The University of Northampton is England’s No 1 University for Employability

Vice Chancellor, Professor Nick Petford said: “”It is great news for The University and for all our students; whether new graduates, undergraduates or those still contemplating their further education options in a tough economic climate.

“”We knew that we were producing graduates with more than just great qualifications in their chosen field and now we have the statistics to prove that. Students leave us with the skills that mean they can compete for the best jobs in a competitive job market.

We are committed to being the number one university for social enterprise and every Northampton student gets a chance to get involved in these socially responsible businesses. It gives them a taste of the real world and also helps benefit the wider community on so many levels.

Professor Nick Petford, Vice Chancellor

“”It means our students have a depth of knowledge in their core academic area subject AND a breadth of experience and confidence across more broad themes too that help make them more attractive future employees. We call them T-shaped students – they have the deep understanding of their study subject (the I) but the top bar of the T means sticking your head up out of the I, looking around and working with other disciplines and understanding how they work together to solve real problems. Universities have traditionally not been very good at putting the T’s on students. That’s where we are different and is demonstrated by these employability statistics.””

* Source: HESA Destinations of Leavers from Higher Education (DLHE) Survey 2010/11. July 2012, compared to full university status HEI’s for full time study first Undergraduate degree leavers. 95.6% of leavers who obtained first degrees from full-time courses 2010/11 at The University of Northampton were in employment or further study within 6 months of completing their course.

Employability Award

This September the University also rolls out to all undergraduates a highly successful pilot programme. Our Northampton Employability Award identifies transferable skills from volunteering or part time positions. Support staff help students identify what skills could be used proactively in an interview or workplace environment and, crucially, encourage them to identify their weaknesses as the employees of the future and develop new skills.

The Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA) is the official agency for the collection, analysis and dissemination of quantitative information about higher education. It was set up by agreement between the relevant government departments, the higher education funding councils and the universities and colleges in 1993, following the White Paper “”Higher Education: a new framework””, which called for more coherence in HE statistics, and the 1992 Higher and Further Education Acts, which established an integrated higher education system throughout the United Kingdom.

For more information about the statistics  see the HESA website