More than 1,000 members of the Chartered Management Institute (CMI) were surveyed on their work with business schools, revealing that links between the two groups were often poor.

As well as finding that relatively few employers would take on business school graduates as first-time managers, the survey also found that nearly a third said that they could not see a business case for working with universities.

Only 22 per cent offered business school students job placements or internships, yet nearly nine in 10 said that such experience would make business school graduates more employable.

¡°Employers do not naturally look to business schools as their preferred source of interns or permanent recruits,¡± according to a summary of the report, 21st century leaders: building practice into the curriculum to boost employability, launched yesterday in partnership with the Association of Business Schools (ABS).

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Almost half of surveyed employers did not know whether their local business school was well connected with firms in the area. However, nearly half used business schools to train up their existing staff.

Ann Francke, chief executive of the CMI, said: ¡°Stronger collaboration between business schools, employers and professional bodies will result in a better generation of leaders and also help lay the groundwork for greater innovation, management capability, and growth.

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¡°It¡¯s a win-win situation because employers get professionally trained, practically-skilled managers who can deliver results from day one ¨C while graduates boost their career and progression prospects and universities improve student satisfaction, attracting more and better candidates.¡±

The findings come after 20 business schools were last week awarded a new type of accolade for their work with start-ups and small- and medium-sized enterprises.

The Small Business Charter Awards, supported by the ABS and the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills, judges business schools on criteria including whether they offer useful advice to local firms and whether they offer their students placements in smaller companies.

The 20 schools given the award at a ceremony at 10 Downing Street on 5 June were:

-?????? Aston 51¹ú²úÊÓƵ, Aston Business School

-?????? Coventry 51¹ú²úÊÓƵ, Coventry Business School

-?????? Edinburgh Napier 51¹ú²úÊÓƵ, Business School

-?????? Kingston 51¹ú²úÊÓƵ, Kingston Business School

-?????? Lancaster 51¹ú²úÊÓƵ Management School

-?????? Loughborough 51¹ú²úÊÓƵ, School of Business and Economics

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-?????? Manchester Metropolitan 51¹ú²úÊÓƵ, Business School

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-?????? Nottingham Trent 51¹ú²úÊÓƵ, Nottingham Business School

-?????? Southampton Solent 51¹ú²úÊÓƵ, Faculty of Business, Sport and Enterprise

-?????? 51¹ú²úÊÓƵ College London, department of management science and innovation

-?????? 51¹ú²úÊÓƵ of Birmingham, Birmingham Business School

-?????? 51¹ú²úÊÓƵ of Leeds, Leeds 51¹ú²úÊÓƵ Business

-?????? 51¹ú²úÊÓƵ of Leicester, School of Management

-?????? 51¹ú²úÊÓƵ of Liverpool Management School

-?????? 51¹ú²úÊÓƵ of Northampton Business School

-?????? 51¹ú²úÊÓƵ of Nottingham, Nottingham 51¹ú²úÊÓƵ Business School

-?????? 51¹ú²úÊÓƵ of Salford, Salford Business School

-?????? 51¹ú²úÊÓƵ of Strathclyde, Strathclyde Business School

-?????? 51¹ú²úÊÓƵ of the West of England, Bristol Business School

-???????51¹ú²úÊÓƵ of Wolverhampton Business School

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david.matthews@tsleducation.com