NewsTop StoriesWorkforce
Businesses don’t believe graduates are prepared for work
Australian universities may need to do more to prepare their graduates for the workforce, after most business owners said current efforts were inadequate.
Please login below to view content or subscribe now.
An interesting read, thank you for sharing.
I think the underlying cause of the reported problem is the abandonment of the apprenticeships, internships and mentoring by many organisations across many sectors. That is giving students, the opportunity to work and engage within their chosen profession, while they are still studying. Based on this experience, students can then self-reflect and take steps to enhance their soft skills, values and leadership potential before they graduate.
But to do this, organisations must move their focus from the short-term “what we do” to a long-term “who we are and why we are here”. Only then will graduate students be resilient and adaptable, rather than just feeling like replacement bodies for the cubical farm.
Perhaps government, universities and organisations should investigate restoring an apprenticeship / internship / mentoring system, a system which has worked for thousands of years. As they say, if an idea is simple, repeatable and it works, it is likely to be a good idea.
I would agree to a certain extent but I would also question if business is ready for our graduates.