IISc, IIT-D in top 100 in employability ranking

                   IIT-D                             IISc.-Banglore

The News

• Indian Institute of Science (IISc), Bangalore and Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Delhi are two institutions which made it to the top 100 list of the Global University Employability Ranking 2018.
• Securing a place among the top 150 institutions globally are IISc at 48 improving its position by one place, IIT- Delhi breaking into the top 100 at 55, and IIM-Ahmedabad entering the elite list at 144. IIT-Bombay however dropped out of the list this year after its entry last year.

Global Employability Ranking

• A global employability ranking, designed by HR consultancy, “Emerging” and published exclusively by Times Higher Education, reveals which universities the recruiters at top companies think are the best at preparing students for the workplace.
• It lists the top 150 institutions worldwide for employability, based on a global survey of around 7,000 recruitment and international managers from major businesses.
• Harvard topped the 2018 listing, switching places with the California Institute of Technology (Caltech).
• The Massachusetts Institute of Technology and the University of Cambridge both rose one place to third and fourth, while Stanford University scaled two positions this year and was placed fifth.

Performance around the globe

• While the US continues to dominate the ranking, the time series data analysis reveals a swiftly narrowing global employability gap.
  • Since 2011, the US has experienced a sharp decline in performance – greater than any other nation in the table.
  • It comes amid intensified competition - particularly from east Asia.
  • The nation has 34 institutions in the top 150 this year, compared to 55 in 2011, with six universities in the top 10 – a fall from seven last year.
• South Korea’s performance in the table has improved more than any other Asian nation.
  • In 2011, the country had just one representative in the top 150.
  • This year, it has six – one less than mainland China.
• Elsewhere, Hong Kong and Taiwan have also swiftly improved.
• While mainland China continues to dominate in the region, it has not experienced this same surge in recent years.
  • While it has swiftly advanced up THE’s World University Rankings, for graduate employability, its rise has been considerably slower with just minimal change compared with four years ago.
• The UK does largely hold its position in this year’s ranking retaining 10 institutions.
  • However, in 2011 it was the second best represented nation globally, with 15 in the top 150.
  • Since then, the country’s overall performance has declined more than any other European nation.
• In contrast, Germany – which ensures strong industry experience for students, favoured by recruiters – has soared, becoming the most-improved European nation for overall performance since 2011.
  • It overtakes France this year to become second most represented nation globally, after the US.

India's Performace

• While there is commendable improvement this year for India, it has not matched the advances made by others in the region.
• India’s performance in the employability ranking has been somewhat inconsistent since the list was first launched in 2011.
• It still only counts three universities in the top 150, suggesting it’s struggling to make the reputational ground with employers that some other Asian nations have achieved.

Conclusion

• The new data analysis reveals a substantial global shift in graduate employability this decade. We see a dramatically improved performance within east Asia and parts of Europe.
• By-and-large, the highest risers are those equipping students with softer skills increasingly favoured among recruiters, such as teamwork combined with the strongest possible industry experience.