To evaluate the abilities, skills and expertise of undergraduates who participated in the UK‐based Shell Technology Enterprise Programme (STEP) and their suitability for prospective employment in small and medium‐sized enterprises (SMEs).
The authors employ a longitudinal postal survey approach, involving a sample of undergraduates who responded in 1994 and in 1997.
Evidence suggests that the STEP has enhanced the skills, expertise and credibility of graduates seeking employment in SMEs. Prospective employers consider the skills and experience gained by STEP graduates as an advantage.
The longitudinal data under investigation is relatively old, but not obsolete. A further investigation of the impact that the STEP had on the research sample is planned for the near future.
The result suggests that owners/managers of SMEs are increasingly seeking specific business‐related skills. Higher education institutes should proactively liaise with their local business communities to ensure that students gain a broad range of skills, as required by employers in this important and expanding sector of the British economy.
The authors adopt a human capital perspective on skill accumulation and its impact on the future of graduate employment.
