Understanding technology and business is key 17th November 2010 – Influential business leaders across the UK are calling for more graduates with advanced technology and business skills to help them use high-tech systems more effectively across their organisations. According to a survey by ESRI UK, four in five (82 per cent) businesses think the ideal future manager has an equal understanding of both business and technology. Whilst business leaders’ top priorities for their organisations are making processes more efficient (nominated by 73 per cent of businesses as important) and delivering more for less (66 per cent).
The survey of 200 business leaders across the public and private sectors showed that the skills they are looking for in future employees are critical thinking (nominated by 78 per cent of businesses leaders as key for graduates), advanced analytical skills (76 per cent), understanding and interpreting complex data (71 per cent), advanced technology skills (57 per cent) and understanding socio-economic environments (54 per cent) – all of which can be gained through a geography degree.
Nearly all (97 per cent) of employers said that they would like more employees with these core skills in their organisations. Also despite most firms (95 per cent) saying that location – such as access to skilled staff and proximity to customers – is important to their success, only one in five (18 per cent) firms use key technologies such as Geographic Information Systems across their whole business. As a result, graduates who are able to illustrate an understanding of these technologies are increasingly sought after. Read More
