"Global competencies": the skill employers increasingly seek - that British students lack
In the academic year 2009/10, Britain sent half as many students on overseas on ERASMUS years as European counterparts Spain, France, and Germany, in a report originally published in The Sunday Times.
“They are at risk of being left behind,” said Gilleard. “They need to take responsibility and get the message they will be working and living in a global marketplace."
“There is a lot they can do to become more culturally agile while at university, from studying overseas to taking a job placement abroad or doing a gap year ... They could also look for a place at a British university that offers an exchange programme overseas.”
Continuing on this theme, Gilleard claimed to “even have anecdotal evidence that some employers find graduates reluctant to move within the UK.”
Many attribute this parochiality to the dominance of English as the language of international business. Regardless, the AGR report suggests that this is not enough cultural capital to get on in the workplace. “Experience of working outside their home country and immersion in a different culture can catapult a graduate into being considered for rewarding roles”, said Gilleard.
