HESA publishes student first destinations data

The third annual reference volume, First Destinations of Students Leaving Higher Education Institutions 1996/97, is published today by HESA.

According to HESA's latest publication, 62% of student qualifiers whose destination was known, entered employment in 1997, compared with 61% in 1996. A further 19% were continuing their education or training, while only 6% (14,800) were assumed to be unemployed; 6% among males compared with 5% of females.

Of all first degree graduates (113,900) who entered employment in the UK, 16% were classified as "Managers & Administrators", 30% as entering "Professional Occupations". 6% of first degree graduates were assumed unemployed, while 19% entered further study.

Other key points about UK domiciled qualifiers:

• First Degree qualifiers in Creative arts and design (11%) and librarianship and information science (10%) were most likely to be unemployed compared with medicine and dentistry (less than 0.5%) and veterinary science (2%).
• 43,823 qualifiers entered further study or training.
• Among Postgraduate qualifiers, 82% were reported as being employed in the UK, with only 4% reported unemployed.
• 4% of those entering employment are working overseas, 39% of those in the EU.
• 20% of first degree graduates entering work, did so in property development, renting, business & research activities.
• 75% of postgraduate qualifiers entered employment in "Professional Occupations".
• 74% of those entering full-time employment had permanent contracts or contracts ending after 30 September 1998.
• 54% of female first degree qualifiers who continued studying went onto study for postgraduate diplomas, including PGCEs, compared with 37% of men.
• Male first degree qualifiers are almost twice as likely than female (18% compared with 10%) to study for a higher degree by research.

Notes for editors

1. The Reference Volume First Destinations of Students Leaving Higher Education Institutions 1996/97 provides a statistical reference of the first destinations of students leaving Higher Education in the UK for 1996/97.
2. The HESA FDS Target Population 1996/97 includes all students obtaining relevant qualifications during the period 1 August 1996 and 31 July 1997, whose study was primarily full-time, (which includes full-time and sandwich student modes plus those writing up theses).
3. There were 264, 251 respondents to HESA's First Destinations Return 1996/97, out of a potential 317,597, a response rate of 83.2%. Whilst this response rate is high it should be noted that the 16.8% who were non-repondents are likely to be self-selected, which introduces an element of bias.
4. The Reference Volume is available, price £30, from the Customer Services Team, HESA Services Ltd., 18 Royal Crescent, 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 Press Officer at HESA, 95 Promenade, Cheltenham, GL50 1HZ; telephone: 01242 255577. Other enquiries about HESA data should be addressed to the Data Provision Team at the same address.

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