Statistics Information provision - first destinations data
Information Provision
First Destinations Data
Commonly requested First Destinations Fields
The information on this page relates to the First Destinations Supplement (FDS). The FDS survey was used between 1994/95 and 2001/02 to collect information on the activities of leavers from higher education.
From 2002/03 a new survey called Destinations of Leavers from Higher Education (DLHE) has replaced the FDS. More information on DLHE data from 2002/03 is available here. For more information about data for earlier years please read on.
Approximately six months after leaving HEIs, HESA collected a First Destinations Supplement (FDS) from qualifiers and leavers which provided information on their current activity or first destination. The first destinations data was collected as a supplement to the student data outlined here. As a result, we can link first destinations data to student data. Please note that first destinations data was not collected for all students leaving HEIs. Those included in first destinations data are:
- Students who obtained doctorates, masters, postgraduate bachelors degrees, PGCE’s, first degrees (excluding intercalated degrees), Diploma of Higher Education, Certificate of Higher Education, HND or HNC.
- Those who studied on a full-time or sandwich basis, or those writing-up.
- Those who study at least part of the programme of study within the UK.
Commonly requested fields
Main outcome
Location of main outcome
Nature of study/training
Reasons not available for employment
Employment only:
Mode of employment
Employment category
Duration of employment
Standard Industrial Classification (SIC)
Standard Occupational Classification (SOC)
Main outcome
Main outcome provides detail on the leavers' main destination as follows:
- Paid full-time employment in the UK, Paid part-time employment in the UK, Self-employed in the UK, Unpaid employment in the UK, Employment overseas, Other employment in the UK (category and mode not reported), Undertaking study or training, Not available for employment or training, Assumed to be unemployed, Others.
Location of main outcome
Please note that data on the location of main outcome is only collected for those students who enter employment or further study.
Data relating to the location of main outcome is supplied to HESA in the form of postcodes (UK locations) or country codes. Postcodes are mapped to counties and unitary authorities and UK nations. Overseas country codes are also supplied to HESA. As a result, data can be supplied:
- By country in the UK.
- By region: North East, North West, Yorkshire and the Humber, East Midlands, West Midlands, East, London, South East, South West, Wales, Scotland, Northern Ireland, Channel Islands and the Isle of Man, .
- By county/unitary authority.
- By local authority district and ward.
Non-UK location of main outcome:
- By continent.
- By country.
Nature of study/training (of those undertaking further study/training)
- Higher degree by research, Higher degree (taught), Diploma or Certificate (including PGCE) or professional training course, First degree course, Private study, Other study or training.
Not available for employment (of those not available)
- Travelling, Pregnancy/maternity/paternity/caring for a dependent, Age, Health, Death, Other.
Data relating only to those entering employment:
- Full-time, Part-time.
Employment category
- Paid, Unpaid (including voluntary work).
Duration of employment
For 2001/02 the aggregations would be (with equivalents for each successive academic year):
- Terminates in the period up to 31 March 2003, Terminates between 1 April and 30 September 2003, Terminates after 30 September 2003/Not a fixed term employment.
Standard Industrial Classification (SIC)
The Standard Industrial Classification (SIC) of economic activities provides a framework for the collection, tabulation, presentation and analysis of data about economic activities. The present version (SIC(92)) is aligned with similar classifications in all member states of the European Union and is obligatory in all cases where the UK is required to transmit statistics broken down by economic activity to the European Commission.
Listing of Standard Industrial Classifications.
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Standard Occupational Classification (SOC)
To identify the occupations entered by students, HESA uses the Standard Occupational Classification (SOC) which was developed as an interdepartmental standard for coding occupational information in official survey and census sources, and to facilitate the job matching/placing activities of the Employment Service.
An expanded version of the SOC has been created for the coding of occupational information contained in the survey of first destinations of qualifiers from higher education
institutions.
Listing of Standard Occupational Classifications used by HESA.
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