UK graduates lag behind in basic skills compared to their peers in top-performing countries like Japan and the Netherlands, a stark new report has revealed. The Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) findings show that Italy and Spain are particularly struggling, with only 12% of college graduates reaching a high standard on literacy tests.
Italian and Spanish university leavers fall short even when compared to their own country's high school students – in Japan, 13% of high school pupils achieved the same level, while in the Netherlands it was 14%. OECD director Andreas Schleicher highlighted the implications for employment: 'If you're a high school graduate in Japan, you have better skills than a university graduate in Italy and Spain,' he said.
However, some experts dispute the link between basic skills and the UK's youth unemployment woes. Italian economist Professor Massimo Egidi argued that the problem lies not with education quality but rather a mismatch between supply and demand: 'It's not about what we're producing, it's about where those graduates are going,' he said.
Egidi pointed out that many of Italy's highly skilled graduates – particularly in engineering and physics – find work abroad, with many Italian engineers settling in Germany and economists heading to London.