New research indicates that graduates who get real world experience at University find it easier to get jobs.

A new study from the University of Lincoln has indicated that graduates who look to enhance their academic skills with real world have more success finding jobs upon graduation.

The study by the University of Lincoln took a sample of students, who were due to graduate in 2011 and looked at what they were doing afterwards. The study found that 23% of students already had jobs lined up because of internships and the fact that they have actively looked to build real world skills whilst studying at University. Another 15% have found jobs through networking including finding positions through family and friends, 13% have found positions through their university, with a further 41% deciding to take further education or a year out travelling.

Director of marketing, communications and development at the University of Lincoln, Elly Sample commented that universities now must do more to ensure students develop both academic and real world skills and had this to say;

“With increased competition in the job market, it is vital that students embrace all aspects of university life, building a range of transferable skills to support their academic endeavours. We see students who have taken the time to complete dedicated work experience, or internships, in their chosen field boosting their employability considerably,”

This study highlights the fact that students must look to do more than just graduate with a good classification but that they must also look to further enhance their graduate job prospects by either taking on internships or other extracurricular activities in order to give themselves the best chance of attaining a graduate job in today’s highly competitive graduate jobs market.