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Learning from Futuretrack: Impact of work experiences on HE student outcomes
SRHE November 8th 2013
Aims and objectives
Futuretrack studyHow this study was carried outKey findingsDiscussion
FuturetrackLongitudinal tracking study of the cohort of
applicants to HE in 2006Funded by HECSU, conducted by the
Institute for Employment Research at the University of Warwick under leadership of Professor Kate Purcell.
Four stages – captures student journey from application to post-graduation outcome.
Unprecedented data set
Futuretrack data source
Research questions• What proportions of students participate in internship, sandwich
placements, and work experiences and do these differ by socio-economic group, institution, subject, age, gender, ability and ethnicity?
• What is the impact of work experiences on graduate outcomes and student aspirations?
• Is there a relationship between socio-economic group and subject discipline in sandwich courses and choice of institution?
• Is there a relationship between the level of participation in work/ work experience/placement and subject of study, and institutional type (i.e. whether highest – low tariff institution)?
• In what way does the timing of participation in paid and unpaid work differ by institutional type?
Method
• Review previous Futuretrack findings
• Re-analyses and descriptions
• Discussions with BIS
• Modelling and regression analyses+
• Implications for practice?
Summary of findings
Paid work Unpaid (voluntary) work Structured work experiences
Those who had undertaken both paid work and structured work experience had the most positive outcomes
Those who had undertaken no work had the least positive outcomes
Pathways into and through HE
Previous FT findings• Participation in paid work during term time
linked to socio-economic disadvantage and lower entry tariff institutions.
• Work-related activities varied with institutional type and subject.
• Stage 4 reported that integral work placements, vacation internships, and paid work for career experience – led to higher proportion who felt job was very appropriate than those who worked only for money.
Paid work• 33.7% men, 28.9% women and 40% of those aged 26
years+ did no paid work.• Women did more paid work in vacation and term times at
stage 2.• More men in vacation-only work by stage 3.• 50% of Asian respondents did not do paid work at stage 2.• All ethnicities increased paid work by stage 3.• More from routine/manual backgrounds worked both
vacation and term time.
• Those of parents with HE experience – less likely to work both vacation and term-time and more likely to work during vacations-only.
Hours of working by institutional type: stage 2
Structured work experience
• Work placements and sandwich years influenced by subject and institution type.
• Placements more likely in Education and Subjects allied to medicine; sandwich more likely in Engineering and Business.
• Least likely to do placement or sandwich at highest tariff but more likely to do vacation internship.
Work related learning by subject at stage 4
Work experiences by age
Work experiences by institution
Combining work experiences
Results
Proportion of respondents with each outcome separately by type of work undertaken
Type of Work Experience Number of
respondents
Paid work
only
Work-based
learning
Both paid work and
work-based learning
None
Outcomes Good degree 77.0 73.1 81.9 67.3 8386 Self-confidence 82.5 84.6 85.7 78.1 8389 Unemployment 9.2 7.7 6.1 14.9 8384 Graduate job 36.2 59.4 55.2 33.6 6057 Wage1 19442.3 22054.7 23581.6 18343.6 6278 1 the figures for the wage give the mean wage
Work experiences
Summary and conclusions• 25% had undertaken paid work during the entire
period of HE and 15% had undertaken none, yet participation levels differ considerably.
• Results of regression analyses suggest that work experiences had an effect on labour market outcomes that was at least partly independent of respondents’ background characteristics.
• The study provides a baseline against which further research can evaluate changes in work-related activities of students.