New research presented today by the Council for Industry and Higher Education (CIHE) found that international businesses are increasingly seeking graduates who have a global awareness, particularly those who have the initiative to study overseas as part of their learning.

Graduates who have studied abroad tend to be more culturally aware, able to work in multicultural teams and move around the world as part of their career. But UK graduates are less competitive in the international job market as they are now less likely to study overseas than they used to.

The report – Global Horizons and the Role of Employers – calls for better support from universities and funding bodies to help UK students gain experience of studying abroad.

It also urges companies to offer more work placements and internships to international students and the government to establish visa and work permit regulations that allow the UK to become the preferred worldwide location for globally mobile students and businesses recruiting globally for talent.

A survey of international graduates as part of the report, showed they think they are more likely to have higher paid jobs at more senior positions and spend less time seeking those jobs either than UK graduates or those in their home country who did not travel to the UK.

Richard Brown, chief executive of the CIHE, said: "The UK can be the preferred worldwide location for mobile students and global recruiters.

"Businesses consider that the UK develops some of the best graduates in the world. But our home-grown ones need to get that wider global perspective."

"Universities could help by developing more partnerships with overseas universities that involve more student and staff exchanges," he added.

Launching the report, Keith Dugdale, director of global recruitment at KPMG, said: "KPMG like many other UK firms recruits globally. We want the best wherever they may be.

"The UK develops some great talent. It attracts some of the best from around the world. We will recruit that talent but to remain competitive we want to see more UK graduates developing a global perspective through international experience.

"They will have to work with global clients and mix with a range of people from different cultures. They have to be at home with cultural differences."

Will Archer, director of i-graduate, which undertook the survey of over 15,000 graduates, said: "This research is a wake-up call for students and parents. You'll get further in life if you travel overseas to study or gain work experience.

"In today's turbulent times it is more important than ever for every graduate to demonstrate an international dimension to their thinking, and there is no better way to demonstrate this than to study or work for a period overseas."

But he added that universities need to engage with former students and understand where they are in their careers.

"Graduates of all ages can play a vital part in providing role models and careers connections for students ... but only if their institution remains relevant and connected to them," he said.

Pat Killingley, director of higher education at the British Council, which contributed to the CIHE report, said work had already started on encouraging more UK students to spend short and longer periods of study overseas.

"Helping our students to become more internationally mobile is a vital part of efforts to boost their career prospects and also a critical issue in our work to maintain the UK's worldwide reputation for top quality education," she said.

"[Our research] shows that employment and work experience opportunities are increasingly important to international students.

"We want them to think of the UK as a place where these opportunities exist and where real efforts are being made to make them more abundant."

The higher education minister, David Lammy, said the report's findings confirmed the world-class status of the UK's university sector.

He said: "I am also pleased that international graduates know that they get good value and great jobs following their study here. But these very welcome messages must be communicated more effectively to global businesses and to students thinking of coming here to study.

"We must also get the message to our own students that they need to take advantage of the various schemes available to study or take work placements overseas like our very successful China summer school scheme."

Source: http://www.guardian.co.uk/education/2008/oct/16/students-highereducation