Talent & Education

Going Global: Are graduates prepared for a global workforce?

September 13, 2016

Global

September 13, 2016

Global
Josselyn Simpson

Contributor

Josselyn has worked in the thought leadership and quantitative research team of the Economist Intelligence Unit for more than 15 years. She is an expert in creating engaging content for C-level and other senior executives. Among her areas of interest are organisation, governance, and the effects of technology on the workplace. She was also a Senior Campaign Manager at Booz & Company and a Senior Editor at McKinsey & Company. Through those roles she developed significant expertise in global thought leadership development and programme management. She began her career at The New Yorker. She is based in New York and holds an undergraduate degree with honors from Harvard College.

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"I fear that some students do not seize these [international] opportunities because they don’t understand the value employers place on the additional non-technical skills they provide.” - David Fairhurst, Chief People Officer, McDonald's

75% of graduates who had any form of international experience while at university believe they became more culturally aware as a result. Why is this important? Now more than ever, employers value the kinds of non-technical skills that are learned through study abroad and other internationally focused programs. In fact, graduates who have international experience have found more success finding a job after six months than those without it. So why aren't more students taking advantage of international opportunities during higher education?

Going Global: Are graduates prepared for a global workforce? is a new EIU report, sponsored by Kaplan, that takes a deep dive into how experiences and skills learned abroad can help graduates ease their transition into the reality of today's global workforce, as well as which international opportunities are offered by universities around the world and which students take up. 

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