Work experience invaluable to university degree say 72% of graduates

A survey by jobs site reed.co.uk has found that nearly three quarters (72%) of university leavers believe work experience is invaluable to a university degree. The reed.co.uk Graduate Survey polled nearly 700 university graduates.

Just over 43% of those surveyed had been given the opportunity to undertake work experience as part of their university education, the overwhelming majority of whom had found that the opportunity to learn directly from a place of work was of huge benefit. Only 5% of those who did work experience as part of their degree found that it was not at all useful to their education: nearly 95% of those who undertook work experience found it either very valuable or valuable.

Mark Rhodes of reed.co.uk said: “This study shows that the opportunity to gain real world work experience can significantly enhance the value of a degree to graduate jobseekers.

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“For students who are serious about following a specific career path, finding courses which includes an industrial placement or similar may prove invaluable when it comes to graduation.”