University degrees and the job market

Juan | Feb 09, 2026Feb 06, 2026

LESSON OVERVIEW

The main objectives of this lesson are to:

• engage in talking about university degrees and job market challenges;
• practise expressions for benefits, drawbacks and outcomes;
• watch part of a video about why graduates struggle to find work.

In this lesson, students discuss university degrees, share their opinions and experiences and watch a video excerpt (00:20–04:24) on why it is harder for graduates to find jobs. They talk about the value of degrees and skills in the job market and explore phrases for advantages, disadvantages and outcomes (e.g. overshadow any gains, tip the balance in someone’s favour, be hit-and-miss). They also discuss how some job market challenges could be addressed by institutions working together.

WARM-UP AND VIDEO

This lesson focuses on talking about university degrees and starts with a warm-up. Students look at different words (e.g. worthwhile, outdated, challenging), say which three they associate most with university degrees and explain why. After that, they discuss questions about their experiences and opinions related to formal education. Moving on, students discuss why it might be getting more difficult for university graduates to find a job. They then watch the first part of a video about it and compare their answers. Afterwards, students discuss questions about education trends and future careers. Next, they watch the second part of the video and take notes on the answers. Following that, students talk about the value of degrees and skills in the job market.

VOCABULARY AND DISCUSSION

In this part of the lesson, students continue talking about university degrees and different views on education and career paths. First, they complete the sentences and create phrases for advantages, disadvantages and outcomes (e.g. not worth the hassle, become clear in hindsight, boils down to). After that, students explain what the phrases mean. Moving on, they finish rewriting sentences about education and careers using the correct form of the expressions from the previous task. Finally, students discuss how some challenges (e.g. the rise of AI, the growing importance of soft skills) could be addressed by different institutions (e.g. universities, businesses, governments) working together. They use the target expressions from the lesson.

HOMEWORK/REVISION

This lesson also includes an additional task that you can use as homework or revision. In the task, students choose headlines and write short news stories. They use expressions for talking about university degrees. The task is available in the teacher’s version of the worksheet. You can print it and hand it out to your students. It’s also included in the e-lesson plan.

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