This chapter is in two sections. The first section takes you through labour market information, labour market intelligence and labour market experience. It explains what each of the terms mean, and how all of them can work together to support you in focusing your jobsearch.
The second section is much longer, because it takes you through what real graduates actually went on to do in the first six months after completing their first degree. You won’t work through the whole of this section, just focus in on your own subject discipline to see what people who did the same degree as you went on to do in their careers.
SECTION ONE
What is labour market information (LMI)?
Confusingly enough, LMI can stand for two things, both of them important for any jobseeker which includes, of course, the graduate jobseeker. LMI can refer either to labour market information, or to labour market intelligence. Labour here means simply to do with work, and Market here describes the interactions between employers who need labour (or workers, to put it another way) and employees (those who can supply that labour or undertake that work). For graduates, LMI is collected by subject discipline. So you can look at what graduates from a particular discipline actually went on to do once they had graduated. This chapter works through the arguments for making use of LMI, and then looks in turn at what graduates from 27 different degree disciplines went on to do.
Labour market information means everything to do with employers and workers. This includes statistical information on vacancies, redundancies, people moving in and out of unemployment and people moving in and out of employment.
Why do you need to know about LMI?
This may all seem rather technical and you may well be wondering why you need to know anything at all about LMI when all you want to do is get started on your brilliant career. Well, the reason you need to know about LMI is because you live in a world that responds to the inevitable flux and changes within the labour market and particularly within the graduate labour market. If you are blissfully unaware that demand is changing you may well be trying to chase a kind of job that simply no longer exists. You might then start to think that this is all your fault, that you’ll never find your way through the labour market. However, if you know that the market is changing, you know that you need to adapt to the new reality. Also, if you can be clear about what exactly the demand is for, you can tailor your jobsearch to the jobs that are actually on offer right now, rather than chasing jobs that exist only in your dreams or in the memories of others who haven’t kept up with how the job market has changed since their day – which could mean only a few years rather than decades ago.
If you understand what is happening in the graduate labour market, you can be smarter in your jobsearch.
Points of entry and points of leverage in the labour market
The two concepts of knowing where jobs are and knowing when to move in or out of a job or sector are also key elements of moving into and through the job market. Moving in being the ‘point of entry’ and moving on being the ‘point of leverage’. Knowing that you have amassed skills that are in demand and that therefore the time is right either to take any job now or to move on from that entry-level job is also important. Thus, understanding the labour market means that you are making informed decisions and that you have some sense of direction in the real world.
Point of entry means the first job you do to get into a particular area of the labour market. This could mean the graduate labour market, or the arts profession labour market or the labour market in Merseyside.
Point of leverage means that you have skills, knowledge, experience and know-how, which are in demand in the labour market, so you can use them to move from one job to another, or one occupational sector to another, normally to secure what you consider to be a better job.
Broaden your jobsearch horizons
Understanding the labour market can also help you to broaden your horizons: you will come across occupational sectors and jobs that you may not even have heard of, and you will see that people with a degree like yours have gone on to do a whole range of graduate jobs that you may never have considered. Thus, knowing what is happening in the job market will give you the courage to expand the range of jobs you are prepared to consider. It allows you to envisage yourself working in an occupational sector quite different from the one your original, limited outlook pointed you to. By keeping more options open, you increase your chances of securing graduate employment – even when more people are chasing fewer jobs. So now let’s look at what you need to know to make sense of the labour market.
How LMI is collected
Quantitative and qualitative data
Labour market information simply means data collected on work; and includes data on job vacancies, employment, unemployment and employees. Labour market information can be either qualitative or quantitative.
Quantitative LMI is statistical and is often gathered by conducting a survey or taking a sample which is representative and can, therefore, reliably be generalised to offer conclusions. Quantitative LMI is often referred to as ‘hard’ data. It can be presented in spreadsheets or tables, or can be depicted as charts, graphs or maps.
Qualitative data are often gathered using research techniques such as focus groups or interviews, which can be in person or (in the case of interviews) done by phone. Qualitative data can be presented as case study or illustration. Filmed interviews of people talking about their experience of work can give you a powerful insight and real sense of immediacy (have a look at www.careersbox.co.uk). These approaches yield rich data, which can enhance our understanding of what the statistics seem to be telling us.
Geographical and sectoral territories
LMI is normally collected by territory. Territory can mean a geographical area, so LMI can be collected at a local, regional, national, European or even global level. Territory can also be defined by the kind of work that is done or by the kind of worker that does it, so we can collect statistical data by occupational sector, or by what kind of employers or by what kind of job. For these last two, there are agreed classifications so that comparisons can be easily made. The Employer classification is called the Standard Industrial Classification (SIC) and the Job classification is the Standard Occupational Classification (SOC).
Interrogating the data
Although it is tempting to take this kind of LMI at face value and trust it implicitly, the quality of the data can’t be taken for granted and you need to be an intelligent consumer – more of which later. It can also be presented in reports that might be specialist by authorship (e.g. written by economists), specialist by readership (e.g. aimed at graduate jobseekers) or generalist (e.g. written by journalists and published in a newspaper for general readership).
Labour market intelligence
Labour market intelligence refers to the outcome of analysing labour market information, so it simply means taking the data (whether statistical, anecdotal or a combination of the two) and critically analysing them. Sometimes the data or the facts can simply ‘speak for themselves’ and there is no need to do anything more than present them, preferably in an accessible way. Other times it is helpful to look for what these data could be telling us: and so the analyst (or writer or presenter) tries to look for meaning in them. Obviously, meaning can be very subjective: the analysis might seek to present the data in the best possible light perhaps to encourage a slow job market, or to downplay emerging problems. We should also remember that statistics themselves are subjective: what is collected, from what sample population, at what time and for what purpose are just some of the parameters that are not given automatically but set for each individual survey or report. In fact, all labour market information and all labour market intelligence will have in it somewhere some element of subjectivity; so long as you are aware of this, you can approach LMI as an intelligent consumer, making your own mind up about what is presented to you, and deciding for yourself whether it is illuminating or helpful to you in your particular circumstances.
Labour market intelligence consists of either quantitative or qualitative data, or a combination of the two. It is often presented as statistics, tables or graphs. It may also include some written analysis or commentary which explains what the data show.
Labour market experience
Sometimes, labour market information can be anecdotal, where one person recounts a particular experience (their own or that of someone else). This can also be referred to as labour market experience. Anecdotal information can be very helpful in giving us a way into the statistical data, or offering a picture of lived experience. Getting a sense of what a particular job feels like to someone who has done it can really enhance the statistical data, and give us a much fuller understanding of what the data tell us, which is why we have used case studies throughout the book and why we suggest you have a look at some online films where people talk about their own experience of jobs within occupational sectors. However, there is a danger in generalising from anecdotal information: of assuming that because one person had a bad experience of a job then everybody will have an equally bad experience of that job. To generalise from anecdotal information is inappropriate: we can generalise only from data that are robust enough to sustain that process.
Labour market experience draws on the individual story. It offers powerful insight into what it feels like to do a given job, but can’t be used for generalisation.
How to be an intelligent consumer of LMI
Part of your training as a graduate is to challenge what is taken for granted, to inquire and to reach your own conclusions. This applies equally to how you should approach LMI. There are a few key tests that you should run through when you come across labour market information in whatever form it is presented to you. Whether that’s information from an employer, a newspaper report on what’s happening to graduates in the job market, or what someone you know says about unemployment, job opportunities or transferable skills. The three key tests are for: currency, validity and fitness for purpose.
Currency: how up to date is the information?
If written or published, even if the article is pretty fresh, is there a date given for the data set that has been used as the base for the article? If someone is talking about an experience, how far back does it go? And how old do you think things have to be before they are questionable in their relevance to the here and now? Have things in the sector you are looking at changed much over the last few years or stayed pretty stable? Do you have a feel for the currency of the data: is it past its sell-by date or still fit for consumption? Although you need to go back several years (even decades) to identify a trend and, although there is, inevitably, a time lag between data collection and its publication, we wouldn’t expect information to be much more than a couple of years old.
Validity: how reliable is the information?
Is the source reliable – and do you actually know what the source of the information is? If it is in print, does the article quote or refer to the source of the original data? If online, can you identify who either the author or the source is? Could there be any advantage for them in presenting a particular perspective – perhaps to back up a point they want to make or to present something in a good light? Could there be any ‘spin’ on this? Look at any footnotes – check if they explain any rounding up of figures or acknowledge that things have been left out. Omissions can be perfectly legitimate and even necessary (for example, when a sample size is too small to be of statistical significance), but this should be made clear. Is there any sense of presenting competing perspectives or alternative interpretations, or is the commentary rather fixed in its views?
