GRADUATES from Scotland's academy of performing arts are the most employable in Scotland.

New figures show the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland is the best in the country for graduate employability - and fourth in the UK.

More than 99 per cent of graduates from the conservatoire are in employment or further education six months after graduating.

Robert Gordon University, in Aberdeen, has the second highest employability in Scotland with 97.6 per cent of students securing a job or further study.

Professor Jeffrey Sharkey, principal of the conservatoire, said graduates made a lasting impact across the globe in their specialist fields.

He said: "The conservatoire is the only place in Europe where you can study all of the performing arts on the one campus and our innovative, multi-disciplinary curriculum equips students with the skills, knowledge and experience to enable them to flourish in the professional world.

“Scotland’s national conservatoire is already recognised as one of the most distinctive institutions of its kind in the world and this latest endorsement further cements our status as a national and international centre of excellence for the performing arts.”

David Lott, deputy director of Universities Scotland, said the overall figures showed Scottish universities were leading the way in the UK.

He said: "Of all students who graduated last year, some 95.3 per cent were in employment or further study which is higher than the UK average and a real testament to the time and energy our institutions are investing in employability and ensuring that graduates are ready for the world of work.

"Taken together with recent data revealing that graduates from Scottish universities earn more on average than graduates from elsewhere in the UK, these results demonstrate that our graduates can look forward to very successful careers after their studies."