University of East Anglia and Regional Employers Back Future Jobs Roadmap to Strengthen Graduate Skills, Work Experience and Lifelong Career Support

From left to right: Claire Pike, Pro-Vice-Chancellor for Student Education and Experience; Vice-Chancellor David Maguire and Evan Hancock, Associate Director of Careers and Graduate Success.

(IN BRIEF) The University of East Anglia and regional employers have welcomed the new Future Jobs Roadmap from Universities UK, supported by Pearson and the British Chambers of Commerce, which aims to strengthen graduate employment, workforce skills and collaboration between universities and businesses. UEA contributed to the initiative through a Norwich-based employer roundtable focused on strengthening East Anglia’s talent pipeline and retaining skilled graduates in the region. The Roadmap responds to projections that the UK will need more than 11 million additional graduates for high-skilled jobs between 2020 and 2035 and includes an ambition for all undergraduates to access meaningful work-based learning by 2035, with a 50% milestone by 2030. It also proposes universal undergraduate access to AI tools, an “AI trailblazer” lecturer on every course, lifetime careers support for graduates, more employer co-designed and modular learning, regional graduate schemes connecting graduates with SMEs, and simpler university engagement for employers. Professor Claire Pike said UEA is increasingly aligning courses with business requirements and expanding short-course provision for people already in work, while Universities UK and the British Chambers of Commerce emphasised stronger cooperation as essential for economic growth.

(PRESS RELEASE) NORWICH, 10-Sep-2026 — /EuropaWire/ — The University of East Anglia (UEA) and employers across the region have welcomed a new national plan designed to help more graduates move into high-quality employment, strengthen links between universities and businesses, and provide lifelong careers support as workforce needs continue to change.

The Future Jobs Roadmap, published by Universities UK (UUK) with support from Pearson and the British Chambers of Commerce, incorporates insights from UEA and local employers following a roundtable hosted at the University’s Norwich campus earlier in 2026.

The Roadmap sets out a series of commitments intended to improve graduate employability, expand access to meaningful workplace experience, strengthen artificial intelligence skills and make university education more responsive to the needs of employers and regional economies.

Future Jobs Roadmap addresses growing demand for highly skilled workers

The Roadmap responds to concerns about whether the United Kingdom will have enough graduates with the skills required for future high-skilled employment.

It is estimated that the UK will require more than 11 million additional graduates to fill high-skilled jobs between 2020 and 2035.

At the same time, young people entering the labour market are facing broader economic and employment pressures.

Graduates remain substantially less likely than non-graduates to be classified as not in education, employment or training (NEET). Around 15% of NEETs aged 16 to 24 hold a degree, but the overall number of young people in the NEET category has recently exceeded one million for the first time.

Universities UK said the Roadmap is intended to help universities respond by providing high-level skills, graduate talent and closer connections with employers.

UEA brings regional employer perspectives into national initiative

UEA contributed to the Future Jobs Roadmap after hosting a roundtable with regional business leaders during the spring.

Participants discussed how universities and employers could strengthen the local talent pipeline, support industries important to the regional economy and encourage more highly skilled graduates to establish their careers in East Anglia.

The discussions also explored how education providers can adapt learning opportunities to changing employer requirements and provide stronger career pathways between university and the workplace.

UEA said these regional perspectives have helped inform the national Roadmap.

University aligns courses more closely with employer needs

Professor Claire Pike, UEA’s Pro-Vice-Chancellor for Student Education and Experience, said the University welcomed the opportunity to contribute to the Roadmap alongside businesses from across the region.

She highlighted higher-level skills as an important factor in regional economic growth and prosperity and said UEA has a significant role in developing the talent required by both local and national employers.

UEA is continuing to align its courses and the skills students develop with changing business requirements.

The University is also expanding its portfolio of short courses aimed at upskilling people who are already in employment, extending its skills-development role beyond traditional undergraduate and postgraduate education.

Meaningful work-based learning targeted for all undergraduates by 2035

One of the principal commitments in the Future Jobs Roadmap is an ambition for every undergraduate to have access to meaningful work-based learning by 2035.

An interim milestone aims for 50% of undergraduates to have such access by 2030.

