The Department has today published a bulletin: Destination of Leavers from Northern Ireland Higher Education Institutions – Longitudinal Survey of 2012/13 qualifiers.
The survey was carried out approximately three and a half years after graduation in 2012/13.
Based on a weighted total of 2,625 leavers from Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) in Northern Ireland (NI) whose destinations were known:
- Three and a half years after graduation, 72.0% were in full-time paid work, 8.3% were in part-time paid work, 0.6% were in other work. 6.6% were in both work and study, 6.3% were in further study only, 1.8% were assumed to be unemployed and 4.4% were engaged in other activities.
- The number of qualifiers from NI HEIs in ‘employment’ increased from 78.7% after six months to 87.5% after three and a half years.
- Of the UK domiciled qualifiers from NI HEIs in 2012/13 who were reported as being in full-time paid employment in the UK, three and a half years after graduation, the median salary reported (to the nearest £500) was £25,000. The figure for UK domiciled leavers from UK HEIs was £27,000.
- The median salary of UK qualifiers from NI HEIs has increased from £21,000, six months after graduation, to £25,000, three and a half years after graduation.
- Of the UK domiciled qualifiers from NI HEIs in 2012/13, whose destinations were known as being in employment in the UK, 83.4% were employed in NI, 14.5% in England, 1.7% in Scotland and 0.3% in Wales.
- Of the qualifiers from NI HEIs in 2012/13 who were in further study (including those in work and study) approximately three and a half years after graduation, 66.3% were studying at postgraduate level, 11.5% at first degree level, 21.7% at other undergraduate level, while 0.6% were not aiming for a qualification.
Notes to editors:
- The statistics presented in this bulletin are based on a publication produced by the Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA) on the Destinations of Leavers from Higher Education 2012/13 Longitudinal Survey. HESA is the official agency for the collection of information on publicly funded Higher Education (HE) institutions in the UK.
- The longitudinal survey was carried out by IFF Research Ltd on behalf of HESA and was co-funded by the Department for Education, the Welsh Government, the Scottish Government and the Department for the Economy.
- The Longitudinal Destination of Leavers from Higher Education (DLHE) survey seeks to track the destinations of students roughly three and a half years after they completed their degree. Leavers who completed the Early DLHE survey – six months after completing their degree – were invited to take part in this follow-up survey.
- The employment activity categories have been aggregated to enable comparison between the Early and Longitudinal DLHE.
- The HESA data presented in this bulletin relate to students at HE institutions in NI and do not include HE students at FE colleges in NI or GB, or at institutions in the Republic of Ireland.
- HE students for the purpose of HESA's data collection are those students on courses for which the level of instruction is above that of level 3 of the Qualifications and Curriculum Authority (QCA) National Qualifications Framework (NQF) (for example, courses at the level of Certificate of HE and above).
- The academic year runs from 1st August to 31st July.
- Further notes and technical details are available in the bulletin on the Department for the Economy website.
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