The Higher Education Careers Services Unit (HECSU) What do graduates do? Jen Redman: HECSU Researcher

HECSU and Graduate Prospects HECSU is An independent charity specialising in higher education and graduate employment research Supporting careers advisory services Provide pre- and post- HE careers information and guidance Our research is used to inform outputs of Graduate Prospects Graduate Prospects is HECSU’s commercial arm Gift aids commercially generated revenue to the charity Provides a comprehensive portfolio of student-facing publications and resources

HECSU’s sources of information HECSU produce reports and publications which include information to help you inform students and graduates about motivations to study, graduate employment, and postgraduate study. Research projects: Futuretrack Futuretrack: part-time students Real Prospects Publications: What do graduates do? Graduate Market Trend Go to for more resources

Options with your subject We work with Graduate Prospects and AGCAS to provide information about graduate destinations to students and graduates. Content included with permission from AGCAS and Graduate Prospects

What do graduates do? ,165 first degrees were awarded to UK-domiciled graduates in 2012 Most graduates (73.7%) were working six months after leaving university 55.6% working full-time, 14.2% part-time Top professional and managerial jobs include: Nurses, medical practitioners, primary & nursery teachers, marketing associate professionals, programmers & software developers Unemployment was 8.5% 13% went into further study, 2 in 5 were studying a Masters and 55.4% were self-funded Data taken from HESA’s Destinations of Leavers from Higher Education 2011/12 survey (2013)

Graduates from the North West 35,389 first degree graduates were living in the North West before university Data taken from HESA’s Destinations of Leavers from Higher Education 2011/12 survey (2013)

Graduates from the North West Three in five (22,085) North West graduates graduated from an institution in the North West Type of institution% Highest tariff universities19.5% High tariff universities12.5% Medium tariff universities55.1% Lower tariff universities9.7% Other HEIs3.2% Data taken from HESA’s Destinations of Leavers from Higher Education 2011/12 survey (2013)

Graduates from the North West Which subjects did North West graduates study? Subject group% Business & administrative studies11.3% Creative arts & design10.9% Subjects allied to medicine10.9% Biological sciences10.4% Social studies9.6% Education5.9% Mathematical & computer sciences5.2% Law4.8% Linguistics, classics and related subjects4.8% Historical & philosophical studies4.8% At the bottom of the table Veterinary sciences, agriculture and related subjects 0.9% Technology0.8% Top ten subjects studied Nursing Design studies Psychology Business studies English studies Training teachers Social work History by period Law by topic Data taken from HESA’s Destinations of Leavers from Higher Education 2011/12 survey (2013)

Graduates from the North West Outcomes six months after graduation Working full-time in the UK………… % Working part-time in the UK………………… % In further study, training or research… % Unemployed, including those due to start work…8.6% Working and studying………….………… % Other……………….…………………….…… % Working overseas……………… % TYPE OF COURSE FOR THOSE IN FURTHER STUDY Masters degree 40.8% Postgraduate qualification in education 22.9% Doctorate 11.6% Professional qualification 10.4% Other study, training or research 8.1% Other postgraduate diplomas 6.2% Total number of graduates in further study 3235 Data taken from HESA’s Destinations of Leavers from Higher Education 2011/12 survey (2013)

Graduates from the North West 19,965 North West graduates were working in the UK these are the types of work they were doing (includes working full- and part-time and working and studying) Data taken from HESA’s Destinations of Leavers from Higher Education 2011/12 survey (2013)

Graduates from the North West When you look at the top professional and managerial jobs that North West graduates in the UK were doing six months after graduation in 2012, the top five feature most of the same jobs as for all first degree graduates Top ten professional and managerial jobs for North West graduates Nurses Primary and nursery teachers Medical practitioners Marketing associate professionals Pharmacists Top ten professional and managerial jobs for all graduates Nurses Medical practitioners Primary and nursery teachers Marketing associate professionals Programmers and software developers Data taken from HESA’s Destinations of Leavers from Higher Education 2011/12 survey (2013)

Graduates from the North West Where do those in employment in the UK work across the regions? Data taken from HESA’s Destinations of Leavers from Higher Education 2011/12 survey (2013)

Be careful when answering questions such as: What subject will give me the best chance of employment? You might answer this just by looking at the employment rates but… Looking at the % of graduates in employment or unemployment six months after graduation won’t tell the whole story... Example one: Law Low unemployment 7.1% Low employment 46.7% Example two: Journalism High unemployment 11.3% High employment 77.0% Outcomes inform incomes Data taken from HESA’s Destinations of Leavers from Higher Education 2011/12 survey (2013) Context is important! 29.3% of law graduates are in further study – 88.7% were studying law Journalism is a difficult industry to break into and obtain full- time paid work

Uses and limitations of LMI DHLE data can tell us about: outcomes of graduates six months after graduation examples of the types of jobs graduates do what subjects they go on to study DHLE data can’t tell us: future trends of graduate employment why graduates are doing these activities plans graduates have for the future Good things about DLHE data: A census Up to date Access to information about how it is collected is easily available

It is better to be a graduate than not Although there have been many changes to the labour market in recent years, it is still better to be a graduate than not… Better employment rates: 4.7% of year olds with a university degree were unemployed compared to 8.2% of people the same age with Level 3 qualifications (OECD, Education at a Glance 2013) Better salary prospects: Men with degrees earn on average 20% more than men with 2+ A levels, the benefit for women is slightly higher at 31% (Walker and Zhu, 2011) It is estimated that the total benefit from a degree during a working lifetime is around £120,000 for men and £82,000 for women (BIS, 2011) Although recent graduates earn around the same as non-graduates at the age of 21, graduate salaries increase at a steeper rate and have a higher peak at a later stage than non-graduates (ONS, 2013)

It is better to be a graduate than not Source: Office for National Statistics, Graduates in the Labour Market 2013 – UK Labour Force Survey More flexibility in the labour market:

If the entry level, medium skilled jobs are reducing in number and therefore reducing the steps into higher professions for recent graduates, work experience whilst at university will become more important. BIS report on Work Experience – using Futuretrack data Graduates who had done no work experience had higher unemployment rates (14.9%) Those who did either work-based learning or paid-only work experience had much better employment rates (only 7.1% and 9.2% respectively) Those who had done both work-based and paid-only work during university had an unemployment rate of just 6.1% The work experience advantage BIS (2013) Learning from Futuretrack: the impact of work experiences on higher education outcomes, BIS Research paper 143, London, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills.

Looking to the future We use a number of sources when we are looking at how the labour market will change in the short-term UKCES (2012) Working Futures – uses sophisticated methods to forecast trends in the UK Growth expected in the managerial, professional and associate professional jobs and lower skilled jobs Jobs which require degree level skills are growing slower than the growth in the number of graduates Decline in the number of administrative and secretarial jobs is already impacting on recent graduates as they are seen as opportunities to gain contacts and progress to other jobs, particularly in the public sector

We can’t predict the future! No amount of historical data can tell prospective students what the labour market will be like 3 to 4 years in advance of them graduating… But…with a degree a person has the adaptability to be successful in the labour market have the qualification and skills to access higher-skilled jobs the chance to earn more in their working lifetime We need to remember that Many future graduates will work in jobs we don’t yet have names for, for companies that don’t yet exist, using technology that hasn’t yet been invented

Thank you for listening For more information about HECSU see Jen Redman: HECSU Researcher Tel: