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Jobs and workplace skills of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences graduates

Everything you need to know about the project and what taking part would involve is contained in this page in the style of frequently asked questions. If you are interested in taking part please read through the information. Use the links below if you want to jump to particular sections on the page.

When you have read all the information and are happy to take part you can sign up here. The link will take you to a consent form which will ask a few details about yourself and your previous studies, so that we can make sure we get a representative sample of respondents. It will also ask you whether you would consent to taking part in a focus group and asks you for a first name and email address so that we can contact you about taking part.

Frequently asked questions

What is the study about and who is it for?
Do I have to take part?
What will taking part in an online focus group involve?
What are the possible benefits of taking part in this study?
How will I be rewarded for taking part?
How do I express interest to take part and what will that involve?
How will any data you have about me be stored?
How do you intend to use the data?
Will my answers be confidential?
How will you ensure my anonymity?
Who should I contact if I wish to make a complaint?
Who has reviewed the study?
What if there is a problem?
What if I want more information about the study?

What is the study about and who is it for?
We are carrying out the research on behalf of the British Academy as part of their Flagship Skills project, which aims to articulate the skills that are inherent to the study of AHSS subjects and the value they make to the individual and the wider labour market and society. The research will investigate what sorts of jobs AHSS graduates do, the industries and sectors where they are employed and the skills they use in their jobs. The British Academy believes that there is a growing need for a better understanding of whether the UK has got the right balance of skills, skills levels and disciplines for the future. The research involves analysis of data from largescale national surveys of graduates as well as in-depth interviews and focus groups with employers and graduates. This is where you come in.

Do I have to take part?
It is entirely up to you to decide. You do not have to take part if you don’t want to. If you are interested in taking part, we will ask you to sign up using the link at the bottom of the page and indicate whether you would consent to taking part in an online focus group. Depending how many people express their interest in taking part, we will then select a number of people from the list and email them to set up a time that they can participate in one of the online focus groups.
You will be free to withdraw at any time, without giving a reason and this will not affect you or your circumstances in any way. As we are only able to host a maximum of 8 participants in each of two groups, there is a chance that you may not be selected to take part. In this instance, any data you provide us on the sign-up page and/or the consent form will be securely destroyed. You will only receive a £10 voucher if you are selected to take part.

What will taking part in an online focus group involve?
The focus groups will take place online using the VisionsLive platform, which allows both researchers and participants to have a free-flowing discussion. The service is a bit like an instant messaging service and you will only be able to communicate by written text. You don’t have to worry about having a webcam or anyone being able to see you and you will not be visible to the researchers or other participants. You can choose your own first name or a pseudonym to engage in the discussion. Each focus group will consist of around 8 AHSS graduates from around the country and will last no longer than 90 minutes. And, as mentioned above, you can withdraw from the focus group at any time you want.

What are the possible benefits of taking part in this study?
By taking part in the study you will be making a valuable contribution to research which forms part of the British Academy flagship project. In turn this will help inform universities and policymakers about the value of an education in the arts, humanities and social sciences and the skills needed in the workplace. Taking part in a focus group may also help you to network with other AHSS graduates and discuss ideas about future career planning and skills needs which you were previously unaware of.

How will I be rewarded for taking part?
You will be sent a £10 electronic Amazon voucher as a thank you for taking part in the focus group. This will be sent to you by email after the focus group.

How do I express an interest in taking part and what will that involve?
If you are happy to take part in an online focus group, please complete the consent form which asks for some information about you so that we can make sure we get a representative mix of participants in our focus groups. The sorts of information you will be asked for includes: what you studied and where, your age, gender, etc. The form will ask whether you consent to taking part in a focus group and you will also be asked for an email address we can contact you on and a name you would like us to address you by. Only those people who have provided consent will be able to take part. If selected, we will contact you by email at a later date to check your availability and invite you to take part in an online focus group.
If you take part in a focus group we will email you an electronic £10 Amazon voucher after the focus group. You will not be asked for any further personal information.

How will any data you have about me be stored?
Any information you provide to us on the online consent form will be stored for 10 years on a secure server in a password protected folder in IER and then destroyed securely. Only the members of the research team will have access to the data.
If you take part in a focus group, your response will be transcribed automatically by the VisionsLive software and will be held securely on a password protected secure server within the European Union. Again, only the research team will have access to this data. Members of the VisionsLive support team may have access to focus group responses, but only in order to provide support in the event of a technical problem and only under the express permission of one of the research team. The data will only be used for the purposes of the research project and any subsequent research reports.

How do you intend to use the data?
The data you provide to us when you sign up to take part will only be used by the research team to contact you in relation to the survey and to make decisions about who we would like to contact to take part. We will not pass these details on to anyone else.
The data you provide during the focus group will be automatically transcribed and may be used for the purposes of the research and for any further publications arising from the research but you will not be identifiable in anything we produce.

Will my answers be confidential?
Yes. As noted above, any information you provide to us on the sign-up form, the consent form or during the focus group will be encrypted and held securely on a password protected secure server within the European Union. Only the research team will have access to the data and VisionsLive technical support staff only when given specific permission by a member of the research team in order to help with a technical issue. The data will only be held as long as necessary for the purposes of the research project and any subsequent research reports. No contact details or personal details will be passed on to any third parties and you will not be named in any research reports.

How will you ensure my anonymity?
You will not be identifiable in anything we produce. None of your answers will be attributed to you in any reporting of the research findings and you will not be named in any reports. If we use something you say as a quote in any research reports care will be taken to ensure that nothing you say can attributed to you. We will use pseudonyms for any quotes and only include relevant contextual information, such as age, gender or subject studied, in a way that will not enable anyone to trace your comments back to you.

Who should I contact if I wish to make a complaint?
Any complaint about the way you have been dealt with during the study or any possible harm you might have suffered will be addressed. Please address your complaint to the person below, a senior University of Warwick official entirely independent of this study:

Head of Research Governance
Research & Impact Services
University House
University of Warwick
Coventry
CV4 8UW
Email: researchgovernance@warwick.ac.uk
Tel: 024 76 522746

Who has reviewed the study?
This study has been reviewed and given favourable opinion by the University of Warwick’s Humanities and Social Science Research Ethics Committee (HSSREC): 81/16-17



If you are happy to take part in a focus group, please go to the online consent form 

What if there is a problem?

This study is covered by the University of Warwick’s insurance and indemnity cover. If you have an issue, please contact the Principal Investigator of the study:

Dr Clare Lyonette, C.Lyonette@warwick.ac.uk; Tel: 02476 151615.

Any complaint about the way you have been dealt with during the study or any possible harm you might have suffered will be addressed. Please address your complaint to:

Director of Delivery Assurance Registrar's Office University House University of Warwick Coventry, CV4 8UW

Complaints@Warwick.ac.uk.

Tel, 024 7657 4774


What if I want more information about the study?

If you have any questions about any aspect of the study, or your participation in it, not answered by this participant information leaflet, please contact a member of the research team:

  • Dr Clare Lyonette, C dot Lyonette at warwick dot ac dot uk, Tel: 02476 151615.

Want to take part?

Thank you for taking the time to read this participant information carefully.

Sign up here!

If you are happy to take part, please complete the consent form.

We really value your participation.