According to a recent study conducted by the British Academy, employers are seeking graduate skills from Arts, Humanities and Social Science degrees. Amongst the desired transferable skills are: communication and collaboration, teamwork, analysis, problem solving and decision-making. These skills enable graduates to work in a variety of jobs including teaching, civil service and financial services.
Newcastle University are proud to have a strong reputation in the arts, humanities and social science departments. They also have impressive links with a wide range of organisations that provide innovative ways for students to develop their skills further and gain invaluable work experience in the outlined fields of work.
One example of these links is the university’s connections with the long running collaboration between Northumbrian Water, Kielder Water and Forest Park Trust, Northumberland National Park Authority and the School of Architecture, Planning and Landscape that has enabled students to work alongside local communities, clients and contractors to design and construct projects in the city. As a result, they gained useful insights into the world of work.
In addition, Newcastle University also supports its graduates via innovative partnership programmes for example The Collective Studio, a partnership with The NewBridge Project, which aims to bridge the gap between studio based practice on campus and the workplace. It is an artist-led, graduate development programme that provides graduates with useful skills to manage their own creative practice.
Professor Julie Sanders’, as Pro-Vice Chancellor of Newcastle University and an academic specialist in Humanities and Social Sciences, compliments the British Academy’s recent study with her statement: “As recognised by the British Academy report, AHSS graduates play a vital role in all areas of our economy, bringing a distinctive set of skills developed during their studies. At Newcastle we are committed to supporting our graduates to reach their full potential and in this we are fortunate to work with a range of external partners who not only help us to identify the skills required, but who also actively collaborate with us, our students and graduates to ensure they are best placed to contribute and lead.”
Similarly, Professor Sir Ian Diamond, Chair of the British Academy Project, believes that: “The question every arts, humanities and social sciences student has heard at least once is: ‘what are you going to do with that?’ Today our research proves that these graduates have the potential to adapt to almost any career in an increasingly globalised and uncertain world.
“Our research has defined for the first time the skills shared by arts, humanities and social sciences (AHSS) graduates, and looks at their careers in almost every sector of our economy, from the booming creative industries to financial services.”
The study conducted by the British Academy is great news for Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences students. It confirms that the skills gained in their degree programmes, such as communication, analysis and independence, are highly valued by employers.