Graduates’ retrospective views of higher education. REFLEX Report to HEFCE No 6

Locke, William (2008). Graduates’ retrospective views of higher education. REFLEX Report to HEFCE No 6. HEFCE, London.

Abstract

This report is one of a series of reports commissioned by the Higher Education Funding Council for England which draw on a recent European Commission Framework Project, ‘The Flexible Professional in the Knowledge Society’ (the REFLEX project). The project – undertaken in eleven European countries - was an investigation into the employment experiences of European graduates over the five years since graduation in 2000. By design, the UK sample comprised graduates who had completed a Bachelors degree in 2000. In most of the other countries, the samples comprised wholly (or mainly) those with a Masters degree.

In this report, graduates’ retrospective views of their higher education are analysed according to factors relating to the course studied and institution attended, the characteristics of the respondent, aspects of their behaviour during study and success on the course, and their experiences after graduation. In common with European graduates overall, the majority of UK graduates considered their higher education had been a good basis for personal development. Within the UK, those from Russell Group institutions were less likely to rate this aspect as highly. Compared to European graduates overall, UK graduates were much more likely to report they made little use of the knowledge and skills gained from their degree in their first job on graduation. When reporting on their current work, some five years after graduation, UK graduates were much more likely than when in their first jobs to feel they were using their knowledge and skills – two thirds did so (as did a similar proportion of European graduates overall).

In common with European graduates overall, the majority of UK graduates considered that, had they the choice again, they would opt for the same course and institution.