University of Leicester Graduates Survey 2005

Abstract

This report presents the findings from a postal questionnaire survey of individuals who graduated from the University of Leicester between 1997 and 2003. Its aim was to capture their perspectives on a range of employment and career related issues and, hence, advance our understanding of the graduate labour market. In particular, the survey sought information about: graduates' experience of the labour market; their reasons for the career and study choices they had made; why graduates had decided to seek jobs in Leicestershire or move to other parts of the country; and their perceptions of the barriers to their career aspirations. The University carries out an annual survey, in common with all UK higher education institutions of each year's graduates six months after graduation. This survey, formerly known and referred to here as the First Destination Survey, is now known as the Destinations of Leavers from HE survey. These surveys have always provided the university with a useful picture of the immediate activity of graduates, but the data is limited, as many graduates do not enter their chosen career until some time (in some cases, years) after graduating. In recent years, the surveys have identified a trend, for example, for many respondents to travel before settling into a career or choosing to pursue further qualifications. The data presented here covers people who have graduated between two and eight years ago. As such, it provides insights into graduate employment patterns and career choices over an extended and more revealing time period. With measures to widen participation in higher education and increasing numbers of young and mature learners entering higher education, it is important for any university to have a clear picture of the destinations of its graduates and how they have been able to make use of their education in the wider world. As well as telling us about sucesses, this kind of information can help us to think about future developments and innovations within the university curriculum and careers information to aid graduate transition to work and other activities. However, this data also has wider relevance. It can indicate trends in graduate destinations and activities, and can be potentially useful in informing and supporting regional policies