IER and Cambridge Econometrics are currently undertaking a review of the literature looking at seven key methodological issues in estimating returns to Higher Education, Further Education and Skills. The project is sponsored by the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS).

As a part of the project, a one day workshop is being hosted at the University of Warwick and is being chaired by Prof Peter Elias (IER). A number of academics will come together to hear findings from the review and to discuss their views and experiences of these issues. The aim of the study and the workshop is to set forth recommendations for BIS (and others) to utilise in future analysis so that the estimated economic value added of different forms of learning are robust and representative of the true underlying returns.

Findings from Stage 4 of the HECSU-funded Futuretrack study are highlighted in a special issue of Graduate Market Trends (GMT), published by HECSU (February 2013). An IER research team, led by Professor Kate Purcell, followed the progression of the 2005/2006 cohort of applicants to higher education from application to graduation. Data from the Futuretrack study has raised important questions about the types of employment obtained by graduates, finances, career opportunities and further study.

http://www.hecsu.ac.uk/current_projects_graduate_market_trends.htm

Further details about the research can be found on the IER website at: www.warwick.ac.uk/futuretrack , where PDFs of the project’s published Reports and Working Papers can be accessed and downloaded, as can PDFs of the online questionnaires used for each stage of the longitudinal research.

Professor Purcell notes: "This is the most ambitious and comprehensive research ever undertaken to explore the relationship between higher education and access to opportunity. The data we have collected is extraordinarily rich, the published reports produced so far only show the tip of the iceberg . There is much more to come..!”

Results of the Futuretrack Prize Draw were announced today (28 March). 110 lucky prize draw winners have been selected and contacted by the Futuretrack team with the good news.

HECSU donated 10 prizes of £1000 and 100 prizes of £100 as an incentive for respondents to participate in the final wave of the Futuretrack Survey - the most extensive investigation of the relationship between higher education and employment ever undertaken in the UK.

Data from this final wave of the survey will now be analysed and results published later in the year. For up to date information on Futuretrack, visit http://www2.warwick.ac.uk/fac/soc/ier/futuretrack/

At the 14th AlmaLaurea conference, held at the university of La Sapienza in Rome on 8th March, Professor Kate Purcell was discussant for the main paper presented by professor Andrea Cammelli, Director of AlmaLaurea, discussing the findings of the 2011 survey and trends in the early graduate career transitions of Italian graduates from 64 universities, in the context of recession, global change and the complexities of the current European economy reporting the findings of the 14th Annual Survey. The conference is attended by a wide range of Italian and other European policymakers, academics and graduate employers, including with speakers from a range of countries: http://www.almalaurea.it/info/convegni/roma2012/

Many thanks for all your feedback about the Futuretrack study. Owing to popular demand, we have extended the survey until Tuesday 6 March.