Future Graduate Skills: A Scoping Study

National and international carbon emission reduction targets, and the increased recognition of the importance of sustainable business practices, is driving the ‘greening’ of the UK economy. To meet the requirements of the shift towards a low-carbon economy there will need to be a significant change in the knowledge-base and skills of workers and employees across every sector of business. However, research by the Department for Business Innovation and Skills (BIS 2012) indicated that there is currently a lack of business managers and leaders who are ‘sustainability literate’. Further, businesses report that they are struggling to find candidates with the right sustainability skills to fit graduate positions, indicating a mismatch between the skills training available at university and the changing requirements of employers (e.g. Arum and Roksa 2014; Calonge and Shah 2016).

The economic impacts of the Covid-19 pandemic have created further unknowns in terms of opportunities for young people, and the skills that will be needed in the job market going forward. It is now even more important that graduates are agile in terms of their skills base, and equipped with the right skill sets for addressing future challenges.