Asian varsities improve ratings in global employability
universities are becoming more reputable in producing the right graduates according to the Global University Employability Ranking published by Times Higher Education (THE) recently.
The ranking revealed a strong performance by institutions across Asia with the University of Tokyo leading Asia Pacific and featured in the top 10, ranked in ninth place.
THE Data editor Simon Baker said: “The gains from Asian universities extend a trend that has been building for several years, with more universities from the region becoming household names in the minds of global graduate recruiters.”
Thirty Asian institutions were featured in the total ranking of 150 universities, with many enjoying a higher position than last year. Gains were particularly marked across mainland China, Taiwan and South Korea.
For Malaysia, only University of Malaya made it to the list and is ranked at 147.
“From the survey results, it is clear that many Asian universities are leading in producing graduates with exactly the skills firms are looking for as they attempt to gain ground in the digital revolution.
“At the same time, some institutions in the region are also recognising the importance of instilling soft skills such as teamwork in their students, while offering them the strongest possible links with industry before they graduate, “Baker added.
The U.S. still has the most universities that trip off the tongue of global employers looking for the best graduates. Dominating the top 10 of the ranking are 35 institutions of which seven are in the top 10. The California Institute of Technology takes the top spot for the second year in a row.
Baker said this can be attributed not only to the excellent education the institutions offer, but also a tradition of strong university-industry link.
This ranking is part of a broader survey on employability and higher education drawn from 6000 recruitment managers from large international companies.
It is commissioned every year for six years by HR consultancy Emerging and conducted by the polling institute Trendence.
Emerging managing partner Laurent Dupasquier said: “Our survey on employability shows that the digital transformation also impacts current
recruiters’ expectations towards their higher education systems.
This is probably why we have witnessed for six years the gradual rise in the ranking of challengers and institutions from countries that tend to develop their student’s soft skills and employability through partnerships with companies.”
Baker added that there is a diverse mix of countries and types of institution beyond the top 10 universities in the ranking.
“A focus on university-industry links bears fruit for many universities and nations and may explain why institutions from countries in continental Europe are holding their places, or even moving up the table, while others, like the UK, are struggling.
“This is likely to raise concerns that the political turmoil caused by Brexit in the UK and the election of Donald Trump in the U.S. is having an influence on these countries’ reputations.”
Baker also said that UK universities have taken a severe decline in this ranking and this has been happening for some time — removing the UK’s natural competitive advantage.
He said this is a product of the rise of Asian universities, the use of English becoming widespread and a traditional weakness in UK institutions’ industry links.
According to him, the odds of the UK turning this situation around in the short-term appear slim and it underscores the need to avoid Brexit leaving the country isolated on the world stage.