“We’ve reached a point where our claims of employability have lost credibility,” said Diana Beech, director of the Finsbury Institute at City St Georges, addressing delegates of PIE Live Europe 2026.
Beech argued universities’ promises of employment opportunities haven’t kept up with reality, with graduates struggling to find jobs due to a rise in onboarding costs and employers’ doubts about their career readiness, among other factors.
“If you’re a domestic student, this is frustrating enough, but when you’re an international student paying £80,000 a year, it’s a particularly volatile situation.”
“When those students are investing so much, it’s only right that we invest in them and we get things right. We get them real placements, real internships, a real foot on that ladder.”
“We need to start talking about real deliverable employment and not just the theatre of employability,” said Beech.
Sanam Arora, founder of the National Indian Students and Alumni Union (NISAU), cited a recent UUKi and QS survey revealing just 3% of international graduates who had found employment had used their university’s career services.
She said the reduction in the Graduate Route from two years to 18 months had made “a very difficult situation even worse”, highlighting that most graduate schemes are two years or longer.
Meanwhile, Arora highlighted the government’s hiking of skilled worker salary thresholds in July 2025 to over £40,000, which has barred many international students from entering careers in certain sectors including think tanks, charities and universities themselves.
“The right-wing pressures on immigration mean we’re in a very difficult situation, and I do think the government has done all it could have done in those circumstances in terms of making sure the post-study work offer stays,” she said.
“But there must be a serious issue in universities if your students are not even using your career services. Why is it that 97% of students who found jobs did not use their university career services?” asked Arora.
Why is it that 97% of students who found jobs did not use their university career services?
Sanam Arora, NISAU
What’s more, according to NISAU estimates, less than 5% of the UK labour market is accessible to international graduates, with Arora calling out the “mis-selling scandal” of universities using domestic student employability outcomes to sell to international students.
She argued institutions must collect and share data on employability outcomes for international students who return to their home countries, who account for 47% of international enrolments in the UK, according to Studyportals data.
“There are universities at the bottom of the rankings in those big shiny global rankings that are actually doing ridiculously well on return employability outcomes… you might be surprised that what you’re scared about is not as bad as you think,” said Arora.
To this end, panellists emphasised the importance of not being reductionist and considering that, for many students, success means returning home and contributing to their local communities rather than securing a well-paid job in the UK.
David Pilsbury, chief development officer at Oxford International, said the moment required universities to work “in an entirely different way with employers”, arguing it was “entirely futile” to compete to secure the few internships offered by long standing companies.
Instead, he advised universities to forge relationships with SMEs, which make up 99.9% of UK companies and provide 60% of the country’s employment opportunities.
“I know we try hard, but this is an area where we absolutely have to do better,” he said, urging institutions to make the most of regional consortiums, particularly given the government’s commitment to widen devolution, with six new areas set to have Mayoral elections in May 2026.
Engaging with local government and businesses is key to this strategy, said Beech, urging delegates to “bring everyone to the table and make it genuinely collaborative”, ensuring universities are answerable to policymakers and employers.
Elsewhere, Arora doubled down on the need for greater sector advocacy on the local and national level to influence policy, citing higher costs that create “systemic barriers” for employers hiring non-EU talent.
“There are elections around the corner. What can universities do to make your point?” she asked.
Across the panel, speakers said delivering employment must move from being a careers service add-on to sector-wide guarantee, and that universities must be held accountable for employment outcomes if the UK is to maintain its attractiveness.
As rising costs of living continue to squeeze international students across the globe, employability is integral to how students measure the ROI of a degree, with Pilsbury warning the gap between sector narratives and students’ expectations was causing trust to “quickly erode”.
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