Companies value international experience
Every second private company would prefer an employee with international experience on their CV according to a new study.
The study examines private employers' views of graduates' competences and relevant international experience.
– If given the choice between two equally qualified candidates, more than half of companies would choose the applicant who had experience from abroad. Only one per cent would choose an applicant that had not been abroad. It clearly shows that companies value graduates with an international outlook and the courage to leave the safety-net of Denmark and perfect their skills abroad, says Higher Education Minister Morten Østergaard.
When recruiting new employees, a third of companies stressed the importance of studying or taking an internship abroad.
More than 70 per cent of companies questioned view an international outlook and cross-cultural understanding as important qualities and 50 per cent predicted that international experience will have even greater meaning for recruitment in the future.
Larger companies in particular, place emphasis on job applicants having completed part of their studies abroad.
More and more Danish students are choosing to study or take an internship abroad as part of their study programme. The latest figures for Danish students heading abroad via the Erasmus programme show an increase of nearly 15 per cent for 2010/2011 compared to the previous education year.
– Internationalisation is the path to growth and prosperity for Denmark and good introduction to the labour market for the individual student. Therefore, going abroad must be a completely natural part of education. The Government will soon produce its internationalisation strategy and European countries have recently adopted a joint strategy for creating better conditions for mobility in Europe. In 2020, 20 per cent of European graduates must have either studied or taken an internship abroad. My long-term vision is for all students to have an international element to their education, says Morten Østergaard.
"Undersøgelse af private arbejdsgiveres syn på færdiguddannedes kompetencer og studierelevante udlandsophold" (The study of private employers' views on graduates' competences and relevant international experience – in Danish only) has been carried out in cooperation between the Danish Chamber of Commerce, the Confederation of Danish Industry, the Council for Internationalisation and the Danish Agency for Universities and Internationalisation.
334 private companies participated in the study.
For further information please contact:
Press officer Ingeborg Nielsen, tel: +45 2211 0200
The Danish Agency for Universities and Internationalisation, Chief Adviser Jacob Fuchs, tel: +45 7231 8630
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