January 9, 2018

Employer overall satisfaction with UOW graduates highest in NSW

UOW tops NSW in QILT Employer Satisfaction Survey results. 

Employers are more satisfied with graduates from the University of Wollongong (UOW) than graduates from all other NSW universities, a new national survey has revealed.

Results from the Australian Government’s Quality Indicators for Learning and Teaching 2017 Employer Satisfaction Survey (QILT ESS), released on Monday (8 January), ranked employers’ overall satisfaction with UOW graduates at fifth in Australia - the highest ranking achieved by any NSW-based university.

The largest survey of its kind, the QILT ESS reports the views of more than 4300 employers about the attributes of recent graduates from Australian higher education institutions, specifically their technical skills, generic skills and work readiness.

Unlike other surveys which report perceptions of CEOs or recruiters, the QILT ESS asks direct supervisors of recent graduates to assess their subordinates’ general literacy, numeracy and communication skills as well as their adaptability, teamwork and interpersonal skills, technical skills and their ability to innovate and perform in the workplace.

These latest results reaffirm other recent QILT assessments. Last year QILT ranked UOW as the best university in NSW and the ACT across nine undergraduate study areas and for overall postgraduate study, as well as for developing generic skills in postgraduate business.

National statistics released in November ranked UOW seventh in Australia for student completion rates, making it one of only three universities in NSW and five nationally achieving a completion rate in excess of 75 per cent in all of the six year evaluation periods included in the report.

UOW is also Australia’s only publicly funded university to achieve five stars in all student experience measures in the 2018 Good Universities Guide, which assesses overall experience; skills development; student support; teaching quality, and learning resources and learner engagement.

UOW Vice-Chancellor, Professor Paul Wellings, CBE, attributes the University’s positive results to its longstanding focus on producing workforce-ready graduates who are highly sought after by employers.

“The University of Wollongong has long had a strong focus on preparing our students for a rapidly evolving global workplace, which demands far more from graduates than theoretical knowledge alone.

“Our academics are attuned to the needs of modern workplaces and our personalised approach to teaching encourages students to challenge their existing thinking, embrace new ideas, work collaboratively and be innovative as they discover their own sense of purpose, which drives them toward successful careers,” Professor Wellings said.

Among UOW’s many initiatives to produce graduates who are ready for the workforce is its highly acclaimed UOWx program, which provides formal recognition for co-curricular activities students undertake to help them prepare for the workforce. There are currently more than 150 recognised activities ranging from coaching indigenous students and work experience opportunities through to serving in overseas aid organisations.

The University also encourages students to undertake student exchanges, take on internships and industry projects or become involved in collaborative research opportunities with UOW’s research partners across industry, institutes or other Australian and overseas universities.