As 600 of the UK’s best Graduate Recruiters have been getting drunk at the Association of Graduate Recruiters Conference - the AGR itself has released details of a survey that says that poor reading and riting skills among graduates are a concern for half of the UK’s top employers. 56% of the 200 firms surveyed had concerns about a lack of “hard skills” like literacy and leadership. And as we’ve been hinting, the survey confirms that employers were also less likely to trust degree grades as “gold standards” for recruitment. The good news is that there are more graduate vacancies. A third of all graduate vacancies are now in banking and finance.  But starting salaries are not matching inflation - up just 1.8%, with an average of £24,500. Law firms are the highest payers for graduates, with starting salaries of £36,500. There is also evidence of increasing competition for the more sought-after jobs - with an average now 30 applicants for each graduate job.

The University of Plymouth has announced it has to £10m over the next two years. Rising staff costs and other running costs are being blamed for the university’s financial problems. Managers have not ruled out job losses or getting rid of entire courses to make the savings, but there will be investment in popular courses. Plymouth has 30,000 students and 3,000 staff so is somewhat of a player. Unsurprisingly, its reputation lies with links to the sea, with respected courses in maritime business, marine engineering, marine biology and environmental sciences. The uni even offers one BSc in Surf Science and Technology, dude.