The Future Jobs Roadmap sets out a national plan for universities, employers and government to better support graduates into work. It commits universities to giving all undergraduates access to meaningful work-based learning by 2035, with a milestone of 50% by 2030, alongside a universal lifetime entitlement to careers support and closer employer partnerships. The roadmap is expected to benefit the 1.4 million undergraduates studying in England each year by the 2030s.
St Mary's University, London, says the ambitions in the Roadmap already sit at the heart of its approach to teaching and student support.
Many programmes at St Mary’s have either built in work experience or optional modules to gain experience in a professional setting within the wider community. It is planned for all courses to have access to work-based learning by 2030. University initiatives, such as Be SMART and Employability Confident, offer paid internships to support students in gaining valuable work experience while earning.
Employability support continues beyond graduation. St Mary’s provides lifelong careers support, helping graduates with their first career steps as well as career changes, developing new skills and navigating future transitions. Its alumni community now includes more than 40,000 graduates worldwide.
The University is also part of an international consortium of Catholic universities promoting service-learning to form agents of social change. In practice this is made up of community placements, where students complete 50-hour work placements in schools, charities, or non-profit organisations, coupled with hands-on volunteering and interactive classroom learning around societal issues such as poverty and discrimination, and prejudice.
The University’s approach is reflected in its graduate outcomes, with 96 per cent of St Mary’s graduates in employment, vocation or further study within 15 months of graduating.
Jo Blunden, Deputy Vice-Chancellor, at St Mary’s University, said:
“Students need more than a degree to prepare for the world of work. They need opportunities to apply what they learn, develop confidence and build the experience and connections that will help them navigate a changing jobs market.
“At St Mary’s, our responsibility does not end at graduation - we help our students build their futures and continue to support them throughout their professional lives. We welcome the ambition set out in the Future Jobs Roadmap and look forward to playing our part in making meaningful work experience accessible to more students.”