March 2004
	
Info 86

Employability of language graduates: Statistical sources 

INTRODUCTION

This information sheet details surveys, analyses and reports of research into graduate destinations. Some sources focus on language graduates only while others cover the destinations of all graduates (with language graduates being a sub group within the research).
The research is listed in order of publication, starting with the most recent. A brief description of each source is given with the provider name and research availability details. For reports or summaries that are publicly available on the internet the website address link is provided. 

Please also note there are separate information sheets listing statistical sources closely linked to this subject area covering languages in higher education and the use of and need for language skills in employment.

SURVEY RESEARCH AND STATISTICS

Data/ Source	Name of Provider 	Description 	Availability details	
HESA First Destinations Survey 
**Continuous annual research**	Higher Education Statistics Agency
www.hesa.ac.uk	This is the annual HESA survey of all graduates providing their main activity in the January following graduation. UK domiciled students only. Fairly comprehensive data breakdowns available (including degree combinations and balance, gender, region)
Data can be purchased for specific analysis.
Note that this survey is undergoing substantial changes from 2003/04 data collection and will be renamed The destinations of leavers from higher education (DLHE). Check HESA website for further details.	Annual survey in Jan, data out in the summer.
Latest reference book of tables: “First destinations of students leaving HEIs” published in Summer 03 for 01/2 graduates can be purchased from HESA. 
*Held in CILT Library.	
Moving On (Two): Graduate Careers 3 years after graduation
**Research in progress**	Peter Elias, Institute of Employment Research (IER), University of Warwick and Kate Purcell, Employment Studies Research Unit, University of the West of England .
Funded by the DfES (Department for Education and Skills) & DELNI (Department of Education and Learning, Northern Ireland)	A survey of 1998/9 graduates 3.5 years after graduation in 2003. This is a repeat of the previous survey Moving on published in 1999 (see below). It aims to explore graduate labour market history, current job and earnings, prospects and extent to which higher education has helped them in the labour market. A postal questionnaire was sent to approximately 10,000 first-degree graduates and some 100 qualitative telephone interviews were carried out. This study will also investigate widening participation issues.
MFL will be grouped together for analysis.	See DfES website for further information: www.dfes.gov.uk/research/programmeofresearch/projectinformation.cfm?projectId=13761&keyword=&keywordlist1=Graduates&keywordlist2=0&keywordlist3=0&andor=or&type=3&resultspage=1
Report due summer 2004	
Researching graduate careers seven years on 
1.	Measuring change in the graduate labour market
2.	Older & Wiser: age & experience in the graduate labour market
3.	Education, Skills & Economic restructuring

**Research in progress**	Kate Purcell, Employment Studies Research Unit, University of the West of England and Peter Elias, Institute of Employment Research (IER), University of Warwick, 
Funded by the ESRC and the HESCU.

	Looking at change in the UK graduate labour market , reviewing occupational typology, and an analysis of graduate career paths. Further analysis of the survey (Moving on – see below) and other sources, plus re-surveying of the same respondents in 2002/3. The draft reports include information on the development and testing of a new classification of graduate occupations enhancing the 3 band (graduate, graduate track and non-graduate – see Moving on below) into 1. Traditional graduate job, 2. Modern Graduate job, 3. New graduate job, 4. Niche graduate job, 5. Non-graduate job.	3 Draft reports, March 2003. Available on IER website at: www2.warwick.ac.uk/fac/soc/ier/research/glmf/researchpaper1.pdf
The first of a series of reports and publications will be available in April 2004 and further publications will be produced subsequently.
	
Employability Research Project
**Research in progress**	LTSN Subject Centre for Languages, Linguistics and Area Studies, University of Southampton
www.lang.ltsn.ac.uk	Research into generic and language subject specific employability issues in the HE sector. Methodologies include an overview of generic employability literature and an analysis of HEI case studies.	Forthcoming, for further details contact the Subject Centre. 
Email: llas@soton.ac.uk	
What do graduates do? 2004, for destinations of 2002 graduates	Graduate Prospects, AGCAS, UCAS joint publication	This publication provides an analysis of the HESA data with subject specific commentary on the first destinations of first-degree graduates and HND diplomats. It profiles how many leavers enter employment (and what type of employment), further study and unemployment 6 months after graduation.
Note that MFL is grouped together, however, this counts single and major hons degrees only and includes all HESA codings for groups QRT (excluding English), so including American Studies, Linguistics, Comparative literature and others (see website for coding details).	Annual publication, latest available is titled WDGD 2004, detailing destinations of 2001/2 leavers. 
Some data available on prospects website. www.prospects.ac.uk/cms/ShowPage/Home_page/What_do_graduates_do__2004/p!ekippe	
Longitudinal Surveys of Employment among language graduates, January 2004	Tim Connell, City University

