The Higher Education Statistics Agency recently released employment records from 151 institutions, which revealed a large number of graduates, from top ranking universities in the UK, were struggling to find employment.

The data revealed all of the UK's best known universities failed to make it into the top ten for employment rates, with The London School of Economics actually among the worst, scoring tenth from bottom in a league table of employment chances, despite it being part of the elite Russell Group.

So why are businesses no longer wanting to employ graduates? Does a degree mean as much as it used to? What are businesses looking for in their employees?

The problem lies with the skills you are not taught at University - real life, real world, basic skills that can make all the difference in securing employment. We have been observing a growing disconnection between the skills graduates gain at university and the skills businesses expect their employees to have.

The businesses we work closely with have told us time and time again that graduates are not possessing the basic skills that are essential in the workplace, regardless of their academic achievements.

Today’s graduates are innovative, entrepreneurial and have great potential but the huge barrier to getting a job lies in their lack of experience and knowledge about the real world of business. A degree - however prestigious - does not teach you the practical skills to perform successfully in the world of work.

This is partly due to the fact that during university, the emphasis is focused on the intellectual theory rather than the basic practical skills. What grads need to get their foot on the career ladder are the skills to immediately be effective in their role and deliver brilliance from day one.

This in turn will make a good impression and help them take a step forward in their career.

Some of the most basic skills seem obvious, however more and more businesses are saying they do not see graduates possessing them. Take the following three skills for example:

Time management

This is a skill most recent graduates would have developed to a certain extent during their studies, once they’d realised they needed to find – or make – the time for their studies.

However, the real world of working 9-5 can be a shock to the system. And it’s not just about getting to work on time, once on the job they will be faced with managing daily work tasks in an effective and timely manner, without being told, a skill many graduates lack straight out of university.

They also need to take into account changing priorities, deadlines and managing those in positions above and below them – not just managing themselves.

Flexibility

The ability to adapt quickly and successfully to changing situations and, in the case of moving from the world of academia to the world of work, changing environments. You need to be able to learn on the go when entering the workplace as deadlines regularly move or briefs are amended last minute.

Grads need to have the tools and business acumen to know how to manage fast changing situations and potentially challenging people. Sadly, for too many graduates that change from university to work can prove to be so difficult it makes employers wonder why they took them on in the first place.

However, there are business skills which can be honed in advance of entering the workplace, which can set graduates up to succeed rather than fall short.

Verbal communication

Verbal communication is really important from the get go. As soon as they walk into the interview room, a graduate’s ability to articulate themselves clearly and effectively will make the difference between getting the job and not.

Being able to understand in advance what the interviewer is going to be looking for and the best way in which to communicate under pressure will help graduates to perform to their best ability and make that crucial first impression the best it can be.

These skills may seem basic in principle but they are hard to learn, especially on the job as there is little room for error. The best candidates – those that stand out and allow their potential to shine through – are those who show awareness, adaptability and are inquisitive.

Being business-savvy, even before they walk through the interview room door, is a huge advantage in today’s war for talent, but until more real life business skills are given to students, we will continue to see students finding it hard to get jobs, however prestigious their degree.

James Prior is founder of Flying Start XP.