TY  - JOUR
AB  - Purpose– The purpose of this paper is to report on research carried out with employers to determine demand for business and management skills in the Scottish workforce. Design/methodology/approach– The research used a questionnaire in which employers were interviewed (either telephone or face to face), completed themselves and returned by e-mail, or completed an online survey. In total, 71 employers took part in the study. Findings– The research found that the factors which are most important to employers when recruiting graduates were; personal attitude, employability skills, relevant work experience and degree result. The most important transferable skills to employers when recruiting graduates were; trustworthiness, reliability, motivation, communication skills and a willingness to learn. Social implications– The paper shows the importance of graduates developing excellent job searching skills, high-quality work experience and developing business courses to enhance students’ employability and better meet employers’ wants. Originality/value– The paper is timely given the introduction of Key Information Sets. The provision of such information will drive HEI to further develop students’ employability to obtain graduate-level jobs.
VL  - 58
IS  - 1
SN  - 0040-0912
DO  - 10.1108/ET-02-2014-0017
UR  - https://doi.org/10.1108/ET-02-2014-0017
AU  - McMurray Stephen
AU  - Dutton Matthew
AU  - McQuaid Ronald
AU  - Richard Alec
PY  - 2016
Y1  - 2016/01/01
TI  - Employer demands from business graduates
T2  - Education + Training
PB  - Emerald Group Publishing Limited
SP  - 112
EP  - 132
Y2  - 2024/04/19
ER  -