International Employers Place Trinity Graduates Among World’s Elite

Posted on: 23 November 2015

Graduates from Trinity College Dublin are among the most employable in the world, according to the 2015 Global Employability University Rankings. Trinity is the only Irish university to appear in the rankings, where it sits at number 119. 

This unique ranking was provided by surveying over 2,287 recruiters from major companies in 21 different countries, and 2,400 managing directors of large, internationally recruiting companies (with over 1,000 employees).

The survey effectively asked what recruiters look for in university graduates, before ranking universities based on the number of votes they received from international respondents.

Importantly, Irish employers were not included in the survey. As a result, the results show just how highly Trinity’s graduates are valued by international employers, because it secured its votes solely from the managing directors of large, internationally recruiting companies.

These companies were free to cast up to 10 votes for universities whose graduates they valued highly, and they were also allowed to vote for those coming from local (national) universities as well as those from other countries. 

The survey looked at thousands of educational institutions, but the rankings only include universities whose votes placed them within the Top 150. 

The rankings were designed and commissioned by the French Human Resources consulting agency, Emerging, and administered by German market research firm, Trendence. They are a valuable tool for employers, but also for students in choosing their university.

The rankings differ from others by focusing less on academic achievement, in terms of research and development, and more on the practical skills that are desired in ‘ready-for-work’ graduates from a wide range of countries.

Trinity’s Careers Advisory Service Director, Sean Gannon, said the ranking recognises the university as a source of key talent for international companies competing aggressively for market share.

He said: “The Global Employability University Ranking confirms what employers both internationally and nationally value in our graduates – their confidence, problem solving and communication skills, as well as their global outlook. The rankings also give added impetus to the College’s strategic planning objective of opening up new conversations about the curriculum and seeking wider views on 21st century skills and how we can collaborate with employers to provide them.”