Both of Reading’s universities have some of the best rates of post-graduation employment in the country.

People studying at either Thames Valley University or The University of Reading certainly are not work-shy.

On average, considering figures from both universities, more than 95 per cent of graduates are either employed or in further study within six months of biding farewell to their undergraduate days.

The Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA) compared data taken from a survey, which looks at the destinations of graduates six months after leaving higher education against employment performance indicators for all universities across the UK.

An impressive 95.8 per cent of University of Reading graduates – more than nine out of every 10 students – found employment quickly.

That is better than many of Britain’s so-called ‘Russell group’ of universities, considered to include some of the UK’s 20 strongest establishments.

‘Russell’ universities with lower employment than The University of Reading included Oxford and Cambridge.

Thames Valley University had an employment rate of 94.8 per cent, higher than other institutions including The University of York and The University of Bath.

But Thames Valley University’s major plus point was how far it had exceeded its ‘benchmark’ score.

The benchmark score states the percentage of students who should be employed considering the university’s individual characteristics, such as student profile and subject mix.

Thames Valley University’s benchmark score, according to HESA, was 89.8 per cent.

The Kings Road college managed to exceed this – the widest margin of any university in Britain (excluding specialist institutions).

Reading’s benchmark score was 94.6 per cent, a single percentage less than what it managed to achieve.

Thames Valley University vice-chancellor Professor Peter John said: “Our vision is to be the foremost employer engagement university in the country and these new figures, supported by our outstanding employer and industry links, show that we are well on the way to achieving this.

“At Thames Valley University we believe in helping students learn from work, learn for work and learn in work and we will continue to prepare students for their future careers from the moment they set foot in the door to the moment they leave.”

The university’s director of policy and external communications Andrew Ward added: “All of our programmes are applied, and we have good links with employers.

“We encourage students to think about careers right from the beginning.

“Thames Valley University’s success in these tables proves that our strategic policy of being a business-facing university is not mere hyperbole or rhetoric.”

http://www.getreading.co.uk/news/education/s/2033123_top_employment_marks_for_our_unis_