Many UK graduates are currently unsuitable for the world of work and need to learn further skills to boost their employability, the results of a new poll have indicated.

A study commissioned by the Young Enterprise charity suggests that young people could benefit from learning a skill, which they could achieve on a gap year away, to set them apart from other candidates and boost their attractiveness to top employers.

Ian Smith, the charity's chairman, told the Daily Mail that many British bosses were forced to hire foreign workers as a result of the lack of skills among British graduates

"The situation is getting worse because the Department for Education is adopting an alarmingly narrow focus on academic skills and exams," he added.

The research suggests that graduates or people thinking about university could significantly boost their chances of recruitment by focusing on a skill which could benefit them in their new career.

Recently, Karen Martin, marketing communications manager for Admissions & Student Recruitment at the University of Dundee, said that people who learn a skill on a gap year will find that this can help them significantly when it comes to applying for university.