51% Indian UK graduates say they earn above average salaries; 82% satisfied with their careers: Indian Graduate Outcomes Report 2019
New Delhi: Indian graduates who have studied in the UK say that they earn above average salaries in their work life. 51 per cent of all Indians graduating from the UK say they earn above or well above average and 90 per cent of women in this group say they earn average or above. 60 per cent of Indian respondents surveyed said they were in their current jobs because it was exactly the type of work they wanted to do, with 82 per cent saying they are satisfied or very satisfied with their careers.
“The job satisfaction of UK graduates is higher, because chances of getting the job of one’s choice markedly increases. I think this also leads to more effective work performance and logically, more recognition for one’s work. The likelihood of UK graduates working in India in managerial roles was 23 per cent higher than the global average,” said Vivienne Stern, Director, Universities UK International (UUKi), which is the collective body representing more than 130 universities from England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.
A delegation of senior representatives from 20 UK Universities is currently in India to engage Indian stakeholders to understand the vision and priority areas of the Indian government, governing bodies and higher education institutes to assess the role UK universities and the UK can play to further strengthen the relationship and identify shared priorities for future collaboration particularly in education and research. This delegation is supported by the UK-India Education Research Initiative (UKIERI) and is believed to be the largest delegation of its kind in at least a decade.
This data was released in the Indian Graduate Outcomes 2019 study, conducted by UUKi. Close to 1,000 Indian students of a total of 16,000 students from different nationalities who had completed their studies between January 2011 and July 2016 were surveyed to understand their experience of studying in the UK, their satisfaction with their education and their current jobs. The top ten nationalities (as a percentage of respondents) in the study include United States of America, China, India, Germany, Nigeria, Greece, Malaysia, Italy, France and Romania representing 45 per cent of the respondent base.
The number of Indian and international students heading to UK for an education is on the rise. There has been a 42 per cent increase in the number of Indian students going to the UK for studies, in one year according to the latest immigration statistics released by the UK Home Office. This sentiment is echoed world over, with London voted the best city for students in 2019 in the QS Best Student Cities Rankings report.
“As the UK’s international organisation for cultural relations and educational opportunities, the British Council encourages student mobility with close to 500 scholarships each year. In addition, we also facilitate and support research collaborations and partnerships between educational institutions in the two countries every year,” said Barbara Wickham OBE, Director India, British Council.
Sameer Pitalwalla, CEO- Culture Machine, and a UK Alumni from India said, “Studying in the UK is beyond just what you learn at university, (it is) the experiences that you get with the people that you meet.”
Survey responses show that a UK education also provides benefits beyond employment and career goals, providing possible greater thrust to the sustainability and economic goals of their countries of work/ home country. 70 per cent of Indian respondents felt they were better equipped to address issues of equitable access to sustainable development, 65 per cent felt they were better equipped to address issues of human rights, good governance and societal justice, while 69 per cent felt they were better equipped to address issues of sustainable economy and society. India respondents were slightly more positive than respondents globally where the corresponding data was at 64 per cent, 65 per cent and 66 per cent respectively.
In fact, globally 90 per cent of UK graduates are satisfied or very satisfied with all aspects of their lives, beyond just careers, with 82 per cent of respondents feeling that studying in the UK is worth the investment. Globally, 81 per cent of graduates felt they would not have been able to get their job without their UK degree, with 1 in 4 saying that a UK education was the most important thing to their employer.
Over time, the number of graduates that believe they earn a higher than average salary increases, indicating a faster than average salary progression for UK graduates in their home countries. 69 per cent of respondents feel that having a UK degree meant they could progress more quickly than peers educated elsewhere.
“Students across the world increasingly want a holistic exposure to the real world of work and life. The UK has a diverse, world-leading higher education system which focusses on employability and equips students with real world skills. UK universities are known for the culture of openness and innovation they foster. International students and particularly Indian students are made to feel at home in the cosmopolitan, warm atmosphere, both on and off campus, which contributes to a wonderful student experience,” added Vivienne.
“Moving forward we are very excited to provide student mobility opportunities for up to 200 UK students to India and contributing to the internationalisation of Indian higher education institutions in line with the objectives of the Study in India programme of the Government of India,” added Barbara.
Link to the Indian Graduate Outcomes 2019 survey: https://www.universitiesuk.ac.uk/policy-and-analysis/reports/Documents/2019/indian-graduate-outcomes.pdf.