Is the LMI fit for purpose?
Does the information or article tell you something you need to know? Is it helpful to you in getting you to think afresh? Perhaps it has helped you to examine what you yourself have taken for granted or assumed to be the case without really knowing what the basis for your assumptions is and therefore your own take on the issue. Look at the sample size and the composition of the sample: does it make sense to you? Ultimately, the question here is whether the LMI is relevant to you and what you are trying to do in the labour market. It may not seem immediately relevant; you may have to run these quick tests to work out if it helps you, or not.
Intelligent consumers check labour market information by asking these questions before taking action.
| • Currency | Is this information sufficiently up to date? |
| • Validity | Is it reliable: is the source noted somewhere? |
| • Relevance | Is it telling me anything new or something I need to know? |
It doesn’t matter in what order you apply the tests and, to some extent, it doesn’t even matter how rigorously you apply them. What matters is that you consider the LMI in front of you, you do your best to make sense of it, you interrogate your superficial impressions and you make an informed decision whether or not to take this particular nugget of LMI into account as you navigate your way into or around the graduate labour market.
How do we know what graduates actually do on completion of their degree?
Destinations of Leavers from Higher Education Institutions (DLHE)
One source of LMI passes all three of the key tests outlined here and we are going to make extensive use of it in this chapter. It is the annual DLHE report or, to give it its full title, Destinations of Leavers from Higher Education Institutions. The Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA) collects information on what graduates are doing six months after completion of an undergraduate or foundation degree. First destinations cover: employment; training; further study, or a combination of these. They also include: working overseas; not being available for employment; being unemployed or presumed to be unemployed.
Who is included in the data collection?
Data are collected from students who are domiciled in the UK and the EU: they don’t include overseas students who are not normally resident in the UK. Students are invited to respond, via questionnaire, in the winter following the summer in which they graduated, which means that someone who graduated in Summer 2014 responds in December 2014. The destination data are published the following summer; so the responses of the class of 2014 are published as raw data in July 2015. The Higher Education Careers Services Unit (HECSU) and the Education Liaison Task Group of the Association of Graduate Careers Advisory Services (AGCAS) then work together with Prospects to write What do graduates do? (WDGD). This is published annually in November. The most recent edition of WDGD, which uses data from those who graduated in the summer of 2014, was published in November 2015: this is the edition we have used.
What kind of jobs do graduates do?
Where students report that they are in employment, they are asked to give some more detail on the kind of job they are doing and the kind of employer they are working for. This allows the data to be classified for easy comparison across occupation and across sector. The DLHE data and the WDGD report give us a pretty accurate snapshot of what graduates go into as their first destination.
Look at what other graduates with your degree have gone on to do and note where they have moved into an occupational sector that might seem far removed from the subject area you are studying. Remember that you are developing thinking, competence and transferable skills, so you can move around the labour market. Widening your jobsearch increases the number of jobs you can consider, thus increasing your chance of securing graduate employment.
Increase the sample size by completing your own DLHE data request
It is worth adding here that, the more respondents there are, the more comprehensive the sample set is. So if you are reading this as a final-year undergraduate, please respond to the questionnaire when you receive it a few months after your own graduation.
Not every degree subject is included in WDGD
WDGD is certainly pretty comprehensive in its coverage of undergraduate degrees. Some degree titles are grouped into a broader discipline category, for example Women’s Studies is included in Sociology, and War Studies is included in History. For HND Foundation degrees, there is no distinction by discipline; rather the analysis is of the whole cohort of students who completed their Foundation degree or HND in that year, irrespective of the subject they studied. Data for biomedical degrees (Medicine, Nursing, Anatomy, Physiology and Pathology, Pharmacology, Toxicology and Pharmacy, Occupational Therapy, Physiotherapy and Teaching degrees) are published separately and can be accessed on the Graduate Prospects website (www.prospects.ac.uk).
Limitations of the DLHE survey
Although the destination data are very useful, the first destination survey does have its limitations. For example, we don’t know why graduates choose these particular paths or went into these particular jobs. Nor do we know how long they are going to stay in their first destination. A graduate can be working in a bar every night, whilst making applications and going for job interviews all day, every day. Overnight, their employment status changes category: from ‘Retail, catering, waiting and bar staff’ to ‘Legal, social and welfare professionals’, but their first destination on graduating will, forever, be bar work. Also, in a sense, the report is backward looking: it tells us what has happened, but can’t forecast how things might be in the future. Obviously, we can identify changes and, if those changes are consistent over a few years, we can even identify trends, which helps us make sense of what has happened, and can alert us to things changing in the future. But the DLHE survey doesn’t pretend to be anything more than a clear snapshot of the first destination of UK domiciled students six months after they graduate.
Ensure you access current data
Although general trends are not likely to change significantly year on year, it is nevertheless important to check for currency. As there is inevitably a time lag between data collection and their analysis, publications can become dated and are regularly superseded. Online sources are more easily updated than printed versions, so do follow the leads below if you want to be sure you are up to the minute.
Graduate Prospects
This is the best point of reference for graduates, because that is what it specialises in and is set up to do. It addresses final-year undergraduates in particular, so don’t just bookmark it – consult it.
UK Commission for Employment and Skills
Signposts expert and up-to-date articles on sector changes and general trends including, but not limited to, graduate entry.
Office for National Statistics (ONS)
Publishes a wide range of official statistics for the United Kingdom, including reports on the labour market in general, not just the graduate labour market. It also produces a regular bulletin called Intelligence. This includes analytical comment including, but not restricted to, the labour market. You can sign up for alerts when the latest edition is published.
Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings (ASHE)
This is also published by ONS. It gives overall population and trend data, which is helpful when you want to put graduate information in context against the wider, more general, labour market.
- LMI can mean labour market information, i.e. data.
- LMI can mean labour market intelligence, i.e. data plus analysis.
- Labour market experience reflects lived experience of a particular job, and it can illuminate what the data tell us.
- Use your critical faculties when you come across LMI.
- Look at your own degree subject as well as some others.
- Point of entry means your first graduate job.
- Point of leverage is job changing once you have competencies.
SECTION 2
What do graduates do?
The next part follows the sequence used by WDGD, which comprises six broad categories of undergraduate study, plus all Foundation degree subjects. The groupings are as follows:
- Science (Biology; Chemistry; Physical and Geographical Sciences; Physics; and Sports Science).
- Mathematics, Computer Science and IT.
- Engineering and Building Management (Architecture and Building; Civil Engineering; Electrical and Electronic Engineering; and Mechanical Engineering).
- Social Sciences (Economics; Geography; Law; Politics; Psychology; and Sociology).
- Arts, Creative Arts and Humanities (Fine Arts; Design; English; History; Media Studies; Languages; and Performing Arts).
- Business and Administrative Studies (Finance and Accountancy; Business and Management; Hospitality, Leisure, Tourism and Transport; and Marketing).
- HND Foundation degrees (all subjects studied at this level).
These broad categories are then broken down into degree subject. For example, Science comprises: Biology; Chemistry; Environmental; Physical Geographical & Terrestrial Sciences; Physics; and finally Sports Science. These headings in turn embrace quite a range of specialisms in congruent areas of study. Chemistry, for example, lists Inorganic Chemistry, Petrochemical Chemistry and Crystallography, to name but 3 of the 21 titles included.
For every degree subject, we start by setting out the Range of degree courses included. For some, the range of degrees is relatively limited, e.g. Accountancy. For others, the range is considerable, e.g. Performing Arts. For most subjects, it is really interesting to see the multiple perspectives that are possible within an over-arching subject area.
We then go on to report on the Response rate and destination percentages, so you can see how many students actually responded and, of these, what percentages went into employment, combined work and study, or went on to study in the UK or overseas. The categories also include the percentage of graduates unemployed at that point in time. The category ‘other’ covers those taking time out from the labour market, e.g. to travel. We always present these in the same order for ease of comparison. Graduates who combine working with studying are counted in both ‘employment’ and ‘study’ percentages, because they legitimately belong in each category. Therefore, the percentages do not necessarily add up to one hundred.
Finally, we look at What occupational sectors did they go for? where we drill into what kind of employment respondents from that discipline went on to do. This gives you a sense of what jobs were taken up, and what employers were recruiting. There are only a handful of examples for a response size of thousands, but it does help to illustrate the statistical data. Please note that, where necessary, we have followed the convention of rounding percentages up or down to one decimal point, because it makes the numbers a little easier to read. This means that sometimes the totals (for example, of the destination percentages) are slightly more or less than 100 per cent. Obviously, this doesn’t alter the overall picture of what graduates do.
