand graduates will continue learning after they’re recruited.
Instead, I believe employers are looking for something far broader. They want people with open mindsets, graduates who speak several languages, who communicate well and have shown they can work effectively with others, solve problems and contribute to fresh ideas.
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When employers interview candidates, they’re often just as interested in what students have done outside the classroom as the grades they’ve achieved inside it.
Have they ever organised an event, started an association, worked on a community project or helped launch a business idea? Experiences like these can demonstrate teamwork, negotiation, initiative and resilience capabilities in ways that a transcript alone can’t.
It’s up to universities to create more opportunities for students to develop these experiences alongside their academic studies.
Learning and working should be combined
Universities need much stronger partnerships with employers. When we talk about industry, let’s think beyond manufacturing. The subject should cover banks, technology companies, tourism, agriculture, healthcare, public services, automotive, energy and every other professional sector imaginable.
Students shouldn’t spend three or four years preparing for work before finally meeting employers at or beyond graduation. They need to experience professional life from the very beginning of their university journey.
Germany’s higher education sector has also demonstrated the value of this approach for many years through close collaboration with employers. The more universities and businesses work together, the easier it becomes for graduates to move confidently and seamlessly into employment.
Entrepreneurship is everyone’s business
It’s not just about going into employment. Many organisations are now looking for people with an entrepreneurial mindset, even if they never intend to start their own company.
Can individuals identify opportunities, develop an idea, build a budget, assess risk, persuade others or, perhaps most importantly, adapt when something doesn’t go according to plan?
These are exactly the skills entrepreneurs develop, but they’re equally valuable inside established organisations. More often, companies are demanding employees who think like innovators, rather than simply waiting for instructions. In short, companies need intrapreneurs.
We should be encouraging students to create projects, establish associations, launch initiatives and solve real-world problems while they are studying. These experiences often tell employers far more about a graduate’s potential than academic performance alone. Graduates who take up paid internship achieve average starting salaries more than 20 per cent higher than those who don’t, according to US National Association of College and Employers research.
Preparing graduates for a lifetime of change
Today’s students have experienced a very different world from previous generations.
Many grew up through the disruption of the Covid pandemic. They consume constant news through social media, face increasing uncertainty and often experience greater anxiety about the future.
Universities can’t just remove that uncertainty, but what we can do is help young people become more confident in navigating it. Graduates who thrive over the coming decade won’t necessarily be those who know the most.
They will be those who continue to learn and adapt quickly when circumstances change and remain open to new opportunities throughout their careers. Some countries produce more graduates than companies have new jobs. Some regions have a paradox whereby companies don’t find talent and talents don’t find jobs. Universities and companies must find a solution together and work-based learning is one important option.
We can’t predict every job the future will create, but we can prepare graduates who are ready to grow with whatever that future brings. This is a central remit for liberal arts-based programmes.
Build strong foundations ahead of specialisation
If I were designing a university programme today, I would probably start very differently.
Before students specialise, I’d give them a strong foundation centred on communication skills, critical thinking, teamwork, languages and understanding how society and the country works.
Many students arrive at university still in the process of discovering who they are and how they learn best. My feeling is that the Covid-19 lockdowns had a big impact on the psychology of present-day students. Frankly, when I was a teenager, I would probably have built my social skills out and about, wherever I could – not spending 24/7 in my family’s apartment.
Helping them develop confidence, curiosity and self-awareness is as important as introducing disciplinary knowledge.
Only after building these foundations would I encourage deeper specialisation, ideally across more than one subject area. Combining disciplines helps students see problems differently and prepares them for careers that rarely fit neatly inside traditional academic boundaries.
Five ways universities can strengthen graduate employability
1. Stop trying to produce finished experts
Focus on developing graduates with curiosity, communication skills and an open mindset, rather than believing every technical skill must be mastered before graduation.
2. Integrate work experience throughout every degree
Give students meaningful opportunities to work with employers from the very beginning of their studies, not just at the end.
3. Develop entrepreneurial thinking in every discipline
Encourage students to create projects, solve problems and take initiative, regardless of whether they plan on launching a business.
4. Teach students to question AI as well as use it
Help learners compare technologies, evaluate outputs critically and combine AI with human judgement, not just rely on a single platform.
5. Build resilience ahead of specialisation
Start with communication, teamwork, critical thinking and self-awareness. These foundations help graduates adapt throughout careers that will continue to evolve.
Nicolas Klotz is director of industry relations at Al Akhawayn University.
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