HESA publishes first destinations data 1998/99

The fifth annual publication of the reference volume First Destinations of Students Leaving Higher Education Institutions 1998/99 is released today by HESA.

According to these most recent statistics available from HESA, 66% of higher education qualifiers whose destination was known entered employment in 1999, compared with 63% in 1998. A further 20% were continuing their education or training. The proportion of leavers assumed unemployed remained at 5%. Of the 158,521 UK domiciled qualifiers who entered employment, 36% were employed in ‘professional occupations’.

Other key points

• 19% of UK domiciled first degree graduates were reported to be undertaking further study or training.
• Over half of those obtaining qualifications at other undergraduate level were working in the health and social work sector – 91% of these held professional and technical positions.
• 7% of male and 4% of female UK domiciled postgraduate level qualifiers aged 25 and over were working overseas.
• Females were more likely to obtain employment than males, particularly at the other undergraduate level where 62% of home domiciled females were working in the UK compared with 39% of home domiciled males.
• Of the UK domiciled female first degree qualifiers who went on to further study or training, 52% were studying postgraduate diploma and certificate courses (such as PGCEs) or taking professional training.

Notes for editors

1. The Reference Volume First Destinations of Students Leaving Higher Education Institutions 1998/99 provides a statistical reference of the first destinations of students leaving Higher Education in the UK for 1998/99.
2. The HESA FDS Target Population 1998/99 includes all students obtaining relevant qualifications during the period 1 August 1998 and 31 July 1999, whose study was primarily full-time (which includes full-time and sandwich student modes plus those writing up theses).
3. There were 259,749 respondents to HESA’s First Destinations Return 1998/99 out of a possible 326,824, a response rate of 79.5%. This is lower than in 1997/98 due to data quality improvements which ensure that overseas students cannot by default be reported as returning overseas.
4. The Reference Volume is available, price £32, from the Customer Services Team, HESA Services Ltd., 95 Promenade, Cheltenham, GL50 1HZ; telephone: 01242 255577. An electronic version on disk is available, price £35 + VAT. A list of other publications is also available from the Customer Services Team.
5. HESA cannot accept responsibility for any inferences or conclusions derived from the data by third parties.
6. Press Enquiries should be directed to the Data Provision Team at HESA, 95 Promenade, Cheltenham, GL50 1HZ; telephone: 01242 211133. Other enquiries about HESA data should be addressed to the Data Provision Team at the same address.

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