In a handful of cases, the total number of respondents is greater than the sum of female and male respondents. This can happen where someone sends a response, but doesn’t specify their gender. Obviously, it is important to include such responses in the sample, although that does throw up this anomaly.
How to use this section
You can use this section to see what other people, doing the same kind of degree as you, have gone on to do. This can reassure you that you are not on your own in your chosen field. Or it can challenge and inspire you to think more widely in your jobsearch. It can also help you to counteract some of the uninformed advice (no doubt well-intentioned) that may be putting you off track. The most important benefit of this section is that you will end up better informed about labour market information in relation to your current field of study.
Do
check out what people on your degree course have actually gone on to do;
think about broadening your jobsearch to include jobs you haven’t thought about or maybe hadn’t heard of before;
think about points of entry and then points of leverage.
Don’t
rely on what other people remember from their day: things change, particularly in labour markets;
worry that your job isn’t a graduate or professional job; you can learn a great deal and use that for leverage;
despair at gloomy headlines: graduates are still in demand and are still being employed, even if it takes time and effort.
1 Science
Five subject areas are included within Science, namely: Biology; Chemistry; Physical and Geographical Sciences; Physics; and Sports Science. Biology has more female than male students with Physics the reverse: here males outnumber females by around 3:1. Sports Science is by far the biggest by student numbers. Physics, by contrast, is the smallest by student number. Sports Science also has the highest proportion of students going into employment, and Physics the highest proportion of students going on to higher degrees.
‘I completed my undergraduate degree in Sport and Exercise Sciences. The department put a strong emphasis on how the theory we are taught can be and currently is being used within applied settings, by actively encouraging students to get their “hands dirty” and get out into the applied setting to get as much applied experience as possible. Several internships and placements were on offer for willing students to get involved in. I’m now employed as a performance analyst at a county cricket club and am enjoying working within one of my favoured sports, and learning how performance analysis is perceived and used within cricket. I think that my placements at Warrington, Liverpool FC and Stoke City FC and the skills and experience I have gained made my CV stand out. I would advise students to follow the advice I was given and get their “hands dirty” in as much applied experience as possible.’
Stuart, BSc (Hons) Sport and Exercise Sciences
1.1 Biology
Range
Biology degrees include specialisms within the discipline, such as Cell, Reproductive, Population Biology and Biometry. There are specialisms by context such as Freshwater, Marine Biology and Parasitology. Applied Biology, of course, and also Applied Cell Biology. Biodiversity and Ecology are also here.
Response rate and destination percentages
A total of 4,550 graduates responded, 80.8% of graduates in these disciplines. There were 2,650 female and 1,900 male respondents. Of these graduates, 53.2% were in UK employment, with a further 1.8% in overseas employment. 5.8% were combining work with studying. Added together, that makes 55% in employment. A total of 25.2% went on to study for a higher degree, which included PhD Biological Sciences, MSc Clinical Science and MRes Physiology and 11.7% progressed to a Postgraduate Qualification in Education, with another 8.6% taking on other further study. The total percentage of students studying was 25.2%, which is rather higher than the average across all degree disciplines. A further 6.0% came into the ‘other’ category, leaving 8.0% reporting unemployed.
What occupational sectors did they go for?
Of the employed graduates, 7.3% secured work as science professionals, including jobs such as a scientific officer with a banknote printer. Of course, many scientific research jobs will demand a higher degree, which is, in part, why a higher proportion of Biology students progress to higher education compared with all graduates. A further 16.3% went into other professional jobs, including business analyst with an energy company. Health professional jobs account for 1.9% of these graduates, and education professionals for another 4.3%, jobs here including Science teachers. Business and finance professionals absorbed 8.5% and included assistant tax adviser. Another 9.1% went into clerical and secretarial occupations, and 10.5% into other occupations. Retail, catering, waiting and bar staff took 20.2% of employed graduates.
1.2 Chemistry
Range
The range of Chemistry degrees reflects orientation within the discipline, including: Analytical; Biomolecular; Polymer; Structural; and Organic Chemistry. Degree title can also reflect application and/or sector, such as: Pharmaceutical; Petrochemical; Medicinal; Industrial and Colour Chemistry.
Response rate and destination percentages
A total of 3,005 graduates responded, 84.8% of graduates in these disciplines. There were 1,255 female and 1,750 male respondents. Of these graduates, 51.3% were in UK employment, with a further 1.4% in overseas employment. A total of 4.3% were combining work with studying. Added together, that makes 52.7% in employment. 31.1% went on to further study, which included MPhil/PhD Detection of Biological Warfare Agents, and 13% progressed to a Postgraduate Qualification in Education, with 4.5% taking on other further study. A further 4.5% came into the ‘other’ category, leaving 7.4% reporting unemployed.
What occupational sectors did they go for?
Roughly equal percentages of these Chemistry graduates went into two professional domains: 18.4% are classified as scientific, research, analysis and development professionals, and 19.0% as other professional and technical. The scientific professional jobs included pharmaceutical analyst in a laboratory. Then follows a tail of professional destinations: business and finance professionals claimed 14.6%, education professionals 5.3%, marketing, sales and administration took 6.1%, engineering professionals 2.7%, health and associate professionals 1.1%. 9.1% went into retail, catering, waiting and bar staff, with jobs here including visual merchandiser with Debenhams. Management jobs in commercial and public services accounted for 3.1%. Other occupations absorb 6.8%.
1.3 Physical and Geographical Sciences
Range
This section encompasses an interesting range of related scientific disciplines including: Physical and Maritime Geography, Geomorphology, Cartography and Geographical Information Systems, Meteorology, Climatology and Pollution Control.
Response rate and destination percentages
A total of 3,050 graduates responded, 81.6% of graduates in these disciplines. There were 1,440 female and 1,610 male respondents. Of these graduates, 58.1% were in UK employment, with a further 2.7% in overseas employment. A total of 5.9% were combining work with studying. Added together, that makes 60.8% in employment. 19.8% went on to further study, which included MSc Environmental Business Management and MBA Construction and Real Estate. A surprising 25% of those opting for further study progressed to postgraduate qualifications in education. A further 7.4% came into the ‘other’ category, leaving 6.1% reporting unemployed.
What occupational sectors did they go for?
The biggest single destination was retail, catering, waiting and bar staff with 18.6% of all employed graduates from these disciplines. Other occupations accounted for a further 10.8% and other clerical occupations for 10.4%. The professional destinations did show the relevance of the discipline, as 12.6% went into other professions. Scientific professionals absorbed only 1.4% but included catastrophe analyst with an insurance company. Engineering professionals was of greater significance with 4.4% and 15.2% secured professional jobs in business and finance, including financial assistant for a County Council.
1.4 Physics
Range
With very few exceptions (Acoustics, Electromagnetism and Quantum Mechanics) the degrees included here have Physics firmly in the title: Maths and Theoretical Physics, Quantum and Computational Physics. The descriptor may well relate to the orientation by sector: Engineering, Chemical, Medical, Optical and Environmental Physics, for example.
Response rate and destination percentages
A total of 2,295 graduates responded, 84.3% of graduates in these disciplines. There were 495 female and 1,800 male respondents, putting the gender balance firmly with male students. Of these graduates, 44.9% were in UK employment, with a further 1.1% in overseas employment. Another 5.8% were combining work with studying. Added together, that makes 46% in employment. Overall, a lower proportion of students went on to study: 34.7% in all. Of these an impressive 80% progressed to higher degrees including PhD Astrophysics and MSc Physics. Of those in further study, 11.1% were taking teaching qualifications. A further 5.3% came into the ‘other’ category, leaving 8.2% believed to be unemployed.
What occupational sectors did they go for?
In terms of professional destinations, business and finance takes the greatest percentage, with 18.9%. Jobs here include tax professional with HMRC and analyst for Accenture. Scientific and engineering professions absorb 6.0% and 9.1% respectively, and include RAF officer and development engineer with Rolls Royce. Information technology and education professions take 18.9% and 7.4% respectively. Marketing, sales and advertising professionals account for 4.8% and arts, design, and media professionals a further 1.9%. Commercial and public service managers claimed 3.1%. Retail, catering, waiting and bar staff absorbed 7.5%.
1.5 Sports Science
Range
The range in Sports Science is not wide. It includes Exercise Science, Science in Health, Exercise and Sport and then a cluster of titles which indicate the application in practice: Conditioning, Development, Therapy and Rehabilitation.
