The Department for Education published three IER literature reviews commissioned as part of the Augar Review:

• Dickinson, P. (2019) Choices students make between different post-18 education routes. London: Department for Education. Read the short summary in the press release here.

• Baldauf, B. and Luchinskaya, D. (2019) Graduate choices in post-education jobs and careers - a literature review. London: Department for Education.

• Hunt, W. and Atfield, G. (2019) The wider (non-market) benefits of post 18 education for individuals and society. London: Department for Education.

The Review of Post-18 Education and Funding, launched by the Prime Minister in February last year, was led by Philip Augar, and reported its findings on 30 May.

Dr Daria Luchinskaya has been appointed as a co-convenor of the Employability, Enterprise and Work-based Learning network for the SRHE (Society for Research into Higher Education).

Together with convenors Dr Heike Behle and Dr Ciaran Burke, Daria will be organising SRHE network events and other network activities - look out for the Network's forthcoming events on the SRHE website.

In July 2018, Dr Giulio Pedrini and Dr Luca Cattani from the University of Bologna will visit the IER for a month, working with Dr Daria Luchinskaya (IER) and Dr Charoula Tzanakou (PAIS) to develop a collaborative programme of research on graduate employment between the University of Warwick and the University of Bologna.

During their visit, funded by the Institute of Advanced Studies International Fellowships award, the researchers will investigate graduates’ transitions into the labour market in Italy and the UK, comparing the two labour market regimes and the roles of training and internships in enabling career progression. As part of the visit, a number of workshops and events will be organised, including an IER lunchtime workshop.

Drs Pedrini and Cattani have both visited the IER previously. Dr Cattani visited in 2012-13, where he developed a classification of graduate jobs for Italy for a part of his PhD, “Overeducation of Italian graduates.” Dr Pedrini visited the IER in 2015, working on his project “Non-standard employment as a determinant of off-the job and on-the-job training” with Prof. Kate Purcell, and contributing to the IER project “Precarious pathways to employment for young people” (“Paths2Work”). This visit will further the collaboration on graduate employment research between the IER and the University of Bologna. Both IER and the University of Bologna have longitudinal surveys of graduates’ higher education experience and employment, Futuretrack and AlmaLaurea respectively. The visit is timely, as Prof. Chris Warhurst and Dr Luchinskaya are leading the fifth stage of the Futuretrack project, and Dr Tzanakou is publishing on graduate transitions in the UK labour market with Prof. Purcell from the “Paths2Work” project.

Sally-Anne Barnes contributed to the recent Access to HE conference 'Supporting the transition to higher study' held at the Royal Berkshire Conference Centre on 5 April. Sally-Anne ran a workshop on 'Developing aspiration - overcoming barriers to lifelong learning' for those delivering the Access to HE course and working in adult education. She drew on findings from recent research on lifelong guidance and learning, education and employment programmes for young people, and adult education.

The British Academy has launched its new report on the skills of AHSS graduates.

IER was commissioned by the British Academy to conduct mixed-methods research to identify AHSS graduates’ and employers’ perceptions of their skills, the benefits of AHSS graduates to the economy and to society and the need for any further skills development. The research, involving a comprehensive review of existing literature, analysis of 3 different quantitative data sources, focus groups with 22 graduates and postgraduates, and interviews with 6 employers, found that graduates with more creative approaches to work will be highly valued in the future and, if AHSS graduates can combine their creativity with good technical skills, they will be highly sought after. Those with narrow skill sets are more likely to struggle in the labour market, except in niche areas where there may be a shortage of particular skills. The research was led by Dr Clare Lyonette, with Dr Wil Hunt and Beate Baldauf, and the IER report has been published on the British Academy website.