Institute for Employment Research » IER News & blogs (tag [students])

Upcoming seminar: Academic mobility and employability

Fri, 19 May 2017 09:00:04 GMT

Employability gain is often connected to international experiences, however, empirical findings are sparse. The Academic Mobilities and Immobilities Network (AMIN) and IER are organising a research seminar to explore research on academic mobility on 23 May. There will be presentations from Dr Toni Wright (Newham College), Eluned Jones (University of Birmingham) and Gaby Atfield (IER) focusing on: do students enrolled in UK Higher Education Institutions gain international experiences by studying or working in a different country, or by taking part in international events on the UK campus?; and do international students enhance their employability by studying in a UK higher education institution? To register and find out more here.

New project: AHSS Sector analysis of the employment outcomes of graduates

Tue, 11 Apr 2017 13:36:54 GMT

The British Academy has commissioned IER to undertake an analysis of the employment outcomes of graduates on undergraduate (UG) and taught post-graduate (PGT) courses in the Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences (AHSS) at UK Higher Education Institutions, looking at the sectors in which they are employed, the jobs they do, and the skills that they demonstrate. As part of this research, we are looking for volunteers to participate in two online focus groups. Participants will be offered a £10 incentive for attending the focus group. All participants must be AHSS graduates from UK universities who are currently in paid work.

For more information or to register an interest in taking part, please contact [email]C.Lyonette@warwick.ac.uk[/email]

Credentials and self-reported skill gain do not measure the same

Tue, 24 Jan 2017 14:19:42 GMT

As a part of the LEGACY project, Dr Heike Behle recently presented a paper in which two ways to measure learning gain were critically assessed: Credentials and self-assessed improvement of specific skills.

Both ways have drawbacks: Credentials can be an effective way of measuring student learning within a particular class, since most institutions have a scaled grading system already in place. It is problematic, however, to use across classes and institutions and it does not measure the ‘distance travelled’ during higher education. On the other hand, self-assessed improvement of skills will always be subjective and will differ according to individuals’ personality and their personal and HE-related circumstances such as gender and subject studied. It is also important to notice that both data is censored, i.e. improvement is not unlimited.

Using Futuretrack data, Heike compared both ways and found that those who increased their learning gain using credentials are less likely to assess their skills highly, both variable correlate negatively. The findings are currently being prepared for publication. Reported in THES.

Nurturing the talent pipeline in Northern Ireland

Sun, 13 Nov 2016 19:02:49 GMT

The way in which teenagers think about their future in education and employment has a significant impact on what becomes of them as adults. Good-quality careers education and young people's exposure to the world of work can make a real difference to academic, social and economic outcomes, according to IER's Dr Deirdre Hughes OBE Principal Research Fellow and Chair of the Senior Advisory Group for Skills Northern Ireland. Deirdre is chairing a breakfast meeting with NI business and education leaders, including a keynote address by Peter Weir MLA, Minister of Education, Northern Ireland.

Organised by Prospects Events, sponsored by NIE Networks and supported by Ulster University, a brand new major Skills Northern Ireland event at the Titanic Exhibition Centre on 8 & November 2016 offers young people and parents the opportunity to meet employers, discover careers and learn more about Northern Irelands major skills shortages.

Student and graduate focus group participants needed

Thu, 09 Jun 2016 11:04:32 GMT

The Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA) has commissioned a piece of research by the Institute for Employment Research (IER) at the University of Warwick. HESA is leading a review to find out what future requirements there will be for data on the destinations and outcomes for students leaving HE. To help inform the Review, HESA wants to find out particular information from students and graduates and we would like to invite students and gradautes to participate in an online or face-to-face focus group.

The first face-to-face focus group will be held at the University of Warwick on 14 June at 3pm. All participants will receive £10 for their participation. Click here to find out more or sign up for this focus group or future online groups.

Researching the needs of adult learners

Tue, 03 May 2016 12:37:52 GMT

The All Party Parliamentary Group for Adult Education has commissioned the University of Warwick’s Institute for Employment Research (IER) to undertake research which will provide insight into the needs of adult learners. It will also consider how policy and practice should adapt in the next five to ten years to increase participation and attainment. There is a particular focus on disadvantaged adults and those who may find education challenging. The research is being supported by the Group of Specialist Designated Institutions (of which WEA is one). The research findings will be shared with the All Party Parliamentary Group for Adult Education in July.

Interested in contributing?

Call For Evidence – IER are looking for contributions from interested individuals and institutions to build a view on the current state of policy and practice in adult education as well as looking ahead to what may need to change in the near future.

Adult Students’ Survey – IER are also looking for responses from current and recent adult students through an online survey aimed at gaining an understanding of what works and what needs improvement in current practice.

If you have any questions about either please contact sally-anne.barnes@warwick.ac.uk.

IER Business Class Evaluation report published

Fri, 27 Nov 2015 12:31:06 GMT

On 26 November, Business in the Community published its report Destiny should not be determined by demography which considers the impact of school-business partnerships on young people’s employability, as well as the effects of such partnerships on schools and businesses. The report is based on research carried out by Terence Hogarth and Lynn Gambin at the Institute for Employment Research which aimed to assess the impact of employer-engagement activities, the uplift of employability skills and added-value impact on pupils of the Business Class programme. This research was carried out over the past two years in conjunction with Education and Employers Research.

The full evaluation report can be downloaded from http://www.bitc.org.uk/programmes/business-class/business-class-evaluation.

Key professions losing staff due to lack of support for student mothers

Wed, 19 Aug 2015 20:23:02 GMT

Key professions such as nursing, teaching and social work are losing thousands of potential recruits as student mothers drop out of higher education due to a lack of support from universities. New research led by IER's Dr Clare Lyonette is published today. The research, funded by the Nuffield Foundation, highlights the true scale of the pressures placed upon mothers who go to university and calls for more to be done to assist them. Read more about the project and download the reports here.

Futuretrack Findings

Fri, 08 Mar 2013 17:10:17 GMT

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..!”

Futuretrack Prize Draw Winners Announced

Wed, 28 Mar 2012 16:06:16 GMT

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/