Futuretrack is the most extensive investigation of the relationship between higher education and employment ever undertaken in the UK. The survey, conducted by a research team at the University of Warwick on behalf of the Higher Education Careers Services Unit (HECSU), is investigating students’ progress through higher education and their experiences in the graduate labour market.

The Stage 4 Survey is now open and available for completion. This is the final stage of the Futuretrack study, which has been tracking the cohort of 2005/06 applicants to higher education for the past seven years. It provides one last chance for members of the cohort to contribute to this investigation into the impact of educational and career decisions on access to opportunities and subsequent career routes.

The cohort of UCAS applicants from the 2005/06 admission round has been contacted to invite them to complete the questionnaire. Any 2005/06 applicant who has not received a request to participate, or who would like to join the survey now, can join now via the Futuretrack website.

Eligible respondents who complete the survey have a chance to win cash prizes: ten of £1,000 or one hundred of £100.

Professors Kate Purcell and Peter Elias discuss whether in today's financial climate it is still worth studying for a degree.

Professors Purcell and Elias are members of the IER research team responsible for Futuretrack, the most extensive investigation of the relationship between higher education and employment ever undertaken in the UK. The survey is being undertaken on behalf of the Higher Education Careers Services Unit (HECSU).

Professor Jenny Bimrose, Professor Alan Brown and Dr Sally-Anne will be attending the IAEVG conference on Career Guidance and Development Practices around the World, in Cape Town, South Africa (19-21 October). Professor Jenny Bimrose will present with IER Associate Fellows, Professor Mark Watson and Dr Mary McMahon on ‘Paradoxes in the career transitions of older women’. Together with Professor Alan Brown, Jenny will be presenting on ‘Stories of career adaptability from England and Norway’. Dr Sally-Anne Barnes, with Jenny, will present on ‘Developing and integrating IT innovations in careers guidance in the UK’. Sally-Anne will also be showcasing some on the IT systems researched and developed for careers guidance organisations in the UK.

The role of career adaptability in skills supply

This study, undertaken by Professor Jenny Bimrose, Professor Alan Brown, Dr Sally-Anne Barnes and IER Associate Fellow Dr Deirdre Hughes, explores the concept of career adaptability and improves our understanding of the wide range of goals, aspirations, achievements and identities that shape the way that individuals interact with and move through the labour market.

The impact of student and migrant employment on opportunities for low skilled people

This study, undertaken by Gaby Atfield, Professor Anne Green, Professor Kate Purcell, Dr Teresa Staniewicz (from Sociology) and Dr David Owen, looks at the impact of student and migrant employment on opportunities for low skilled people. It improves our understanding of the changing nature of low skilled work, and the attitudes and motivations of low skilled people and employers in one local economic area.

Rebalancing the economy sectorally and spatially: An evidence review

Professor Anne Green worked with SQW, CE and CURDS on this report, which reviews national and international evidence on the rationale, impact and effectiveness of government intervention to rebalance the economy sectorally and spatially in the UK and abroad. It draws on five international case studies and seeks to apply policy lessons from the evidence, including understanding the role of, and implications for, employment and skills policy in supporting objectives of economic rebalancing.

This Bulletin, entitled Adult career progression & advancement: A five year study of the effectiveness of career guidance, presents the findings from a five year longitudinal qualitative research study into the nature of effective career guidance, undertaken at the Warwick Institute for Employment Research (IER). It summarises findings from the fifth and final year of the study, presenting evidence on the role of guidance in the process of career development and progression, and follows on from previous Bulletins (No. 78, 84, 87 and 90). The Bulletin can be downloaded here.

For more information on the longitudinal study into career guidance go to the project page.