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Returning from earning: UK graduates returning to postgraduate study, with particular respect to STEM subjects, gender and ethnicity

d’Aguiar, Steve; Harrison, Neil

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Authors

Steve d’Aguiar

Neil Harrison Neil.Harrison@uwe.ac.uk
Occasional Associate Lecturer - ACE EDU



Abstract

© 2015 Taylor & Francis. It has been argued by some (e.g. the Confederation of British Industry [CBI]) that graduates lack the skills that render them employable. In particular, graduates of science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) subjects are often portrayed as being unready for the world of work. This study uses three large-scale national data-sets from the UK to explore this assertion, including the results of the Destinations of Leavers from Higher Education surveys. It reports analysis of 22,207 individuals who graduated from their first degree in 2007, and works from the hypothesis that those entering the workforce and then returning for taught postgraduate study are primarily doing so due to underemployment in the period following graduation. The study uses binary logistic regression and finds that a range of educational, demographic and employment-based variables have a significant relationship with the propensity to return for taught postgraduate study. Of particular note, those returning tend to be high achievers from elite universities in low-skill work after graduation, as well as women and those from minority ethnic communities; this suggests a mix of individual and structural factors at work. In addition, STEM graduates were significantly less likely to return, apparently challenging the argument advanced by the CBI.

Citation

d’Aguiar, S., & Harrison, N. (2016). Returning from earning: UK graduates returning to postgraduate study, with particular respect to STEM subjects, gender and ethnicity. Journal of Education and Work, 29(5), 584-613. https://doi.org/10.1080/13639080.2014.1001332

Journal Article Type Article
Acceptance Date Dec 17, 2014
Online Publication Date Feb 3, 2015
Publication Date Jul 3, 2016
Publicly Available Date Mar 28, 2024
Journal Journal of Education and Work
Print ISSN 1363-9080
Electronic ISSN 1469-9435
Publisher Taylor & Francis (Routledge)
Peer Reviewed Peer Reviewed
Volume 29
Issue 5
Pages 584-613
DOI https://doi.org/10.1080/13639080.2014.1001332
Keywords higher education, STEM, work-readiness, underemployment, DLHE
Public URL https://uwe-repository.worktribe.com/output/914238
Publisher URL http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/13639080.2014.1001332
Additional Information Additional Information : This is an Author's Original Manuscript of an article published by Taylor & Francis in Journal of Education and Work on 3 Feb 2015, available online: http://wwww.tandfonline.com/10.1080/13639080.2014.1001332

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STEM paper - final.docx (122 Kb)
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