HPDI study: 51 per cent of Romanian managers believe that university studies helped them get a good job

According to a recent study conducted by HPDI (Human Performance Development International), surveying Romanian managers on the impact of their university studies along the professional careers, 51 per cent of the respondents consider that the faculty, through internships and access opportunities to the internship programs, helped them find a job. At the same time, 55 per cent of the study participants believe that the accumulated knowledge in the faculty did not play a decisive role in their career. However, 77 per cent of those surveyed do not think that higher education institutions are obsolete. The HPDI analysis was conducted within a period of two months, surveying 5,800 managers with positions in companies from fields such as: banking, IT, pharmaceutical, medical, production, FMCG, etc.

“We have long planned to do a research to find out what the Romanian employees think about the Romanian education system and what they think about the role that the university grades have in their current career. Do they feel that the faculty has prepared them to meet the demands of a satisfactory job? Do they think that finishing college really helped them in the profession? Are higher education institutions in Romania a stage that needs to be checked and whether the knowledge accumulated here is of major importance in the career? These are some questions that we have been asking ourselves for some time, due to the nature of our daily relationship with people, whether we are talking about team building, training or coaching sessions,” explains Petru Pacuraru, founder of HPDI.

Among the conclusions of the study, some pointed at:

• the need to introduce more hours of practice and courses conducted by experienced people
• organizing regular meetings between students and professionals who lead market leading companies in the fields for which future graduates are preparing;
• updating the information delivered to the current demands on the labor market, the current program being outdated;
• intensify collaborations with various organizations, institutions or companies, to create more opportunities for internship programs or internships;
• orientation to individual skills and personal development, as well as the introduction of financial education as a compulsory subject;
• empowering and guiding young people through involvement in social activities and coaching programs.

“The results of this study clearly highlight the need for practical information in the universities. Many believe that a higher education institution has helped them in their careers, not so much through the accumulated knowledge, but through the opportunity of internship programs. Many of the managers who answered our questions confessed that they felt the lack of focus on soft skills, that is those skills that are related to the ability of communication, cooperation, creativity, qualities that employers in all fields are increasingly looking for. In conclusion, among the major shortcomings of the faculties, at present, the lack of orientation towards the human being, the identification of the individual capacities and the personal development, as well as the lack of adaptation to the socio-economic realities awaiting the new graduates have been identified,” Petre Păcuraru says.

The results of the HPDI research come in the context of the PISA 2018 tests, where Romania has scored the lowest in the past 9 years. This assessment points to the level of preparation of 15-year-old students in mathematics, science and reading. According to the PISA test, the percentage of functional illiteracy in Romania is 44 per cent, up from 2015.

HPDI (Human Performance Development International) is a top 3 company in the local market for training, team building and human resources consulting. The company was founded in 2001 by Petru Păcuraru and currently has over 30 employees and collaborators. Since its inception, HPDI has benefited from the support and know-how of Jim Bagnola, one of the world’s leading consultants and authors, a trainer for international companies in different industries (from oil to trade), international (NATO) and governmental bodies (NASA, US Department of State). Over time, HPDI has collaborated with over 200 of the largest companies active in the local market, including: Raiffeisen, Legrand, BCR, Continental, Hutchinson, Dacia, GTS, Oracle, Oriflame, Honeywell, Hutchinson, BCR, Unicredit etc. For more information, please visit our website at: https://www.hpdi.ro.

HPDI (Human Performance Development International) is a top three company in the local market for training, team building and human resources consulting. The company was founded in 2001 by Petru Pacuraru and currently has over 30 employees and collaborators. Since its inception, HPDI has benefited from the support and know-how of Jim Bagnola, one of the world’s leading consultants and authors, a trainer for international companies in different industries (from oil to trade), international (NATO) and governmental bodies (NASA, US Department of State). Over time, HPDI has collaborated with over 200 of the largest companies active in the local market, including: Raiffeisen, Legrand, BCR, Continental, Hutchinson, Dacia, GTS, Oracle, Oriflame, Honeywell, Hutchinson, BCR, Unicredit.