Response rate and destination percentages
This is the biggest student body within the Science division, with a total of 8,630 graduates responding, 79.1% of graduates in these disciplines. There were 2,925 female and 5,705 male respondents. A high proportion, 67.6% of these graduates, were in UK employment, with a further 1.8% in overseas employment. A total of 7.6% were combining work with studying. Added together, that makes an impressive 69.4% in employment. A figure of 13.9% went on to further study, which included higher degrees in MSc Sports Performance and MSc Biomechanics. Of these, 39.3% progressed to teaching qualifications. A total of 4.7% came into the ‘other’ category, leaving only 4.3% reporting unemployed – an impressively low proportion.
What occupational sectors did they go for?
Sports jobs are dispersed across several occupational categories: 22.5% in other professions; 11.5% in childcare, health and education occupations; and 11.1% in other occupations. 8.5% went into education professions. There then follows a flurry of small percentages: 4.8% to health professions, 5.5% to business and finance professions, 4.8% to marketing, PR and sales professions. Although still modest, 4.5% went into commercial and public service management. Finally, 15.5% went into retail, catering, waiting and bar work, including customer assistant with Debenhams.
2 Mathematics, IT and Computing
There are two subject areas included in this short section. Mathematics stands alone, followed by Computer Science and IT. Both disciplines have more male than female students. In Maths the male to female ratio is not that much, certainly less than 2:1. But in Computer Science and IT the difference is very noticeable, nearer 5:1. For Maths students, the percentage going on to higher study is well above average. It is noticeable for Computing graduates that the vast majority of graduates secure professional jobs in IT.
‘Maths is my passion: I really enjoyed my course, which taught me so much. I was also able to develop many other useful skills during my studies including communication, time management and organisation. As part of my course I got involved in a recycling project at a housing trust. I gained a lot of experience about the environment and associated issues. It also gave me an insight into full-time working and the pressures that go with it. I successfully gained a job working as a research assistant for an innovations company, which I really enjoy.’
Jo, BSc (Hons) Mathematics
2.1 Mathematics
Range
The range of degrees included is narrow. It includes Pure, Applied, Engineering and Industrial Mathematics, Mathematical Modelling, Numerical Method and Numerical Analysis.
Response rate and destination percentages
A total of 5,195 graduates responded, 82.9% of graduates in these disciplines. There were 2,100 female and 3,095 male respondents. Of these graduates, 54.4% were in UK employment, with a further 1.4% in overseas employment. 8.2% were combining work with studying. Added together, that makes 55.8% in employment. A total of 23.3% went on to further study, which included PhD Climate and Atmosphere Science and MSc Financial Mathematics. Of those in further study, 33.2% progressed to teaching qualifications. 5.0% came into the ‘other’ category, leaving 7.7% reporting unemployed.
What occupational sectors did they go for?
The majority destination, with 40.4%, is business, HR and financial professionals, where the numeracy of the degree discipline is directly relevant. Jobs here included financial risk analyst and trainee chartered accountant. Other professional destinations follow behind: 8.9% into education professions, including trainee Maths teacher and 10.8% into IT professional jobs, including software developer. Marketing, PR and sales professionals took 4.0%, with smaller percentages going into engineering and scientific professions: 1.8% and 0.8% respectively. In total, nearly 72% of jobs were in professional categories. In addition, 3.1% went into commercial or public service management. Retail, catering, waiting and bar staff absorbed 8.7% and included jobs such as jewellery assistant in a pawnbrokers. A total of 9% went into clerical, secretarial and numerical clerks, and 4.6% into the other occupations category.
2.2 Computer Science and IT
Range
A wide range of degree titles is included in the broad category of Computer Science and IT. It includes Computer Science, Computer Vision and Computer Architecture. There is a cluster around programming including Procedural and Declarative Programming. Systems Analysis is here, along with Systems Design and Systems Auditing. The final sub-set would include Artificial Intelligence, Speech and Language Processing, and Neural Computing.
Response rate and destination percentages
A total of 10,045 graduates responded, 79.2% of graduates in the discipline. There were 1,620 female and 8,425 male respondents, making these male-dominated subjects. Of these graduates, 74.6% were in UK employment, with a further 1.3% in overseas employment. 2.6% were combining work with studying. Added together, that makes 75.9% in employment. Only 6.7% went on to study: a low proportion explained perhaps by high employment. Degrees included MSc Computer Science and MSc Geospatial Analysis. A total of 15.1% progressed to teaching qualifications and 3.4% came into the ‘other’ category, leaving 11.4% reporting unemployed.
What occupational sectors did they go for?
Most of the graduates who secured employment got jobs as information technology professionals: a very pleasing 58.8%. The job titles reflect the degree titles mentioned earlier, and include: data analyst, BAE Systems and innovation coordinator in a hospital. There then follows quite a long tail of other professional sectors: 3.4% into arts, design and media professionals; 6.0% into business, HR and finance. Education professionals account for 1.5%, marketing, PR and sales professionals for another 2.9%, engineering professionals for 1.4%, commercial and public service management for 2.3%. A higher percentage, 5.9%, went into other occupations and 3.8% went into clerical and secretarial work. A significant percentage, some 10.2%, went into retail, catering, waiting and bar staff, including marketing assistant in a retail store. This should not obscure the fact that 76.8% of these graduates went into professional jobs.
3 Engineering and Building Management
There are four subject areas included here: Architecture and Building, Civil Engineering, Electrical and Electronic Engineering and Mechanical Engineering. Men outnumber women across the board, although the ratio varies, from more than 2:1 in Architecture and Building, through 6:1 in Civil Engineering to 10:1 in Mechanical Engineering. Employment rates in each of the disciplines is higher than the average across all graduates from all subjects. It is highest in Architecture and Building. Closer scrutiny of the destination data shows high proportions of graduates secure work as professionals in their field. This may be only to be expected, but should nonetheless be celebrated.
‘From around my GSCEs onwards, I thought that I would enjoy a career in Civil Engineering. It seemed suited to my skills in Maths and Physics, particularly Mechanics, and Physical Geography. During my second year studying Civil Engineering I started to realise I had doubts about whether Civil Engineering would be right for me. I wondered if it might be possible to transfer . . . to another part of the engineering industry, one that had interested me for a long time: motorsport. I realised I would need a more relevant degree to appeal to potential employers (in motorsport). I also thought it crucial to finish my Masters in Civil Engineering . . . in case I needed to fall back on it, as this is a well-respected degree throughout the engineering sector. I’m now a systems engineer on a Formula One team.’
Oliver, MEng Civil Engineering, MSc Motorsport Engineering and Management
3.1 Architecture and Building
Range
Architecture degrees are here, of course: Architectural Design Theory and Architectural Technology. Building degrees too: Construction Management, Building Technology and Conservation of Buildings. Closely related is Surveying, with both Building and Quantity Surveying. Landscape is evident in Landscape Architecture, Studies and Design and a wider perspective brings in Planning, ranging from Regional, Rural and Urban to Housing and Transport Planning.
Response rate and destination percentages
A total of 5,830 graduates responded, 82.4% of graduates in these disciplines. There were 1,660 female and 4,170 male respondents. Of these graduates, 77.9% were in UK employment, with a further 1.8% in overseas employment. 6.2% were combining work with studying. Added together, that makes 79.7% in employment. A total of 5.4% went on to further study, which included MSc Real Estate. Of these, 2.1% progressed to teaching qualifications and 3.5% came into the ‘other’ category, leaving 5.3% reporting unemployed.
What occupational sectors did they go for?
The highest proportion, 44.7%, went into engineering and building professions, with 22.9% going into the category of ‘other professionals’, which includes architectural assistant, architectural technician, landscape architect and building surveyor. It makes absolute sense that the vast majority of employment is secured here. Employers include private architectural firms and public service providers. Commercial and public service managers accounted for a further 7.8% with jobs such as operational support manager for British Gas. There follows a long tail of small percentages going into a range of sectors, with only 4.9% into business and finance, and 4.8% into retail, catering, waiting and bar staff.
3.2 Civil Engineering
Range
Civil Engineering covers a wider range of degrees than might be expected. Civil and Structural Engineering degrees, of course, plus Surveying degrees including Engineering Surveying and Surveying Science. Transport Engineering, Urban Studies and Permanent Way Engineering are joined by Environmental Engineering, Energy Resources, Environmental Impact and Coastal Decay.
