DLHE Longitudinal Survey Catherine Benfield HESA

Background First survey Second survey – including results The future?

Destinations of Leavers from Higher Education (DLHE) Developed for 2002/03 leavers to replace old FDS survey Two-stage approach agreed Census survey at 6 months Sample survey 3 years later

Early survey Census survey Contact 6 months after completion of studies Standard questionnaire and methodology but…. …. survey managed and administered locally in institutions 80% response rate target Mixed methodology of online, postal and telephone

Longitudinal survey Sample survey Contact three and a half years after graduation Questionnaire has ‘look and feel’ of early DLHE Survey managed, funded and administered centrally 40% response rate target Mixed methodology of online, postal and telephone

Pilot conclusions It was feasible to undertake a survey and achieve a reasonable response rate A mixed contact approach would be needed, as used for Early DLHE Indicative costs provided Should still be an element of piloting in first survey Snapshot version for the majority of graduates, use the long (with activity grid) version for others No incentives

The first survey Contract to manage the survey awarded to IFF Research Field work took place between 27 November 2006 and 18 March 2007 Response rate achieved was 40% of the original sample, 44% of the contactable sample The response rates by mode of contact (based on the numbers with that type of contact detail) were 21% for the online survey, 20% for the postal survey, and 30% for the telephone survey The total sample achieved was 24,800

First survey (cont.) Survey results published in November 2007 Institutions were provided with data for their own graduates for local use No institution level data was published nationally as sample sizes did not support it

Decisions made following the first survey were… A second DLHE Longitudinal survey would take place two years later in 2008 IFF Research would again manage the survey A decision about the long-term future of the survey would take place after that

Second survey Sample of the 2004/05 graduating cohort surveyed (71,389 graduates surveyed - 22% of those who responded to the early survey) –All post-graduate research leavers and foundation degree leavers were sampled –Graduates from ethnic-minority groups were over sampled –Higher percentages of graduates from institutions outside England were sampled –Higher percentages of graduates originally domiciled outside England were sampled

Second survey (cont.) A link to the online version of the survey was sent to all others in the cohort for whom an address was available (an extra 89,500) Additional questions were added to the questionnaire for those who left with a PhD or research-based Masters A “value for money” question was added for all respondents

Response patterns

Outcomes Analysis of the responses from the two samples concluded that it was appropriate to combine these to produce a single dataset Hence a total of 41,397 responses are available for analysis HESA report published on 3 September and available to download from the HESA website Institutional Long DLHE contacts were ed with links to: –The report –Additional more detailed tables (otherwise available to buy) –A small number of institution level tables for your own institution –A small pivot table of data for your own institution IFF have also provided institutions with their own dataset as previously

Results

Percentage of full-time degree leavers in work, study or assumed unemployed

UK domiciled leavers by mode of study, level of qualification and occupation type

UK domiciled leavers by activity at the Early Survey stage and activity at the Longitudinal Survey stage

UK domiciled leavers employed in the UK by country of HEI and country of employment

UK domiciled leavers 2004/05 who entered full- time UK employment by salary band and satisfaction with career to date

UK domiciled full-time leavers 2004/05 who entered further study by qualification aim and gender

Percentages of UK domiciled full-time first degree leavers’ in employment, further study or both at each survey by subject area

The future?