Reassessing the employment outcomes of higher education Dr Heike Behle Institute for Employment Research University of Warwick
The need to re-assess the employment outcomes of higher education because of… HE expansion Students’ financial contribution to their education Transition into the labour market during a recession Employment outcomes are a key policy concern (Browne review)
Transition to Employment Changed reasons to enter higher education Transition into employment related to careers ideas. Mobility as a form to extend the labour market
What is a Graduate Job? Higher education is traditionally the channel into the traditional profession Majority of graduates use skills gained during HE. There is a ‘recession effect’ but the overall trend cannot be explained by a temporary fall in labour demand. ‘multiple matching’, new range of graduate jobs? Upgrade of non-graduate jobs to take graduates’ skills into account?
Re-Assessing the Graduate Premium Human Capital Theory still holding Differences according to the HEI attended, the subject and course studied and other characteristics Signalling effect
Graduate employment outcomes and social mobility Higher education as a lever of social mobility? Technological change Diversity of HEIs
Conclusion Significant changes in the employment outcomes Situation of UK unique within the EHEA? Gaps in current level of knowledge
Presentation based on Behle, H., Atfield, G., Elias, P., Gambin, L., Green, A., Hogarth,T., Purcell,K., Tzanakou Ch. and Ch. Warhurst (2015). Reassessing the employment outcomes of higher education. J Huisman and J. Case (eds.) Investigating Higher Education. International perspectives on theory, policy and practice. Oxon and New York, Routledge Press: For more information contact me on Follow me on