Destinations of Leavers from Higher Education Longitudinal survey
The Destinations of Leavers from Higher Education Longitudinal survey captures information about the activities and perspectives of graduates three and a half years after they completed their studies. The following report analyses the 107,340 responses we received to the winter 2016/17 survey which contacted 2012/13 leavers.
Overview
Table 1 and Chart 1 provide a summary of the activity of leavers at the time of the longitudinal survey.
Table 1 - Destinations of UK and other EU domiciled leavers by level of qualification obtained, domicile, activity and year
Table 1 shows that around three-quarters of the sample were found to be in full-time paid employment, which is in line with what we find in previous years. It is worth noting, however, that a greater proportion of those who obtained an ‘other undergraduate’ qualification are in part-time work when compared to those who completed a postgraduate or first degree. A distinction can also be made between the pathways of first degree leavers from the UK and other parts of the EU, with UK domiciled individuals far less likely to move into further study.
While there is a wide variation in employment rates by subject area (see Tables 2 and 3 and Chart 2), this is often driven by differential rates of movement into further study. For instance, a higher percentage of those who studied subjects such as Biological sciences and Physical sciences have continued in education, whereas individuals from Education and Engineering & technology have predominantly moved into work.
Table 2 - Destinations of UK and other EU domiciled leavers by subject area, activity and year
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Table 3 - Destinations of UK domiciled leavers 2012/13 by level of qualification obtained, mode of study, subject area and activity
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This year, we have provided a breakdown of the activity being pursued after three and a half years by the provider at which the leaver studied (Table 4). Table 4 also allows the statistics to be viewed by mission group, specialist group and region of HE provider. The most specialist HE providers are defined as those for which at least sixty percent of students (using total full-time equivalence) are spread across two main disciplines (using HESA cost centres). The specialist group also includes a breakdown by high, medium and low tariff groups for those providers who haven’t been identified as specialist. Please see definitions for further details.
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Table 4 - Destinations of UK and other EU domiciled leavers 2012/13 by level of qualification obtained, activity and HE provider
Table 5 and Chart 3 provide information on destinations by key demographic characteristics. While males and females have similar work rates overall, females are far more likely to be working part-time. Employment rates are, however, lower among black and minority ethnic groups, as well as those known to have a disability.
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Table 5 - Destinations of UK and other EU domiciled leavers 2012/13 by level of qualification obtained, domicile, mode of study, sex and activity
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Table 6 reveals a general pattern between unemployment rates and degree classification, with lower unemployment rates seen among those with higher attainment.
Table 6 - Destinations of UK domiciled leavers who obtained first degrees 2012/13 by mode of study, sex, class of first degree and activity
Table 7 and Chart 4 compare the activity of individuals after six months (when they responded to our early Destinations of Leavers from Higher Education survey) with their activities after three and a half years. We can see that quite a large proportion who began in part-time work do move into full-time work. Yet, nearly ten percent of individuals who were unemployed at the time of the first survey remain so three years later.
Table 7 - Destinations of UK domiciled leavers 2012/13 by level of qualification obtained, mode of study and activity at early survey
Chart 4 - Activities of UK domiciled leavers from higher education six months and three and a half years after leaving
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