How Will The General Election Affect Graduates?

My contacts in the graduate recruitment industry are extensive and enable me to bring you exclusives from time to time. Here's one from the industry's main spokesperson, Carl Gilleard, Chief Exec of the Association of Graduate Recruiters.

"Have you noticed that there's a general election taking place on 6 May? You would have to been living the life of a hermit to have missed all the media hype that’s been generated since the dissolution of Parliament a week ago and there's still a month of campaigning to go!

A question for employers, parents, students and academics to consider is 'Will the election make any difference?' The result itself may not immediately make an impact although a hung parliament might send jitters through the markets and impact negatively on business confidence and prospects.

But what of specific policies in relation to higher education and graduate recruitment? Last month AGR (The Association of Graduate Recruiters) launched its first ever election manifesto in which we made seven clear recommendations:

- Abolish the 50% target for HE participation
- Lift the cap off student tuition fees and drive up standards
- Embed employability skills in all courses
- Introduce the Higher Education Achievement Report to provide recruiters with more meaningful data on which to base selection
- Strengthen university and schools careers services
- Introduce tax breaks for employers of graduates
- Introduce a more flexible visa system for employers.

All seven recommendations are intended to raise standards and create more and better opportunities for graduates. How much notice an incoming government will take of the manifesto remains to be seen but one thing is certain the challenges of funding cuts in Higher Education while at the same time safeguarding if not improving standards is one that will not go away.

Not unexpectedly, the proposal to remove the cap on tuition fees attracted most reaction especially from students themselves. We suggest removing the cap gradually to enable prospective students and their families to make provision. We also propose safeguards to ensure the most disadvantaged students are protected. And it should be remembered that tuition fees are only repayable when the graduate is in employment and currently earning a salary of more than £15,000. Repayment of fees is at a very competitive interest rate and spread over many years.

Of course, we would all like to provide 'free' higher education but there is no such thing as 'free' education. Someone pays and in our view it is right that the students themselves should contribute a proportion of the overall cost as they benefit from higher education especially if the experience is a quality one and quality does not come cheap! We expect student expectations to rise as they pay more and that in itself will help to drive up standards.

Given the choice between quantity and quality in Higher Education we are certain that employers too will vote for quality. You can find the full manifesto at www.agr.org.uk. Happy electioneering!"