1. Futuretrack: Part time students learning alongside employment Prof Claire Callender Birkbeck and the Institute of Education, University of London and David Wilkinson National Institute of Economic and Social Research, London HECSU Futuretrack Conference, 7 November 2012

2. Aims of research To collect data and investigate –students career intentions and ambitions; –students career development/learning and decision- making –the employment and training outcomes for part-time students; –the views of employers of part-time students; and –sources of student financial support. 2

3. Futuretrack: Part-time WAVE 1 2007/08 3,704 part-time students drawn from 29 UK HEIs WAVE 1 1,876 1 st year students Surveyed in 2008 WAVE 2 2010/11 261 3 rd year students Surveyed in 2010 WAVE 1 1,828 final year students Surveyed in 2008 WAVE 2 2010/11 1,021 graduates - two years on Surveyed in 2010

4. The part-time student journey: survey data at 4 points in time 1 st year students Wave 1 3 rd year students Wave 2 Final Year students Wave 1 Graduates: 2 years on Wave 2

5. Does part-time HE study help meet the skills and employability agenda?

6. Skill acquisition which does not enhance employability, earnings, labour market progression or which does not bring other economic and social returns, is a waste of public and private resources. (UKCES, 2010 p.109).

7. Skills acquisition, utilisation and development

8. Did students and graduates use the skills they learnt on their course in their job? 8

9. What skills did students and graduates learn on their course that they use in their job?

10. Labour market progression and earnings

11. Did students and graduates change jobs? 11

12. Did students and graduates get a pay rise or promotion as a direct result of their course? 12

13. Which graduates were most likely to get a pay rise and to improve their prospects? 13

14. Other economic returns to part-time study – changes to students and graduates working lives and attitudes to work

15. Did students and graduates working lives change as a direct result of their course?

16. Which graduates were most likely to experience changes in their working lives? 16

17. Social returns to part-time study – changes to students and graduates non-work aspects of their lives

18. Did students and graduates non- working lives change as a direct result of their course?

19. Which graduates were most likely to believe their course helped me develop as a person

20. Skill acquisition which does not enhance employability, earnings, labour market progression or which does not bring other economic and social returns, is a waste of public and private resources. (UKCES, 2010 p.109).