Response rate and destination percentages
A total of 2,540 graduates responded, 83.4% of graduates in these disciplines. There were 370 female and 2,170 male respondents. Of these graduates, 74.6% were in UK employment, with a further 2.0% in overseas employment. 5.0% were combining work with studying. Added together, that makes 76.6% in employment. A total of 8.7% went on to further study, which included MSc Transport Planning and Engineering. Of these, 4.1% progressed to teaching qualifications and 4.4% came into the ‘other’ category, leaving 5.3% reporting unemployed.
What occupational sectors did they go for?
An impressive 73.5% of graduates employed went into engineering and building professions with job titles including civil, structural and field engineer. Employers included Thames Water and Atkins. There was a long tail of named professional sectors (e.g. health, education), but in total nearly 86.5% of graduates from civil engineering went into professional destinations. That leaves a few smaller destinations: 4.4% into retail, catering, waiting and bar staff and 3.9% into ‘other occupations’.
3.3 Electrical and Electronic Engineering
Range
The range is not very broad, including Electrical, Electrical Power, Electrical Power Generation and Electrical Power Distribution. Another cluster is degrees in Satellite, Telecommunications, Broadcast and Communications Engineering. Cybernetics, Robotics and Virtual Reality complete the list here.
Response rate and destination percentages
A total of 2,410 graduates responded, 80.1% of graduates in these disciplines. There were 230 female and 2,180 male respondents. Of these graduates, 72.2% were in UK employment, with a further 1.3% in overseas employment. 3.6% were combining work with studying. Added together, that makes 73.5% in employment. A total of 10.4% went on to further study for a higher degree, which included MSc Maritime Management. Of these, 4.2% progressed to teaching qualifications and 3.5% came into the ‘other’ category, leaving 8.9% reporting unemployed.
What occupational sectors did they go for?
Engineering professionals is the majority destination, with 38.8% working as systems or electrical engineers with employers such as Scottish Power and Network Rail. IT professions absorbed a further 19.1%, with jobs including software engineer. 3.6% went into management in the commercial or public sector. It is interesting to note that a greater proportion, 5.9%, came under arts, design and media professionals. Business and finance professions took 3.5%, 7.1% went into retail, catering, waiting and bar staff, including sales assistant with ASDA and 8.2% went into ‘other occupations’.
3.4 Mechanical Engineering
Range
A range of specialism and sector is reflected in the degree titles included here: Road Vehicle, Automotive or Automobile Engineering; Rail Vehicle, Ship Propulsion, Marine and Offshore Engineering, Vibration, Acoustics, Fluid and, finally, Farm and Agriculture Engineering.
Response rate and destination percentages
A total of 3,470 graduates responded, 83.5% of graduates in these disciplines. There were 270 female and 3,200 male respondents, making Mechanical Engineering the most male-dominated of all the degree disciplines studied. Of these graduates, 73.4% were in UK employment, with a further 1.7% in overseas employment. 3.4% were combining work with studying. Added together, that makes 75.1% in employment. A total of 10.3% went on to further study, which included PhD Fluid Dynamics and MSc Subsea Engineering. 1.5% progressed to teaching qualifications and 4.2% came into the ‘other’ category, leaving 7.0% reporting unemployed.
What occupational sectors did they go for?
A very high proportion of these graduates (64.9%) secured engineering profession jobs with employers such as: Tata Steel, British Airways and Shell. 4.4% went into business and finance professions, including risk analyst with RBS. A further 3.4% opted for commercial and public sector management. There was a small tail of other professions at 7.7% and IT professionals at 2.2%. In total, 83.4% of these graduates secured professional jobs, impressively high and just behind Civil Engineering on this count.
4 Social Sciences
Social Sciences comprises six disciplines: Economics; Geography; Law; Politics; Psychology; and Sociology. Only Economics and Politics have more male than female graduates and this is most pronounced in Economics, where males outnumber females by roughly 3:1. The other four subjects all have a majority of female students. This is roughly 2:1 in Law, 3:1 in Sociology and over 4:1 in Psychology.
‘Originally I had chosen to study Psychology with Counselling Skills as a time-filler. It was meant to be a hobby only, or, at the very most, something which would improve my knowledge, giving me a head-start when it came to becoming a counsellor. Instead it changed my view of psychology and counselling quite dramatically. This changed my career path from becoming a counsellor to a health psychologist. Now working as a health promotion specialist . . . I am able to take the lead on many areas and have a huge amount of independence. The job is quite special in that way.’
Christopher, BA (Hons) Psychology with Counselling Skills
4.1 Economics
Range
The range of degrees included as Economics is pretty restricted, and simply reflects the various aspects of the discipline: Microeconomics, Macroeconomics, Econometrics, Capitalism, Keynesianism, Monetarism. It also includes topic-related degree names: Political, Financial, International or Agricultural Economics.
Response rate and destination percentages
A total of 4,805 graduates responded, 79.9% of graduates in these disciplines. There were 1,325 female and 3,480 male respondents, making Economics one of only two degree disciplines within the Social Sciences where men outnumber women (the other being Politics). Of these graduates, 63.1% were in UK employment, with a further 2.2% in overseas employment. 8.0% were combining work with studying. Added together, that makes 65.3% in employment. A total of 13.3% went on to further study, which included MSc Public Administration and MSc Petroleum Energy, Economics and Finance. Of these, 5.3% progressed to teaching qualifications. 5.6% came into the ‘other’ category, leaving 7.7% reporting unemployed.
What occupational sectors did they go for?
More than half of economics graduates, 54.2%, secured employment as business, HR and financial professionals, working variously as accountant or assistant auditor with employers such as HMRC and Goldman Sachs. A smaller proportion was found in marketing, PR and sales professionals, some 9.8% employed here, for example, as software salesperson with IBM. A total of 2.7% secured professional jobs within the catch-all ‘other professions’, including as a shipbroker. Turning towards commercial and public sector managers, 5.5% found work. 8.4% went into other clerical, secretarial and numerical jobs and 7.3% went into retail, catering, waiting and bar staff.
4.2 Geography
Range
Geography degrees include Human and Social Geography, plus study by area, e.g. Europe, Australasia, Africa or the Americas. Study of Geography by topic includes Cultural, Historical, Political, Transport and Urban.
Response rate and destination percentages
A total of 2,355 graduates responded, 82.2% of all graduates in this category. As with most of the disciplines in Social Sciences, there were more female respondents than male respondents, but with 1,275 female and 1,080 male respondents, this makes Geography a balanced discipline in terms of female:male participation rates. Of these graduates, 60.4% were in UK employment, with a further 3.0% in overseas employment. A total of 17.8% were combining work with studying. Added together, that makes 63.4% in employment. A figure of 17.8% went on to further study, which included Masters in China and Globalisation and CIPS Diploma in Procurement. A quarter of those studying opted for teaching qualifications. A total of 7.4% came into the ‘other’ category, leaving 5.8% unemployed.
What occupational sectors did they go for?
In stark contrast to Economics, graduates in Geography go into a wide variety of occupations, some professional, others not. Business, HR and finance professionals is the biggest destination with 20.2% of employed graduates. A smaller proportion recurs approximately in two further occupational clusters. Marketing, PR and sales account for 14.1% and include PR manager for a water company. A total of 13.9% went into retail, catering, waiting and bar staff, 10.5% went into other clerical and secretarial and 7.4% into other occupations. Other professions included a number of jobs where the subject discipline was clearly relevant, such as store location planner with Sainsbury’s. Finally, education professionals took 4.9% and engineering and building professionals 4.3%.
4.3 Law
Range
The range of Law degrees is not extensive, but does include degrees in Torts and Jurisprudence, and in topic areas such as Property, Medical or Criminal Law. There are also degrees on Law within a defined area: Scottish; English; EU; or Comparative Law.
Response rate and destination percentages
The response rate was 76.0% with a total of 9,975 graduates responding. As with several other disciplines in this section, there were more female respondents than male respondents, with 6,290 female to 3,685 male respondents. Of these graduates, 51.6% were in UK employment, with a further 1.3% in overseas employment. 10.8% were combining work with studying. Added together, that makes 52.9% in employment. This relatively low employment rate is balanced by a relatively high study rate, which accounts for 26.3% of all respondents. This is because many Law graduates undertake the vocational training needed for legal practice, typically the Legal Practice courses for Solicitors and the Bar Professional Training for Barristers. Of those who study, about a third do professional training, with another third taking higher degrees. These included LLM Criminal Justice and LLM Oil and Gas Law. A total of 2.6% were studying for a teaching qualification and 4.6% came into the ‘other’ category, leaving 5.4% unemployed.
