Professor Lee Harvey the study’s principal author described his findings to the conference

Professor Lee Harvey, the study’s principal author, described his findings to the conference.In delayered, downsized, IT-driven, innovative organisations there is likely to be less and less time for new recruits to get up to speed, he said. Employers now seek a range of attributes: the intellect to analyse, critique and synthesise; knowledge, especially of basic principles; an ability and willingness to learn; flexibility, adaptability and the ability to pre-empt and lead change; self-regulatory skills such as self-discipline and the ability to juggle priorities; self-activation; and self-assurance.Professor Harvey said the most important skills sought by employers were communication, team working and interpersonal skills. This theme was reiterated at this year’s annual AGR conference held at Warwick University from 7-9 July.During the past year the AGR, with the Department for Education and Employment and the Council for Industry and Higher Education, commissioned a research study into the views of employers and recent graduates “to identify the nature and extent of the knowledge, abilities and skills that graduates will need if they are to be successful at work”. In recent years it has consistently stressed the need for newly qualified graduates to have some “transferrable core work skills” which will enable them to fit into jobs easily and quickly. Many of today’s newly qualified graduates are hired by small to medium sized enterprises (SMEs) directly into jobs where they are expected to contribute from the outset. Moreover, the majority of traditional graduate recruiters now have similar expectations for most of their vacancies.
The Association of Graduate Recruiters (AGR) has now grown to 524 member organisations, 82 joining in the past year. However, now that 31 per cent of school leavers enter higher education, and company restructuring has eliminated many management jobs, graduates are no longer an elite.

Graduate recruitment was once the preserve of the large blue-chip companies, the professions and the higher grades of the civil service. Most graduates joined management training schemes as `high flyers’. Send personal experiences or comments to me at the Features Department, `The Independent’, 1 Canada Square, Canary Wharf, London E14 5DL (fax 0171-293 2182) by Tuesday morning.If you have a dilemma of your own that you would like to share, please let me know.. What do you think?Yours sincerely, HilaryLetters are welcome, and everyone who has a suggestion quoted will be sent a bouquet from Interflora.

I wouldn’t mind so much if he introduced people to each other, but I’m left to do that, and never enjoy my own parties, while my husband spends his time chatting, saying that all the guests are adults and they can just get on with it. Therapy can help her work through her anger, bitterness and other crippling emotions such as guilt and loss of self-esteem. Such help will bring her to self- healing which will enable her eventually to forgive her partner and so restore their relationship. Many men, like Judy’s partner, genuinely regard abortion as a “sensible” way of dealing with a problem pregnancy and just do not understand the dreadful psychological impact it can have on women.Jean Payne (Mrs)Next week’s problem: are name-tags OK at a private party?Dear Virginia,We are giving a summer party, and because I find it so difficult to talk to strangers at parties I suggested to my husband that we give everyone name-tags.He was horrified, and said it would be like a convention.

Judy is suffering from post-abortion trauma, a recognised syndrome consisting of a wide range of grief symptoms compounded by the victim’s participation in the death (abortion) experience. Your husband did admit that he was wrong; maybe now you can learn from it, mourn the loss openly if you need to, and go on and make the best of what you have.MandyGet help from a therapistAbortions can be very damaging to relationships, but given the right sort of help, it should be possible for Judy’s relationship with her partner to be saved. But if you keep on bearing a grudge your whole relationship may end, and that would be terrible for all four of you. I really think that you should make peace with your husband’s advice and your actions, and think of the future and the children you have now.