	Paper looking into what has been done in this field mainly focusing on graduate salaries. A discussion of the salary analysis in the report Researching graduate careers seven years on (see above) is presented, highlighting how language graduates are placed.	Paper available at: www.cilt.org.uk/careers/research/connell04.rtf
	
THES article “Top Ten retain poll positions”, 10 Oct, 2003	Times Higher Education Supplement, Bernard Kingston. 
Background information provided by Nicola Bright, Bright Statistics and Abigail McKnight (formerly IER, now at the LSE). 	The article drew upon analysis of HESA graduate destinations data using a job classification distinguishing between different types of employment (graduate, graduate track and non-graduate developed by the IER – see IER sources below). French, German and Italian are cited as giving below average positive outcomes using this new method (but had good, above average outcomes using the old job classification (employed, unemployed).

Note that only Single and Major honours graduates are included in this analysis. 	THES, 10 Oct 2003	
Great Job Prospects for Language Graduates, 2003	Keith Marshall, Modern Languages Department, University of Bangor	An analysis of HESA data showing unemployment rates among new graduates in the UK (aggregated average from 1996-2002) to contest the myth that it is more difficult to get a job with a language degree. Modern language graduates have a low level of unemployment (particularly French and German), comparative to other subjects.
Includes an analysis of the ‘type of jobs’ language graduates did in 2002 to contest the myth that the only jobs for language graduates are teaching and translating.	Analysis been done annually since 1996.
Tables available from the following Subject Centre web link: www.lang.ltsn.ac.uk/resources/resourcesitem.aspx?resourceid=1640
	
Qualifications and Careers, Equal opportunities and earnings among graduates, 2002	Kate Purcell, Employment Studies Research Unit, University of the West of England.	This research paper, based on new analysis of the Moving on survey (see below), looks into the difference in earnings between male and female graduates. It challenges the HECSU notion that the marked difference in earnings should not be taken as evidence of discrimination as males and females enter different jobs, have different academic background and different skills.
Some specific references to language graduates are included.	Full report available at: www.eoc.org.uk/EOCeng/EOCcs/Research/qualificationsandcareers.pdf
	
North West Modern Foreign Language Graduates, 2001 	Regional Language Network, North West	This bulletin provides details of the numbers of graduates from North West HE Institutions in 2001 whose course included an element of foreign language study, a total of 1237 graduates. The information has been collected from the institutions themselves and is the first publication of this data.	Report available at:
www.rln-northwest.com/data/LMI%20Bulletin%203.pdf	
Number of graduates entering jobs relevant to degree subjects,  2001 	Keith Marshall, Modern Languages Dept, University of Bangor	First Destination Survey analysis of one HEI for Year 2000. An analysis showing that more graduates go into jobs not relevant to their degree than jobs relevant to their degree subject.	Analysis available at:
www.cilt.org.uk/careers/research/marshall2001.rtf	
Language Degrees and the Year Abroad: How Residence Abroad helps in the Job Market, 2000	Jim Coleman, University of Portsmouth (now at The Open University)	A survey of 842 individuals in who graduated in modern languages between 1959 and 1999, carried out in Aug/Sep 2000, shows that the skills gained during residence abroad play an important role in helping graduates get their first job, subsequent job moves and in job performance.	Summary available at: www.hum.port.ac.uk/slas/resem.htm 
	