What occupational sectors did they go for?
Given that over a third of these respondents proceeded to further training on graduation, there are relatively modest percentages in the employment sectors. It is interesting to see 28.8% working as legal professionals, doing jobs such as CAB adviser and paralegal with various law firms. The relevance of the degree studied is evident in jobs such as legal secretary with a law firm and in-court adviser with a charity. A total of 12.7% went into business, HR and finance professional jobs, including tax inspector with HMRC and auditor in financial services. Commercial and public sector management accounted for 4.8% and other clerical, numerical and secretarial work accounted for a further 14.1%. Finally, 7.7% went into other occupations, and 14.5% into retail, catering, waiting and bar work.
4.4 Politics
Range
Politics courses include the study of politics in a given area such as the Commonwealth, the EU or simply International Politics. Courses also include the study of Political Systems and Theories in general or, in particular, for example, Fascism, Socialism or Anarchism. Courses can focus on the constitutional, including UK Government, Parliamentary Studies or Public Administration. War and Peace as a degree is also included here.
Response rate and destination percentages
A total of 4,690 graduates responded, a response rate of 76.8%. There were fewer female respondents than male respondents, with 2,000 female and 2,690 male respondents. Only Economics and Politics show this gender balance with males, in contrast with most of the disciplines in this section. 58.4% of these graduates were in UK employment, with a further 3.8% in overseas employment. 6.8% were combining work with studying. Added together, that makes 62.2% in employment. A total of 17.8% went on to further study, which included MSc International and European Politics and MA Broadcast Journalism. Of those studying, 7.9% progressed to teaching qualifications. 5.8% came into the ‘other’ category, leaving 7.3% believed to be unemployed.
What occupational sectors did they go for?
Politics graduates went into a wide range of professional and managerial jobs. 5.9% went into commercial and public sector management, securing employment in the Ministry of Defence and Majestic Wines. The biggest employment sector, at 20.8%, was business, HR and finance professions. A further 11.9% went into clerical, numerical and secretarial occupations and 8.3% were categorised as ‘other occupations’. Marketing, PR and sales professions absorbed 15.7% of the employed graduates. Other professionals, at 7.1%, included assistant to a Member of Parliament and campaign organiser for a political party.
4.5 Psychology
Range
Psychology degrees include subjects that reflect the range of applications in practice: Clinical, Educational, Health and Occupational Psychology, and the particular focus given to one aspect of the overarching discipline, such as Cognitive, Developmental, Experimental or Social. Neuropsychology and Psychometrics are also included here.
Response rate and destination percentages
Psychology is the largest student population within Social Sciences (Law being the second) and, with a total of 11,455 graduates responding, their response rate was 77.4%. There were 9,240 female and 2,215 male respondents; along with most of the degree disciplines in this section, women are in the clear majority. Of these graduates, 62.5% were in UK employment, with a further 1.3% in overseas employment. 8.4% were combining work with studying. Added together, that makes 63.8% in employment. A total of 15.7% went on to further study, which included PhD Social Psychology and Masters in Psychology specialisms such as Organisational and Mental Health. Of those studying, 21.5% went on to teaching qualifications. 5.9% came into the ‘other’ category, leaving 6.2% reporting unemployed. It is interesting to note that, compared with other Social Sciences, a high proportion (16.6%) opt for part-time work.
What occupational sectors did they go for?
The British Psychological Society advises that only 15–20% of all those who graduate with a qualifying degree in Psychology will go on to become professional psychologists. Many of those professional postgraduate training courses demand relevant work experience before admission, so it could be that graduates in these occupations are working to meet that requirement. Childcare, health and education occupations took 16.9%, including teaching assistant. A similar proportion, 17.1%, took up retail, catering, waiting and bar work. A further 3.5% worked as health professionals, including assistant psychologist for the NHS. Legal, social and welfare professionals absorbed 13.5%, including support worker with an autism charity. A total of 4.2% were in other professions, 8.7% in business, HR and finance professions, 5.8% in marketing, PR and sales professions, 11.4% went into other clerical and 3.4% secured work in commercial and public service management, with jobs including operations manager with Royal Mail.
4.6 Sociology
Range
The range of courses included in Sociology is very wide indeed. It includes the sociology of science, of politics and of economics, the study of social theory, social hierarchy and of disability in society. Courses such as Men’s Studies, Women’s Studies or Gender Studies are here too, along with Applied Social Science.
Response rate and destination percentages
A total of 6,340 graduates responded, 74.8% of all graduates in this discipline. As in most of the Social Sciences, there were more female respondents than male respondents, with 4,700 female to 1,640 male respondents. Of these graduates, 68.7% were in UK employment, with a further 1.1% in overseas employment and 5.4% who were combining work with studying. Added together, that makes 69.8% in employment. A total of 11.4% went on to further study, which included PhD Sociology, MA Criminology and MSc City Planning. Of those studying, 27.7% took teaching qualifications. 5.8% came into the ‘other’ category, leaving 7.6% reporting unemployed.
What occupational sectors did they go for?
Sociology graduates go into a wide variety of occupations, some professional, others not. Retail, catering, waiting and bar staff is technically the biggest destination with 21.0%. Other occupations account for 10.6%. Clerical and secretarial occupations took 14.0% and a smaller proportion (11.7%) went into legal, social and welfare professions, including domestic violence adviser with Women’s Aid. A total of 6.7% went into other professions, including work as a probation officer. Business, HR and finance professionals accounted for 8.6%. At 3.9% commercial and public service managers was a minority destination. A further 6.2% went into marketing, PR and sales professionals, and 2.8% into education professions.
5 Arts, Creative Arts and Humanities
Seven disciplines are included here, namely: Fine Arts; Design; English; History; Media Studies; Languages; and Performing Arts. From the respondents included in the sample, employment rates are highest in Design at 81.8%, followed by Media Studies at 78.0%.
You will notice that many graduates go into non-graduate jobs as their first destination; this year has seen a welcome decrease in retail, catering, waiting and bar work now accounting for anything from 13.9% of employed graduates from Languages to 24.1% in Media Studies. If it means anything, it means that these are just the first destinations, that graduates can use these jobs to develop skills and competence for leverage, that graduates might just enjoy this kind of work or that graduates might simply want to earn enough money to allow them to be creative – certainly the story of someone waiting on tables one day and being discovered the next has been a dream come true for more than one successful artist down the ages.
‘After my first year at a London dance conservatoire, I chose to transfer my studies to university, in order to gain a more academic and theoretical knowledge of the performing arts world. Whilst being able to continue building on technique and performance quality through practical classes, the course also allowed me to take an in-depth look at current practitioners and newly emerging dance makers, whilst being pushed to take my particular research interest (dance in education) further and further at each step of the course. Since graduating, I have worked as a performer, choreographer and company manager on UK tours, danced on cruise ships, and have recently taken over as principal of two part-time theatre schools in London.’
Dan, BA (Hons) Performing Arts
5.1 Fine Arts
Range
There is a range of disciplines under the Fine Arts umbrella including: Painting; Printmaking; Illustration; and Sculpture. More theoretical courses are included, such as Fine Art Theory and Visual Communication.
Response rate and destination percentages.
A total of 2,990 graduates responded, 76.4% of graduates in these disciplines. There were 2,200 female and 790 male respondents. Of these graduates, 68.4% were in UK employment, with a further 1.8% in overseas employment. 4.9% were combining work with studying. There were 70.2% altogether in employment. A total of 10% went on to further study, which included MA Fine Art and MA Photography. Of those studying, 35.5% chose teaching qualifications. 7.0% came into the ‘other’ category, leaving 7.9% reporting unemployed.
What occupational sectors did they go for?
Of the graduates who went into employment, 27% went into arts, design and media professionals, the destinations here clearly reflecting the degrees studied: artist in residence in a primary school and art gallery consultant. Retail, catering, waiting and bar staff accounted for a further 25.4%. A total of 12.5% were classified as ‘other occupations’ and 7.4% went into other clerical and secretarial work. Other professional and technical destinations (16.7%) included marketing assistant in a hospice and online quality assessor with Google. Commercial and public sector management accounted for 4.1% and included department manager for a fashion retailer.
5.2 Design
Range
The design umbrella includes: Ceramics; Clothing; Fashion; Furniture; Graphics; and Industrial.
