More than 97% of graduates at De Montfort University Leicester (DMU) are in work or further study six months after graduating - putting the university in the top 20 for graduate employability, new figures show.
DMU is joint 17th best higher education institution in the UK for having the most employable graduates, up from 20th last year. It is also has the highest graduate employability rate of any university in the East Midlands.
DMU has embedded employability across its curricula, and provides opportunities for students to gain valuable experience within industry, network with CEOs and learn new skills that will help them gain skilled work once they leave university.
Some 97.3% of graduates who left DMU in summer 2017 are in work or further study six months after leaving, according to the Higher Education Statistics Authority (HESA) UK performance indicator for employment of leavers, which is based on the Destinations of Leavers from Higher Education survey. This is above the national average of 94.6%.
A DMU spokesperson said: “At DMU, we are dedicated to making our students as employable as possible so it is pleasing to see this commitment recognised in today’s HESA figures. Our record on graduate employability is superb, but we have already begun work on making it even better.
“Our new #DMUworks programme recognises the need for a step change in our approach to employability and the work-readiness of our students. We believe #DMUworks represents this change.
“We have worked alongside employers to devise professional opportunities which respond to the demand for better graduate skills through UK and overseas placements, targeted training and coaching. DMU’s commitment to our students extends beyond their course – our alumni are part of the DMU family for life and have access to careers advice whenever they need it.”
Thousands of students from the UK’s higher education institutions are surveyed in the annual poll to find out what work they are doing or whether they have taken up postgraduate studies following their first degree.
Last year, DMU was named number one for graduate employability by HE website Wonkhe based on the metrics used to compile the Teaching Excellence Framework or TEF, the first Government-backed assessment of teaching quality.
DMU was awarded gold standard in the TEF. The panel judged that DMU delivers “consistently outstanding teaching, learning and outcomes for its students. It is of the highest quality found in the UK".
Posted on Thursday 5 July 2018