Moving On: 3 years after graduation, 1999	Peter Elias et al. Institute of Employment Research (IER), University of Warwick.
DfEE, AGCAS, Graduate Prospects, IER publication	A survey of 1994/5 graduates 3.5 years after graduation, in Dec 98. Issued sample consisted of 10,000 first degree graduates (approx 5% of total grads in 95). The classification of jobs into Graduate; Graduate track; Non-graduate; (based on typical educational level of employees in these jobs) was developed in this analysis. MFL is grouped together for analysis.	Full report published in 1999. 
Short report available: www.prospects.ac.uk/cms/ShowPage/Home_page/Labour_market_information/Moving_on/p!efedea	
Working Out: Graduates early experiences of the labour market, 1999	Kate Purcell et al. Institute of Employment Research (IER), University of Warwick.
DfEE, AGCAS, Graduate Prospects, IER publication	Graduates from 1995/6 were re-surveyed a year and a half after graduation from Dec 1997 to Spring 1998. The report Includes discussion on what is a ‘graduate job’ and identification of a typology from the survey. 
This was a follow-up to Great Expectations: the new diversity of graduate skills, conducted by Kate Purcell and Jane Pitcher at IER for the same sponsor, where final year undergraduates were surveyed in the final term of their undergraduate programmes about their experience of HE and employment expectations ands aspirations.  Focus groups of respondents were subsequently conducted to further explore issues emerging from the survey. (see same website for further details)
MFL is grouped together for analysis. Total respondents = 2308 (139 were categorised in MFL).	Full report published in Jan 1999. 
Short report available: www.prospects.ac.uk/cms/ShowPage/Home_page/Labour_market_information/Working_out/p!ekpjei	
After graduation, what next? 1999	Enterprise Centre for Learning & Curriculum Innovation, University of Manchester, funded by the North West Development Agency.	This paper presents key findings by subject area of study from a survey following graduates after graduation in the NW region. Captures graduate careers from 6 months to 7 years after graduation. A total of 3644 responses were received from graduates of 1990 – 1997 (268 language graduates – includes HESA subject codes QRT, including English, American Studies and others).	Full report published Nov 1999 available at: www.lmi4he.ac.uk/Documents/Sub97.doc
Extra briefing paper for each subject area. Languages paper: www.lmi4he.ac.uk/Documents/languages.doc	

USEFUL WEBSITES 

The following websites are useful for keeping up to date with the latest graduate labour market research and statistics.

Association of Graduate Careers Advisory Services  www.agcas.org.uk/ 
AGCAS is the professional association of careers professionals in Higher Education and is committed to conducting, commissioning and encouraging original research in relevant areas.

Centre for Higher Education Research and Information  www.open.ac.uk/cheri/index.htm
CHERI provides research, development and information services to support the maintenance and improvement of quality in higher education in the UK and increasingly, internationally. They have undertaken several research projects on Higher Education and Employment issues. 

DfES Research and Statistics Gateway:  www.dfes.gov.uk/rsgateway/contents.shtml
A searchable interface of all the publications, statistics and findings produced by the DfES analytical services in addressing key questions to influence and inform government education and skills policy. Detail on the Department's research strategy, published, current and planned research is available from this site. See also Skillsbase the DfES Labour Market Information, education skills database: www.skillsbase.dfes.gov.uk/database/database.asp

Employment Studies Research Unit    www.uwe.ac.uk/bbs/esru/research.htm
The ESRU is a research centre based at the Bristol Business School, University of the West of England conducting research in the field of employment. It is involved in some joint graduate employment research projects with IER (see above) including the Graduate Labour Market Forum.

Institute for Employment Studies  www.employment-studies.co.uk/
This applied research centre undertakes research and consultancy roles working in the areas of employment and labour market policy and human resource management for a wide range of UK and international organisations.

Higher Education Statistics Agency www.hesa.ac.uk
HESA has the responsibility of integrating statistical data collection across all UK higher education institutions who submit individualised data about students to HESA for this purpose. For graduates, HESA collects the Destinations of Leavers from Higher Education DLHE data (previously the First Destinations Survey) detailing the destination of students after graduation. See entry above and their website for more information of this annual survey of graduates.

Institute for Employment Research  www2.warwick.ac.uk/fac/soc/ier/research/current/rglm/
The IER is a large centre for research in the labour market field and currently has an extensive research programme on the graduate labour market, as well as being involved in the setting up of the advisory initiative the Graduate Labour Market Forum. 

Prospects: News and Analysis of the graduate job market www.prospects.ac.uk/cms/ShowPage/Home_page/Labour_market_information/p!efeXak
This prospects website has a lot of information on graduate destinations regularly updated in their monthly on-line news bulletin detailing recent press releases, reports and surveys. Articles from current and past issues of Prospects own quarterly publication Graduate Market Trends are also accessible from the site.

FURTHER SOURCES OF INFORMATION

CILT information sheets are currently being compiled on research and statistics across all sectors of education. 
For the latest list and access to all CILT information sheets visit: www.cilt.org.uk/infos/info0.htm

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	For further information about the Subject Centre for Languages, Linguistics and Area Studies, please contact:
	Subject Centre for Languages, Linguistics and Area Studies, School of Modern Languages, University of 	Southampton, Highfield, Southampton SO17 1BJ.
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	E-mail: 	llas@soton.ac.uk
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the Subject Centre for Languages, Linguistics and Area Studies 2004