Independent research commissioned by the Office for Students
(OfS) suggests
that most students feel confident about
achieving their goals after graduation
but would value strengthened access
to support to help them manage the transition to
life after study.
Conducted by IFF Research, the research examines the extent to
which graduates feel prepared for life after their studies, and
their views on the barriers and support that shaped their
transitions. It comprised focus groups and a nationally
representative poll of over 1,600 graduates from undergraduate
and postgraduate courses at OfS-registered institutions.
The polling found that the majority (62 per cent) of
graduates felt confident about achieving their goals after
graduation, and half (50 per cent) felt
prepared for life after leaving university or college. Other
findings include:
- 88 per cent of respondents said
that their university or college had
helped to prepare them, with a third (33 per
cent) using their institution's career service for
support.
- Graduates who had completed higher education studies in
further education colleges were more likely to feel prepared (69
per cent) than graduates from courses at universities (50 per
cent).
- Family and friends were the most useful source of support
for most graduates (69 per cent), ranking higher
than any kind of institutional support. Graduates who
do not have a parent with a higher education qualification
were less likely to find this kind of support useful
(65 per cent compared to 74 per
cent), highlighting the importance of institutions providing
support for careers (and other next steps) to students whose
families may not be able to.
Josh Fleming, Director of Strategy and Delivery at
the OfS, said:
‘Life after higher education can feel like challenging
and unfamiliar territory, and today's students are
graduating at a time of significant change. Most
graduates go on to have successful careers and as set
out in this exploratory research, many institutions are
doing impressive work to support students to achieve their
goals.
‘A high proportion of students said they feel their
institutions have helped to prepare
them. This research identifies ways students'
experiences could be improved even further, for
example by increasing students' awareness of
the opportunities available to them
and supporting those who may not have access
to advice from friends or family.
‘It's important that we and the institutions we regulate
have a good understanding of how students feel about life after
graduation. We hope today's research will be useful to
universities and colleges as they continue to ensure
every student is supported to succeed in higher education and
beyond.'
Martin Edmondson, chief executive
officer of the Graduate Futures Institute,
said:
‘We're pleased this report highlights the reach and impact
of careers and employability services in higher education.
‘We know that our members want all students to know about the
comprehensive careers offer and professional support available at
their institution. We support the call for greater visibility,
which must begin with appropriate
institutional resourcing and prioritisation of the essential
services that power a whole-institution approach to
preparing students for life after education.'
ENDS
- The student insight report was informed by research and case
studies by the Graduate Futures Institute and its members, which
helped shape interpretation of the student polling
findings.