Response rates and destination percentages
A total of 11,030 graduates responded, 78.7% of graduates in these disciplines. There were 7,405 females and 3,625 males. Of these graduates, 79.7% were in UK employment, with a further 2.1% in overseas employment. 1.9% were combining work with studying and 81.8% secured employment. A total of 3.7% went on to further study, which included MSc Ceramics and MDes Design. Of those studying, 17.9% chose teaching qualifications. 4.8% came into the ‘other’ category, leaving 7.8% reporting unemployed.
What occupational sectors did they go for?
Of the graduates who went into employment, 41.1% went into arts, design and media professions. The destinations here clearly reflect the degrees studied: 3D designer in an advertising company, cabinet-making intern for a furniture maker and consultant designer with a DIY chain. Retail, catering, waiting and bar staff accounted for a further 19.6%, 8.7% were classified as ‘other’ occupations and 4.8% went into other clerical and secretarial work. Other professional and technical destinations (3%) included architectural assistant in an architect’s firm. Commercial and public sector management accounted for a further 2.9% and business, HR and finance professionals took just 1.8%.
5.3 English
Range
Degree courses in English cover English Language (including English as a second language), English Literature (including literature written in English as a second language) or a combination of both. Literature can be studied by period, by author, or by topic.
Response rate and destination percentages
A total of 9,785 graduates responded, 78.2% of all graduates in this category. As with every other discipline in this section, there were more female respondents than male respondents, with 7,245 female to 2,540 male respondents. With a female:male ratio of almost 3:1, English and Fine Arts are the most gender imbalanced disciplines in this broad sector. Of these graduates, 59.4% were in UK employment, with a further 2.5% in overseas employment. 7.6% were combining work with studying. Added together, that makes 61.9% in employment. A total of 18.1% went on to further study in the UK. Higher degrees included MAs in Creative Writing and English Language. Of those studying, 33.7% chose teaching qualifications. 5.8% came into the ‘other’ category, leaving 6.6% reporting unemployed.
What occupational sectors did they go for?
The biggest single employment area is retail, catering, waiting and bar staff, at 19.3%. Next is clerical, numerical and secretarial occupations accounting for a further 14.1%, including here work as a charity administrator. Turning to professional jobs, 8.0% went into education. Commercial and public management took 3.4%, and included a pub manager. A total of 13.9% went into marketing, PR and sales professions, with jobs such as marketing coordinator for a student union and 8.7% went into art, design and media professions, including copy editor for a newspaper. Business, HR and finance professions took 7.6% of those employed, 8.5% chose childcare, health and education occupations, and 3.2% went into other professions.
5.4 History
Range
History can be studied by period (e.g. Medieval, Ancient or Modern), by area (e.g. Welsh, Russian or New Zealand) or by topics such as Military History, Economic History, Social or Oral History.
Response rate and destination percentages
A total of 9,270 graduates responded, 79.6% of all graduates in this category. As with every other discipline in this section, there were more female respondents than male respondents, with 4,775 female and 4,490 male respondents. This makes History (along with Media Studies) the more balanced disciplines in terms of female:male participation rates. Of these graduates, 57.4% were in UK employment, with a further 2.5% in overseas employment. 6.8% were combining work with studying. Added together, that makes 59.9% in employment. A total of 20% went on to further study; higher degrees included MA Journalism and MSc Cultural Anthropology. Of those studying, 19.2% opted for teaching qualifications. 6.8% came into the ‘other’ category, leaving 6.6% unemployed.
What occupational sectors did they go for?
History graduates went into a wide range of professional jobs: 4.6% went into commercial and public sector management and 14.2% opted for business, HR and financial professions, with employers here including JP Morgan, PWC, KPMG and Deloitte. Other professions, at 5.1%, included being a civil servant with DWP. A small proportion, 3.8%, secured employment as arts, design and media professionals, jobs here including broadcast assistant at the BBC. The biggest employment sector, at 19.1%, was retail, catering, waiting and bar work, followed by 14.6% in clerical, secretarial and numerical occupations. A total of 10.2% of employed graduates found work within other occupations.
5.5 Media Studies
Range
The range of courses within Media Studies includes: Broadcasting; Film Production; Radio Production; and both TV and Screen Production. The focus of other courses is more towards what might be called the infrastructure behind the media production, including Electronic Media and Media Technology. A final segment within the subject area is degrees that take a critical overview through the study of: Film; Media; Culture; TV; Radio; and Communication. Typically, the degree title would be Media Studies.
Response rate and destination percentages
A total of 4,735 graduates responded, 75.9% of all graduates in this category. There were marginally more female respondents than male respondents: 2,460 female and 2,275 male respondents. Of these graduates, 76.7% were in UK employment, with a further 1.3% in overseas employment. 2.4% were combining work with studying. Added together, that makes 78% in employment. A total of 5.3% went on to further study, which included MAs in Film and Scriptwriting. Of those studying, 19% opted for teaching qualifications. 4.6% came into the ‘other’ category, leaving 9.7% believed to be unemployed.
What occupational sectors did they go for?
At first glance, seeing 24.1% of graduates in this subject area going into jobs in retail, catering, waiting and bar staff might confirm the idea that these degrees don’t necessarily lead to graduate-level jobs. But remember that the data looks only at the first job on graduation, and remember too that many such graduates may be using their wages in this occupational sector to support themselves whilst working on breaking into their chosen field. If they do, they follow in the footsteps of many fellow graduates, as 21.5% secured professional jobs in arts, design and media. Jobs included producer at an Internet radio station, editorial assistant in a publishing company and freelance sound engineer. A total of 14.7% found a profession in marketing, PR and sales, including communications assistant for the NHS, 3.5% went into commercial and public sector management roles and a relatively small proportion (4.3%) went into business and accounting professions.
5.6 Languages
Range
The range of languages includes the more familiar, e.g. French, the more exotic, e.g. African, and the more unexpected, e.g. both Cornish and Manx. As well as the study of foreign languages, the study of language itself is included, e.g. Phonetics or Phonology. It also includes the appreciation of what language can do, e.g. Latin Literature in Translation.
Response rate and destination percentages
A total of 7,315 graduates responded, some 79.8% of all graduates in this category. There were more than twice the number of female respondents than male respondents: 4,985 female to 2,330 male respondents. Of these graduates, 52.3% were in UK employment, with a further 10.1% in overseas employment. 6.2% were combining work with studying. Added together, that makes 62.4% employed. A total of 18% went on to further study, which included MAs in Translation and in European Studies. Of those studying, 24.4% opted for teaching qualifications. A figure of 7.0% came into the ‘other’ category, leaving 6.4% believed to be unemployed. The overseas employment rate, at 10.1%, is far and away the highest percentage of all degree disciplines. Could it be a case of ‘have languages, will travel’?
What occupational sectors did they go for?
Looking more closely at those graduates who secured employment, the biggest proportion (17.1%) became business, HR and finance professionals, with marketing, PR and sales professionals just behind at 16.1%. Jobs in these categories included accountant with Grant Thornton and sales support executive in a logistics company. Arts, design and media professionals accounted for 6.6% and included European content editor with a news agency and foreign rights assistant with a travel publisher. Managers accounted for 4.2% and included an area manager for Aldi. Retail, catering, waiting and bar staff absorbed 13.9%.
5.7 Performing Arts
Range
It will come as no surprise that many of the degree disciplines included here cover performance: Acting; Dance; Musicianship or Performing; and Performing for the Theatre. There is another cluster of named degrees where the focus is on the creative input to a performance as a whole. These include: Directing for Theatre; Choreography; Stage Design; Theatre Design; Wardrobe Design and Theatrical Make-up. The final grouping focuses on the critical study of one or more of the performing arts within its context and history, namely History of Dance; History of Music; Musical Instrument History, and Theatre Studies.
Response rate and destination percentages
A total of 9,665 graduates responded, some 77.6% of all graduates in this category. There were more female respondents than male respondents: 5,695 female and 3,970 male respondents. Of these graduates, 71.4% were in UK employment, with a further 2.1% in overseas employment. 5.8% were combining work with studying. Added together, that makes 73.5% in employment. A total of 10.9% went on to further study, which included MA Arts Management and MA Directing. Of those studying, 31.5% opted for teaching qualifications. 4.1% came into the ‘other’ category, leaving 5.7% believed to be unemployed.
What occupational sectors did they go for?
A satisfying 29.9% of these graduates secured work as professionals in the fields of art, design and media. Individual destinations included working as a self-employed vocalist. A total of 21.5% went into retail and catering, a further 9.6% went into ‘other occupations’, and 7.6% into other clerical and secretarial occupations. 7.5% found work as education professionals. Other professions, at 1.8%, was a minority destination.
