How has the vote for Brexit impacted upon the career aspirations of UK undergraduates?

Thomson, Theresa

Abstract

As graduates prepare to enter the post-Brexit world of economic uncertainty, is “getting a graduate job” their priority? And what does a “graduate career” mean nowadays?
The substantive impact of Brexit on the UK labour market is not yet clear (Institute for Employment Studies, 2017; BBC News 2018). However, large scale surveys of UK undergraduates, from predominantly Russell Group universities, suggest that most believe it will be harder to find graduate employment because of the Brexit vote (e.g. UK Graduate Careers Survey, 2017), with 77% believing there will be fewer opportunities to work or study overseas (Trendence UK, 2017).
This small-scale qualitative research project seeks to better understand the impact of political events on career decision-making by exploring the impact of Brexit on the career aspirations of final year students at the University of the West of England. By presenting a more nuanced understanding, we gain an insight into how these students aim to use their career choices to “heal” what they perceive to be the negative impact of Brexit.
The findings reveal the centrality of values and emotion in career decision making. Adaptability and even optimism are unexpected findings, which perhaps balance the predominantly negative media reporting on graduate prospects.
The study concludes by acknowledging the importance of social, economic and political context as the meaningful background for any career conversation. The researcher proposes a progressive shift in career guidance practice that allows for the centrality of values and emotion, without ignoring the realities of social and political context.

• Presentation Conference Type: Poster
• Conference Name: Postgraduate Research Symposium
• Start Date: May 11, 2018
• End Date: May 11, 2018
• Deposit Date: May 11, 2020
• Publicly Available Date: May 15, 2020
• Public URL: https://uwe-repository.worktribe.com/output/2272755