10/01 - February
Dear Colleague
2008/09 HESA Destinations of Leavers from HE (DLHE) Data Collection (Ref C08018)
This Circular contains links to documents and further guidance that are required for the C08018 data collection. Institutions are therefore requested to review the information contained in the following documents:
C08018
Methodology
Timescales for data
collection
Check
documentation
Validation kit
HESA
data collection system help
Previously announced changes to the DLHE Record for 2008/09
Institutions should ensure that they refer to the most recent version of the C08018 Coding manual. Institutions have previously been advised of all changes to the coding manual and these are also listed in C08018 Revision history and C08018 Release notes.
Response rates
Institutions are further reminded of the target response rates for the DLHE survey, namely:
80% for UK-domiciled
(i.e. home) leavers who previously studied full-time;
70% for UK-domiciled leavers who studied part-time;
50% for all other EU students;
80% for Research Council funded students.
All institutions are expected to meet, or exceed, these thresholds for the 2008/09 survey. The funding bodies have indicated that they are very concerned that some institutions are consistently falling significantly below this requirement. In particular HEFCE wrote to all institutions on the 23 December 2009 reminding them of their obligations in respect of response rates. The funding bodies are currently considering what actions they will take where response rates are below the target figures for any of the populations; these may include contracting out further follow-up work at the institution's expense, or suppression of publication of data.
Using CASCOT to code SIC2007
When using the CASCOT coding tool to code to SIC2007 in Field 65 a valid code from the Standard Industrial Classification for DLHE SIC2007-4Digit-Untuned should be chosen, i.e. from the CASCOT menu choose SIC2007-4Digit-Untuned and not the (SIC(DLHE)) version of SIC.
Access and PIN codes
HESA places a great deal of importance on the security of the systems that process HESA data. Following a review of security mechanisms that support the HESA Data Collection System (known as "Aardvark") the Agency has introduced some changes to the user registration process which are now being implemented across the various streams of data collection. In the past record contacts at institutions used an emailed Access Code to create accounts and/or add new permissions to existing accounts.
From now on, in addition to the Access Code, users will also need a PIN code to create new accounts and/or add permissions to existing accounts. The PIN code will be distributed by letter a few days in advance of the Access Codes that will continue to be distributed by email. Both the Access Code emails and the PIN letters are sent to the nominated DLHE Record contact at institutions. It is therefore imperative that any changes to contact details are notified to HESA immediately by contacting Institutional Liaison.
Key deadlines
The timetable for submission remains as operated in previous years. The data collection system will open at the beginning of March. Institutions are reminded of the need to start interacting with the data collection system early, in order to allow sufficient time for the necessary data quality checking.
Institutions are required to send complete data that has passed first stage validation to HESA by 31 March 2010 and complete data that has passed COMMIT stage validation to HESA by 9 April 2010.
The data quality checking period is 9 April to 7 May 2010. During this time institutions are required to review the management information reports generated to assess data quality and resubmit data in order to resolve any data quality issues.
In order to meet obligations for hand-over of data to its statutory customers, HESA needs to receive all data files by 7 May 2010; this is also the date by which HESA requires the return to be verified (signed-off) by the head of the institution, or by someone with suitable delegated authority.
Sign-off procedure
The procedure described below is designed to increase awareness of the importance of the verification (sign-off) stage as an integral part of making the return; sign-off completes the data collection process.
It is required that the sign-off slip for this return be completed by the head of the reporting institution, or by a person with suitable authority. To assist in this process, once HESA has reviewed submitted data and this data has been deemed credible, an automated email will be sent to the head of the institution; the sign-off slip will be attached to this email.
The deadline for completion and return of the DLHE data collection sign-off slip is 7 May 2010.
Post-collection amendments to HESA return (Fixed database)
The Fixed database process is separate from the main data collection and will only be available to an institution on the explicit instruction of the appropriate statutory customer, e.g. Funding Council. Furthermore, statutory customers will only approve specific changes to the collection and so institutions will need to get approval for every field they wish to change. Institutions should also be aware that onward use of information, for example in HESA publications, or for TQI, will be based on the original data collected and not on any amended data. This is because the availability of the Fixed database necessarily extends well beyond the publication date of information.
The agreements with statutory customers provide for HESA making a charge to institutions for use of the Fixed database. It has been agreed that for the DLHE data stream this charge is set at 20% of the institution's annual subscription, subject to a cap of £7,000.
Who to contact during data collection
If you have any queries on the issues raised in this Circular, please contact the Institutional Liaison team at HESA, or email (liaison@hesa.ac.uk).
Yours sincerely
C. Jane Wild
Director of Operations
