“It is not reasonable that a college education turns out to be a wasted investment for so many graduates. Four of five are studying so they can improve their attractiveness on the labour market,” says Kristina Scharp, education expert at Confederation of Swedish Enterprise.
The demand for higher skills is ratcheting up in our globalised world. That’s why it is important that education is relevant, especially as two of every three graduates ultimately find jobs in private sector businesses, she notes.
Meanwhile, Sweden’s National Agency for Higher Education (Högskoleverket) is making headlines with statements like “university graduates can count on getting jobs” and “nine out of ten get work that demands college education”. No mention of whether that work is relevant or not.
Scharp says that basic education in Sweden swallows an annual SEK21bn (€2bn) of our taxes. But what that basic education produces is not developed further. This, she says, is unacceptable.
“The least you can demand is that the education establishment uses its resources efficiently, that the results of educational training are scrutinized and that society’s investment in higher education leads to graduates in qualified employment.”
Confederation of Swedish Enterprise wants resource allocation to educational establishments to be steered by results; i.e. by how many graduates get jobs they are qualified for. This would be a strong incentive for increased collaboration between business and higher education regarding basic education, which would improve graduates’ chances of finding work.
For the fourth year running, Confederation of Swedish Enterprise’s college survey shows that close cooperation helps graduates into employment straight away and gives them better starting wages.
“Our studies show that those graduating from programmes with that kind of collaboration are better placed. They get work more quickly and more money in their monthly paychecks,” says Mikaela Almerud, educational-political expert at Confederation of Swedish Enterprise
The latest Confederation of Swedish Enterprise college survey polled over 400 programme directors at colleges and universities in Sweden and interviewed approximately 4 000 graduates from academic year 2008/2009.
