UK businesses are dropping degree requirements for new staff and giving priority to candidates with specialised skills, research out today shows.
The share of vacancies that do not require applicants to have completed university rose 90 per cent last year, according to LinkedIn, the employment-focused social media platform.
Workers with attributes that allow them to perform specific functions are poised to be in higher demand among businesses over the next year.
LinkedIn said recruiters were five times more likely to seek recruits based on skills rather than qualifications. Four in five recruiters expect clients to adopt skills-first recruitment in the next 18 months.
Some of Britain’s biggest companies have loosened entry barriers, with IBM and Kellogg’s ditching degree-level qualifications as a necessity for certain jobs.