6 Business and Administrative Studies
There are four subject areas included in this section, namely Finance and Accountancy, Business and Management, Hospitality, Leisure, Tourism and Transport and Marketing. Compared with average employment rates for all graduates covering the full spectrum of degree courses, employment rates in two of these disciplines are considerably higher, at 81.5%, compared with 71.2% across all degree subjects. For the most part, there is a clear relationship between the subject studied and the destination by occupational sector, e.g. 54.3% of the Finance and Accountancy graduates who reported finding employment went into business and finance professions, many as accountants. Beyond the predictable destinations there is a huge variety of occupations, though small percentages in each domain. The gender balance across the four areas is interesting: in Finance and Accountancy there are more males than females; in Marketing there are marginally more females than males, and in Business and Management it is pretty evenly balanced, with males tipping the balance by a margin of about 20%. In marked contrast, there are twice as many females as males in Hospitality, Leisure, Tourism and Transport.
‘I thoroughly enjoyed my course; it combined both the theory and practical elements of the subject with lecturers that have both academic excellence and industry experience. A highlight for me was the work-based learning module – I found the exposure to the “real world” invaluable. Following graduation I used the confidence I gained to do the stereotypical post-university student activity: travelling. After seeing some of the sights the world had to offer, the job market was my destination. I secured a position with one of the world’s biggest banks on their executive management graduate scheme, aimed at creating the next generation of company leaders.’
Phil, BA (Hons) Business Studies
6.1 Finance and Accountancy
Range
The range here is not extensive. Beyond Accountancy and Accounting, there are professional divisions including Cost and Management Accounting, and Public Accounting. Other specialisms include Book-keeping, Auditing of Accounts, Financial Reporting and Accounting Theory.
Response rate and destination percentages
A total of 5,860 graduates responded, 78.8% of all graduates in this category. There were fewer female respondents than male respondents: 2,375 female to 3,480 male respondents. Of these graduates, 69.5% were in UK employment, with a further 1.4% in overseas employment. 12.9% were combining work with studying. Added together, that makes 70.9% in employment. A total of 6.9% went on to further study, which included MSc Accounting and Finance and professional qualifications ACA, ACCA, CIMA and ICAEW. Of those studying, 7.5% opted for teaching qualifications. 4.2% came into the ‘other’ category, leaving 8.6% believed to be unemployed.
What occupational sectors did they go for?
As could be expected, a very high proportion (54.3%) of these employed graduates secured employment as business and financial professionals. Job titles included trainee management accountant, trainee actuary and tax adviser. Employers included Deloitte and Rolls Royce. Another 19.1% became numerical clerks and cashiers; while these were not graduate jobs, they would, nonetheless, provide valuable experience for graduates to move into a trainee professional role in due course. A further 4% went into commercial and public sector management, and 3.5% into the marketing, PR and sales professions. A total of 8.9% went into retail, catering, waiting and bar occupations and 4.6% fell into the catch-all category of ‘other occupations’.
6.2 Business and Management
Range
This grouping spans Business Studies degrees, including European and International Business Studies. Management degrees include Management Studies and Management Techniques, followed by a spectrum of management specialisms and sectors: Change; Creative; Strategic; Domestic; Land; Project; Property; and Retail. Valuation and Auctioneering caters for more of a niche market.
Response rate and destination percentages
A total of 15,790 graduates responded, 76.3% of all graduates in this category. There were fewer female respondents than male respondents, with 7,155 females and 8,635 males. Of these graduates, 73.8% were in UK employment, with a further 2.1% in overseas employment. 4.9% were combining work with studying. Added together, that makes 75.9% in employment. A total of 6.0% went on to further study, which included MSc Organisational Behaviour and MBA. Of those opting for study, 10.6% chose educational qualifications. 5.5% came into the ‘other’ category, leaving 7.6% believed to be unemployed.
What occupational sectors did they go for?
A high proportion of Business and Management graduates found employment as either business, HR and financial professionals (23.7%) or marketing, PR and sales professionals (20.0%). Jobs included finance manager and project manager with Network Rail. A further 11.2% went into commercial and public sector management as, for example, marketing manager with a hotel chain. Clerical and secretarial occupations took a further 12.4%. A total of 12.2% went into retail, waiting, catering and bar staff, with 7.4% going into other occupations, including ride operator in a leisure park.
6.3 Hospitality, Leisure, Tourism and Transport
Range
The range of degrees included is explained in the title of this section, namely Hospitality, Leisure, Tourism and Transport.
Response rate and destination percentages
A total of 4,235 graduates responded, 76.3% of all graduates in this category. There were twice as many female as male respondents, with 2,830 females to 1,405 males. Of these graduates, 77.8% were in UK employment, with a further 3.2% in overseas employment. 2.6% were combining work with studying. The total in employment was 81%. A total of 3.5% went into further study, which included MA Conservation Management. Of those choosing to study, 19.9% opted for teaching qualifications. There were 6.5% in the ‘other’ category and 6.4% unemployed.
What occupational sectors did they go for?
The most common employment destination for these graduates was marketing, PR and sales professionals, which accounted for 25.2% and included an events duty manager in a national museum. The ‘other professionals’ group included a range of interesting and relevant jobs, namely travel adviser with a holiday company, a yield executive for British Airways and an adventure training instructor in the Army. A significant proportion (16.5%) went into retail, catering, waiting and bar staff, followed by 15.9% into ‘other occupations’.
6.4 Marketing
Range
The range of degrees included is not wide, comprising Marketing, International Marketing and Market Research, also: Advertising; Promotion and Advertising; Sponsorship; Corporate Image; Sales Management; and Distribution.
Response rate and destination percentages
A total of 3,295 graduates responded, 76.4% of all graduates in this category. There were more female respondents than male respondents, with 1,960 females to 1,335 males. Of these graduates, 80.4% were in UK employment, with a further 1.9% in overseas employment. 2.3% were combining work with studying. Added together, that makes 82.3% in employment. A total of 2.8% went on to further study, which included MSc in Management with Marketing and in Insurance and Risk Management and Communication. Of those studying, 13% opted for teaching qualifications. 6.2% came into the ‘other’ category, leaving 6.1% believed to be unemployed.
What occupational sectors did they go for?
The most common employment destination for marketing graduates was marketing, PR and sales professionals, which accounted for 49.5% of the employed graduates, with employers ranging from a hotel chain to a professional body. A total of 5.4% went into commercial and public sector management. Business, HR and finance professions took another 8.9%, including graduate analyst with Barclays. Other clerical jobs accounted for 8.9% and 6.3% went into ‘other occupations’, including a soldier. A significant proportion (13.8%) went into retail, waiting, catering and bar staff.
7 Foundation degrees (all subjects studied at this level)
Defining characteristics of a Foundation degree
Foundation degrees were introduced in 2001. Although recognised as a qualification in its own right, a Foundation degree is designed to make it easy to lead on to an Honours degree. This means that a successful graduate from a Foundation degree may progress to level three (the final year for students studying full-time) and graduate in due course with Honours. Foundation degrees were intended to combine work-based learning with degree-level study and so include significant amounts of work-based learning. Students successfully completing HND courses are included as they follow a similar learning pathway. It is hardly surprising that the destinations data show roughly equal proportions of students (a) studying for their first degree, and (b) working full-time. Destinations data are collected for all Foundation degree and HND students but are not disaggregated by subject discipline.
‘As well as the huge variety of academic knowledge I gained on my Foundation degree, I also made a lot of personal developments which have really helped boost my confidence. I thoroughly enjoyed a work-based placement, learning a lot about the skills needed when working with animals, and experiencing the different issues that arise. My current role involves working with animals and continuing my learning of the technical side of animal management. I really enjoy my current role and look forward to continuing to work with animals and continuing my professional development.’
Jessica, FdSc, Animal Management
Response rate and destination percentages
There were 14,200 responses, 76.5% of all qualifiers in this category. There were more female respondents than male respondents, with 8,355 females to 5,845 males. Of these graduates, 39.3% were in UK employment, with only 0.7% in overseas employment. A total of 22.3% were combining work with studying. Added together, that makes 40% in employment. 2.5% come into the catch-all ‘other’ category. Only 2.2% were unemployed and 30.2% went on to study for a Bachelor’s degree. Degree courses included Business Studies and Social Work.
What occupational sectors did they go for?
Because the destination data are collected from the full range of Foundation degree and HND courses studied, the destination occupations cover an extremely wide range of occupational sectors. Childcare, health and education occupations absorbed 21.7% of these graduates, with a further 10.1% going into health professions.