Northumbria helps shape national plan to boost graduate employability

Universities and employers have today come together behind a major new plan designed to help get more graduates into good jobs and to help business better connect with the higher education sector.

The new Future Jobs Roadmap, published by Universities UK, sets out practical steps and recommendations for universities, businesses and the government to support graduates entering the world of work.

Northumbria University was chosen as the host university for employer discussions across Northern England and two of the Roadmap’s central recommendations – a target for all undergraduates nationwide to have access to work-based learning by 2035 and ensuring AI tools are accessible to every undergraduate student – are already firmly in place at Northumbria University and are examples of how universities and businesses can work together to build the workforce the country needs.

Northumbria already guarantees real-world learning experiences on every undergraduate course and last year became one of only two universities in the UK to give every student and staff member free access to Claude for Education, the leading AI platform built by Anthropic.  The University provides all students with access to the subscription version of Claude for Education free of charge, so everyone can benefit from developing the AI skills employers need, regardless of their financial circumstances.

Other recommendations – lifetime careers support for graduates, more bite-size learning modules co-designed between employers and universities, regional schemes to connect graduates with SMEs, finding new ways to leverage employer-university partnerships and a call for the government to reduce costs for businesses of hiring entry-level graduates at the upcoming Budget – set out the direction the sector needs to move in over the next decade.

The Roadmap was developed following conversations with around 200 employers, business groups and universities with an aim of developing practical solutions that support graduates and businesses.

Northumbria University played a key role in shaping the plan after being chosen as the host university for employer discussions in Northern England. Representatives from major regional, national and international businesses of all shapes and sizes visited the University’s campus in Newcastle to discuss how graduates can be equipped with the skills their businesses need today and in the decades ahead. They also considered how employers can work with universities to drive innovation that will support their business growth and create more well-paid jobs.

Employers taking part in the discussions at Northumbria included Greggs, Siemens Energy, Lloyds Group, Port of Tyne, Northern Powergrid, Lockheed Martin, QTS Data Centers and the North East Mayoral Strategic Authority, as well as representatives from the NHS and the Confederation of British Industries (CBI).

Professor Andy Long, Vice-Chancellor and Chief Executive of Northumbria University said: “As the largest provider of graduates into the North East regional economy, Northumbria University has been strongly placed to shape the development of this important new national plan.

“We work closely with employers to ensure our courses are designed and delivered to provide students with the higher-level skills they need to succeed after graduating. New technologies are changing the ways we once worked and the graduates of today need to be agile as their careers will shift and pivot in ways we cannot yet predict in the decades ahead.

“This is why we have committed to embedding real-world learning in every undergraduate course, and to giving every student free access to a globally leading AI tool. It’s clear from this plan that Northumbria is already leading the way in preparing graduates for the future of work.”

Roisin Currie CBE, Chief Executive of Greggs plc, who attended the session at Northumbria University, agreed. "We are living in a world where the only constant now is change,” she said. “Universities and business need to work together to develop a high-skilled workforce which is adapting to that change.

“Graduates are a critical part of our workforce, so I welcome university efforts to understand more about the challenges business are facing over the next decade and how they can help us address those challenges. A lot of the solutions are in our gift, if we have a strong, long-term vision.”

Northumbria has an outstanding reputation for graduate employability. The University is ranked top 20 in the UK for the number of graduates who go into skilled jobs and is the largest supplier of graduate talent into the North East economy.

As well as supporting students and graduates into highly skilled jobs, Northumbria is also leading the way in encouraging them to develop their own business ideas. The University has ranked in the top10 in the UK for 17 consecutive years for the success of businesses started by students and graduates, with support from the University, evidencing that Northumbria is not only preparing people to enter the workforce, but also to build it.

The Future Jobs Roadmap is published by Universities UK with support from Pearson and the British Chambers of Commerce. It was officially launched at the Universities UK annual conference in Nottingham.