A quarterly publication of AQU Catalunya
The results of the study allow us to confirm well-known but nonetheless important aspects that should not fall by the wayside, such as the fact that a better education means better job opportunities and higher salaries.
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Official statistics, which originally came about as a tracking system for governments, have since evolved to adopt a broader vision that encompasses the interest and usefulness of the information they provide for decision-making by different groups. In this respect, the survey on the employment outcomes of Catalan university graduates provides relevant information not only for the university system as a whole, but also for the universities themselves, their students and companies and institutions. It is also useful to society as a whole, given the role that education plays in all our lives.
From a methodological point of view, the response rate for the 2023 survey showed significant improvement. This has translated into a substantial increase in the number of strata that meet the criteria of representativeness of the results, at both bachelor’s and master’s degree level. Among the factors leading to this improvement in results was a change in the fieldwork carried out, which has in no way affected the quality of the information collected.
The results of the study allow us to confirm well-known but nonetheless important aspects that should not fall by the wayside, such as the fact that a better education means better job opportunities and higher salaries. The results also show, in the context of the current labour market, employment rates of almost 100%, although there are still some mismatches between the functions performed by graduates and the degree programme completed.
It is important for universities and society to know graduates’ level of satisfaction with their degrees, as this is a significant indicator of the quality of the service offered, although not the only one. Three results of the study are worth highlighting. Firstly, the proportion of graduates who would study on the same programme again increases with the level of the university degree, although the differences between master’s and bachelor’s degrees are not very significant. This may be due to the specificity of many bachelor’s degrees (perhaps more than necessary) and of the still blurred progression from bachelor’s to master’s degree, where programmes that are the natural continuation of bachelor’s programmes coexist with programmes aimed at those looking for training related to their profession. Secondly, there is the vital role that dissatisfaction with the design or quality of a degree programme has as a reason for not repeating it. And finally, we have the map of the degree programmes’ deficiencies in relation to the needs of the labour market, with language proficiency (in English, in particular) and communication skills standing out.
This last aspect should make us reflect on where within the educational panorama (at the university?) action should be taken to improve these skills. At the same time, we must not lose sight of the fact that university education should not only turn its attention to immediate and short-term employment needs. We must also enable graduates to face and adapt to the increasingly accelerated changes occurring in our society and in the world of work.