Futuretrack: a Longitudinal Study of Applicants to UK Higher Education, 2006-2012

Abstract copyright UK Data Service and data collection copyright owner.Futuretrack is an academic research study that explores the relationship between higher education, career decision-making and labour market opportunities. Graduate employment has become a heated issue in media and academic debates among those concerned with the relationship between higher education and the labour market. But what kinds of jobs are recent graduates doing? Is it now necessary to have more than just a degree? Are people who didn't go into higher education and got a job after school at a disadvantage or advantage relative to graduates? Who gets career opportunities and who ends up under-employed, and just what is 'graduate employability'? These are just some of the questions asked by Futuretrack, a longitudinal study conducted by a team of researchers at the Warwick Institute for Employment Research. It tracked the 2005/2006 cohort of applicants who applied to study on full-time undergraduate courses through the University and Colleges Admission Service (UCAS) applicants for six years, starting from their initial application to higher education. By surveying the cohort four times during May 2006 to February 2012, Futuretrack sheds light on the relationship between higher education, employment and how students’ views of career options evolved during their studies. Further information and reports are available on the Futuretrack website. Main Topics:The study covers the relationship between higher education, career decision-making and labour market opportunities