HESA Collections
Frequently asked questions for HE leavers 2012/13 survey
Version 1.0 2016-09-13
What is the Destinations of Leavers from Higher Education (DLHE) Survey about?
The Destinations of Leavers from Higher Education (DLHE) Survey is a survey of leavers from Higher Education (HE). It investigates the early career patterns of HE leavers by finding out about what they are doing on particular dates.
The survey is conducted in two parts. The first stage, or Early Survey, asks all leavers what they are doing six months after they qualified from their HE course. It is carried out by HE providers (universities and colleges) who try to contact all recent leavers six months after leaving. The data collected by institutions is returned to HESA. This data is used to prepare statistics about the destinations of leavers from Higher Education.
This FAQ relates to the second stage survey that looks at the destinations of leavers up to three and a half years after they left their HE provider. This Longitudinal Survey invites all those who completed the Early Survey to take part in the follow-up.
The Longitudinal Survey is conducted every two years. The current Longitudinal Survey is taking place over the winter of 2016/17 and leavers from the 2012/13 cohort will be invited to take part.
How did I get to be invited to take part in the follow-up survey?
When you took part in the first stage of the DLHE Survey approximately six months after you left your HE provider you will have been informed about potentially being a part of the second stage of the survey, the follow-up, three years later.
You will also have been informed that you could opt-out of being part of the follow-up by contacting your HE provider either at the time of the Early Survey or at any point between the Early Survey and the time that the follow-up would take place (three years later).
This information was made available to you by way of the letter or email that accompanied the Early Survey, or by the telephone interviewer who conducted the Early Survey.
Only those who completed and returned an Early Survey questionnaire and did not opt out of the follow-up are invited to take part in the Longitudinal Survey. The aim of the Longitudinal DLHE Survey is to find out about the activities of as many leavers from Higher Education as possible to provide a greater understanding of their activities approximately three and a half years after leaving higher education.
Who is carrying out the Longitudinal DLHE survey?
IFF Research will manage and administer the survey centrally on behalf of HESA who already collects information from HE providers about their students.
In preparation, IFF Research will contact leavers, introducing themselves and to provide further information about what will be involved.
You will be able to contact IFF Research with any queries at any time during the survey.
For more information about HESA please see the About pages on the HESA website.
Why are my contact details needed?
The HE provider you attended will provide IFF Research with your contact details so that they can contact you in order to invite you to take part in the Longitudinal DLHE survey.
The contact details provided to IFF Research will be the latest held by your HE provider (e.g. alumni office or equivalent). IFF Research will not use these details to contact you about anything else without your permission. The survey includes a question asking if you are willing to be included in further surveys. If you do not want to take part in further surveys IFF Research will destroy your contact details once the survey is complete.
If your contact details have changed, or you provide updated details to IFF Research, these can be passed back to your HE provider to update its records if you give your permission for this. Your HE provider will only contact you about your response to this survey if you give permission for them to do so.
The contact details passed from your HE provider to IFF Research may include your postal address, telephone number(s) and/or email address.
How will the HE provider I attended use the information I provide?
The DLHE Survey results will help your HE provider to review and promote courses and to give current and prospective students an insight into career destinations and development.
You will be asked whether you give permission for your HE provider to contact you in relation to the information you provide in the survey. Some HE providers may wish, for example, to invite alumni to careers events, or to give guest lectures. By default, it will be assumed that you do not wish to be contacted in this manner.
How else will the survey data be used?
The Destinations of Leavers from Higher Education Longitudinal Survey (LDLHE) Collection Notice describes the organisations who receive the survey data and the purposes for which it is used. With the exception of your own HE provider (with your permission, as described above) your survey responses will not be used to make decisions about you.
How can I get more information?
More information about HESA's data protection policy can be found on the data protection section of the HESA website.
If you have any other questions about HESA and data protection, please contact HESA's Data Protection Officer:
Email: [email protected]
Tel: 01242 211135
Address: HESA, 95 Promenade, Cheltenham, GL50 1HZ
Under the Data Protection Act 1998 you are entitled to know what information we hold about you. To make a Subject Access Request you will need to complete a Subject Access Request Form, pay a £10 fee, and provide proof of your identity. To receive a Subject Access Request Form please email the address above with 'Subject Access Request' in the subject line. You can also use any of the other contact details.
Contact Liaison by email or on +44 (0)1242 388 531.