Work-based learning can help students develop practical experience, professional confidence and a clearer understanding of workplace expectations before graduation.

The Roadmap calls for universities and employers to work together to increase the availability and quality of these experiences.

AI skills to become a core part of undergraduate education

The Roadmap places a significant emphasis on preparing graduates for workplaces increasingly shaped by artificial intelligence.

It calls for AI tools to be accessible to every undergraduate student and proposes that every university course should include a lecturer designated as an “AI trailblazer.”

The objective is to ensure graduates do not simply understand AI technologies theoretically but are able to use them effectively and responsibly as they enter employment.

By embedding AI capabilities across a wide range of academic disciplines, the Roadmap aims to prepare graduates to become active contributors to technology adoption and innovation in the workplace.

Lifetime careers support proposed for graduates

Another major commitment is the introduction of a universal lifetime entitlement to careers support.

Under the Roadmap, graduates would have access to career guidance while studying and throughout their working lives.

The measure recognises that careers are increasingly likely to involve multiple roles, employers and industries, as well as periods of retraining and skills development.

Continued access to university careers expertise could help graduates respond to changes in technology, labour-market demand and professional requirements long after completing their degree.

Employer-designed learning and modular education to expand

The Roadmap also calls for greater use of employer co-designed learning, allowing businesses to contribute more directly to the development of educational programmes.

This approach is intended to ensure that students acquire both academic knowledge and skills that are relevant to real workplace requirements.

Universities are also encouraged to expand modular learning opportunities, creating more flexible routes for individuals who need to acquire specific skills without necessarily completing a traditional full-length degree programme.

This could be particularly important for employees seeking to retrain or upgrade their capabilities while remaining in work.

Regional graduate schemes could improve SME access to talent

Another proposal focuses on developing regional graduate schemes that connect graduates with small and medium-sized enterprises.

Smaller businesses can sometimes find it more difficult than large employers to recruit graduates or establish formal graduate programmes.

Regional schemes could help SMEs access university talent while giving graduates a wider range of career opportunities within their local economies.

For regions such as East Anglia, the approach could also contribute to retaining graduates after they complete their studies and strengthening local business growth.

Universities and employers seek simpler routes to collaboration

The Roadmap additionally calls for universities to make it easier for employers to engage with them.

Closer collaboration can cover areas including curriculum development, student placements, graduate recruitment, research, professional education and workforce upskilling.

UEA’s earlier roundtable demonstrated one model for creating direct dialogue between higher education and regional employers about future workforce requirements.

The University said such collaboration can help identify skills gaps earlier and ensure education and training provision develops alongside changing industry needs.

Universities UK calls for stronger preparation for changing economy

Professor Malcolm Press, President of Universities UK and Vice-Chancellor of Manchester Metropolitan University, said the Roadmap was developed after universities listened to employers about the challenges they face and the skills they require.

He said employers continue to value graduates and recognise their talent and potential, but universities need to do more to ensure students gain workplace experience and professional confidence.

Press added that universities want to work more closely with businesses, students and government to strengthen graduate opportunities and contribute to economic growth.

British Chambers of Commerce highlights practical and technical skills

Shevaun Haviland, Director General of the British Chambers of Commerce, said giving companies better access to graduates with appropriate technical and practical skills is essential to unlocking economic growth.

She said the Future Jobs Roadmap contains practical measures reflecting the needs being expressed by businesses and could benefit both employers and employees.

Haviland also highlighted the importance of closer university-business collaboration in helping students become workplace-ready.

She pointed to Chamber-led Local Skills Improvement Plans across England as another mechanism that can support stronger relationships between employers and education providers.

UEA positions skills development as driver of regional prosperity

UEA sees the Future Jobs Roadmap as closely aligned with its wider role in supporting the economy of East Anglia.

By developing graduate skills, expanding short-course provision and working directly with employers, the University aims to strengthen both the immediate employment prospects of its students and the longer-term capabilities of the regional workforce.

The Roadmap provides a national framework for these efforts while encouraging universities to maintain close relationships with the employers and communities they serve.

Media Contact:

communications@uea.ac.uk

SOURCE: University of East Anglia