‘41% of Scots students were graduates in 2012’

Scotland had the highest proportion of graduates in Britain outside of London. Picture: Getty

Information from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) showed that 41 per cent of Scots were graduates last year.

The figure is less than London, with six out of every ten people in Inner London and 45 per cent of those in Outer London having such a qualification, but is still higher than the other regions of England and above the 33 per cent in Wales.

Meanwhile, the graduate unemployment rate in Scotland last year was 4 per cent, which was lower than both Inner London and Outer London, where the jobless rate among graduates was 5 per cent and 6 per cent respectively.

The graduate unemployment rate in Scotland was the same as in Wales but it was higher than the South West of England and the East Midlands, where it stood at 3 per cent

Education Secretary Michael Russell said: “Graduates are a vital component of our economic growth so it is excellent news that Scotland has the highest concentration of graduates outside of London.”

Mr Russell said “consistently higher employment rates for graduates” demonstrated the value of having a degree.

But he stated: “We are not complacent, we know that there is still much work to be done to ensure that all our graduates have the opportunity to access sustainable graduate level jobs.

“That is why we are working closely with the public and private sectors to improve the employment prospects for our graduates.

“In August we announced funding of £4.6 million for employment initiatives which will create job opportunities for over 1,200 graduates.”