The survey of 200 business leaders, drawn from the public and private sector, showed that 80 per cent believe most graduates have not been trained in the skills they need to succeed in the world of work.

The skills the business people said they were looking for in new employees included critical thinking, advanced analytical skills, the ability to interpret complex data and advanced technology skills.

‘I believe geography graduates have these skills,’ said Richard Waite, managing director of ESRI UK, the GIS software company who commissioned the survey. ‘They’re taught to think rationally and clearly, and to analyse geographical data, which by its nature is fairly complex.’

‘And now the geography graduates we’re seeing at ESRI are coming with technology skills bolted on too, because it’s becoming part of the geographic world,’ adds Waite. ‘Together it means geography is giving graduates skills which are universally applicable and, this survey is saying, are universally in demand,’ added Waite.

The figures follow a report from the Higher Education Careers Service Unit earlier this month which shows the number of graduates who were unemployed six months after graduation rose one per cent during 2009 to 8.9 per cent in January 2010, the highest level for seventeen years.

Geography graduates continue to fare better than those who have studied most other subjects, except law. Only 6.2 per cent of law graduates and 7.5 per cent of geography graduates remained unemployed six months after graduation, whereas this figure rose to 14.6 per cent for media studies graduates, and 16.3 per cent for IT graduates.

'The economy needs geographers, especially in these straitened times,' said Dr Rita Gardner,  the director of the Royal Geographical Society. 'Some will use their geography directly to tackle the challenges of the 21st century – perhaps creating a sustainable approach to resource management or coping with flood risks due to climate change. The increasing uptake of geographic information systems (GIS) in business also means that geographers are finding their geographical skills in ever-increasing demand across all sectors. Others will use the transferable skills that a geography degree provides and move into a whole host of careers from marketing to management, accountancy to human resources.'

The ESRI’s report also showed that nearly one fifth of the business leaders surveyed had a geography degree themselves.

‘I think this demonstrates that a geography education is a sound education for almost any future career,’ said Waite. ‘My concern is that too many young people can’t see where geography might take them. We’ve got to open their eyes.’



November 2010