Letter: Workplace skills

Headlines about graduates being ill-equipped for careers in Scotland's financial services sector (your report, 2 February) highlight the need for universities to provide more practical business insights.

The right university can open up excellent opportunities such as work placements; course content that is relevant to modern business; employer mentoring and industry-connected lecturers. They are powerful catalysts in helping transform today's young talent into tomorrow's successful business leaders.

Napier is Edinburgh's top university for graduate employability, with 93.7 per cent of students in work or further study six months after graduation. It has always actively worked with industry to ensure courses prepare students effectively for the workplace. Courses are accredited by 94 professional bodies and students learn specific business skills. Santander is just one of the institutions that is taking on some Edinburgh Napier students for year-long placements.

In my career at Ethicon, many of the Edinburgh Napier graduates we employed were outstanding because of their exposure to the working world through the curriculum and university experiences. They could work from day one, displaying great drive and enthusiasm.

Universities have a huge role to play in providing the most appropriate training, expertise and skills to encourage business thinking. While theory is important, understanding how that is translated into working practice is hugely important and potential employers and universities must take up this challenge.

(Prof) George Borthwick, CBE, FRSE

Chairman of the Court of Edinburgh Napier University, former president of Ethicon Europe

Edinburgh Napier

University

Edinburgh