Students' perceptions of the role of higher education credentials for graduate work and employability

Thursday, May 08, 2008

Academic qualifications have a declining role in students' perceptions of what shapes their post graduate employment outcomes, according to research from Cardiff Business School. A qualititive study of final-year undergraduates has found that students see the need to 'add value' to their credentials in an increasingly competitive labour market. This is because the expansion of higher education has meant increased competition in the graduate labour market along with the introduction of tuition fees heightening a sense of the value of higher education. Although students still acknowledge the importance of having a degree, there is no guarantee that it will lead to labour market opportunities.

The full reference of the article is: Tomlinson, M. (2008) 'The degree is not enough': students' perceptions of the role of higher education credentials for graduate work and employability', British Journal of SOciology of Education, 29(1), January, pp.49-61