Graduate Destination Data – what is it, how do we obtain it, how is it used?
A briefing paper for the SAgE Faculty Administrators Forum
Tuesday 6th March 2012
What is the Destination of Leavers from Higher Education (DLHE, or ‘deli’) survey?
DLHE data is collected on an annual basis by The Careers Service on behalf of the University. It
involves collecting information about the activities of leavers approximately six months after
graduation and, until this coming survey, relates to UK and EU domiciled undergraduates and
postgraduates only. From the 2011/12 survey period onwards we will also be surveying international
graduates.
There are two survey periods relating to two different census dates. Students who finish between 1
August and 31 December will be surveyed during the following April. Those who complete their
courses between 1 January and 31 July will be surveyed the following January. Whilst there are two
data capture reference dates, there is only one data collection with a return date of 31 March.
NB. DLHE year does not necessarily link to Academic year cohort – postgraduates completing in
second half of 2011 are just about to be surveyed, with an April census date. We will keep their data
and not submit it to HESA until March 2013 (as part of the 2011/12 DLHE process)!
The survey and methodology have been created by the Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA),
and our data is submitted to them for validation and checking each year. All institutions use the same
methodology and process, with set timescales for contact (after the census date for the April survey,
from mid November for the January census), prescribed text for letters, emails, and so on.
HESA sets demanding response rate targets of 80% of UK-domiciled full-time leavers, 70% of UKdomiciled part-time leavers, 50% of EU full-time and part-time students, 80% of Research council
funded students (currently no response rate targets have been set for international graduates).
An explicit refusal is counted towards our response rate. No response being received, or graduates
not being contactable, does not count towards the response rate. In the latest 2009/10 survey we met
or exceeded each of these response rate targets and have known destination information from 3,837
graduates.
What data is collected and how? – distribute the paper questionnaire for this year’s January
census date. Explain this was for the summer 2011, mainly UG, cohort.
Topics covered in the survey questionnaire include: employment/study circumstances six months
after graduation (e.g. work, further study, travel, unemployment etc.); job title; employer name;
occupation; industry; location of employer; size of organisation; salary; further study course or subject;
institution of study; how this is being funded, and more.
We make initial contact by email, with a link to an online survey, and then by post (to a home address)
with a paper questionnaire, and then undertake follow-up telephone contact to home/mobile
telephone numbers. Over several weeks, teams of trained students, supervised by staff, will contact
UK/ EU students in the evenings, by phone to collect the data. Information can be gained from third
parties – usually parents at a home address, could be School contacts – but only if they can answer
the core questions on both employment and further study details at the census point, which are
required for a valid return. Over 1/3rd of responses now come in by email/web, and just over 40% by
telephone.
We code the forms – for all 30 questions and 50+ fields, particularly with aspects such as the
Standard Occupational Classification (SOC) and Standard Industrial Classification (SIC) codes –
before returning the data to HESA (before the end of March) for validation and checks. Our final
submission is ‘signed off’ each year by Tony Stevenson, Pro-Vice-Chancellor (Planning and
Resources), on behalf of the University (by a set date at the beginning of May).
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How is it used?
HESA publishes national data in July each year. Their publication categories are defined. For
example they use the phrase ‘assumed to be unemployed’ to include all graduates who complete the
survey saying they were ‘unemployed and looking for employment, further study or training’, or ‘due to
start a job within the next month’, and who were not in full-time study. Graduates can be in ‘work
only’, ‘further study only’, or a combination of ‘work and study’. Those who are ‘not available’ include
those who are taking time out to travel, are temporarily sick or unable to work, are looking after the
home or family, or are permanently unable to work or are retired.
The data is also used to produce HEFCE’s Employment Performance Indicator (EPI) – which quotes
a percentage for each institution, against a benchmark figure, for full-time first degree graduates
entering employment or further study.
Focus on DLHE data - as well as Student Satisfaction data - is increasing, particularly as a result of
the imminent fees changes. The data has always been used to inform and advise current students
about options with their qualification. It can also be used by Schools/Faculties to review the
employability of their graduates. We produce summary reports on the Careers Service website which
include headline figures, graduate employment and regional employment retention percentages and
trends, and average salary figures and trends at University, Faculty and School report level. The
Programme reports include actual job titles, employer names and further study course titles and
institutions.
Increasingly the data is used to inform prospective students. The data is used on the Unistats
website (and will be on the replacement KIS comparison website), will form an important part of the
Key Information Sets (KIS) from September 2012 for all undergraduate programmes (for this year
context destination information, based on DLHE, is being hosted on the University undergraduate
pages). Summary destination information, graduate level employment percentages, and average
salary amounts will be used in the KIS. DLHE data is also used in newspaper University league
tables – The Times, The Sunday Times, The Guardian and The Complete University Guide. HESA
sells the DLHE data to organisations that request it.
The League Tables include a ‘graduate prospects’ measure. For most this involves identifying
percentages of UK full-time first degree graduates in ‘graduate level’ employment and/or study. The
SOC codes are used to define ‘graduate level’ employment. Occupations are grouped into nine major
categories with the top three being ‘Managerial and Professional’, and being interpreted as ‘graduate
level’. A more detailed definition, often used in the League Table analysis, was derived from Elias &
Purcell’s report ‘SOC (HE) A Classification of occupations for studying the graduate labour market’
(Institute for Employment Research, Warwick).
Each newspaper uses slightly different, often complex, formulas for this measure, and due to
publication deadlines is often using historic DLHE data (the latest Times Good University Guide 2012,
published in June 2011, used 2008/09 DLHE data). Institutional rankings are generated, as well as
subject ones. The subject ones use JACS principal subject groupings, or subject groupings
generated by the newspapers themselves. The methodologies are also subject to change each year,
so differences in performance do not necessarily imply a better or worse employability outcome for
graduates – it might be about a change in methodology.
NB. This can result in apparent discrepancies between the latest figures available, and those used in
league tables eg. With Agriculture this year.
The Unistats website can be used to create subject rankings and comparisons with programmes in
comparator institutions. You can also generate rankings on the graduate prospects measure using
The Complete University Guide.
Be aware that methodology, weightings, and definitions can vary – particularly when looking at
League Tables and the data and reports on our website – so try and ensure there is a genuine ‘like for
like’ comparison being made if you are attempting to generate comparison tables for your subject.
We can help with consultancy/advice in this area if anyone needs it.
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The University has performed well in this year’s tables on the ‘graduate prospects’ ranking (coming no
lower than 15th, and ranked as highly as 10th in The Sunday Times overall employability measure). It
also exceeded its EPI benchmark, and was ranked highly in this indicator too (17 th= out of all
institutions, 5th out of comparable peer group institutions). This good performance has been used
widely in promotional messages on the University website, the Ahead 2012 Profile and Annual
Review, and so on.
Planned changes to DLHE for 2011/12 survey – which is just about to start!
Following a recent review process undertaken by HESA there are a number of changes proposed for
the next survey period. These include:

The survey population will include all non-EU international leavers. There is no current
response rate target. It is expected that these graduates will be contacted by email, at least
once, as part of the survey. In addition the survey will include PGR students graduating from
a dormant status.

The methodology – in terms of the previous very prescriptive approach – is to be relaxed so
that any method can be used for contact, in any sequence. Against this ‘relaxation’, all
questions on the survey become ‘core’.

An updated SOC classification will be used. The questionnaire will also ask graduates to
detail all their activities at the census point, and specify the one that is ‘most important’. They
will also be asked to indicate how well their overall experience in higher education has
prepared them for employment, further study or being self-employed/freelance or for starting
up their own business.
Some of these changes will have significant implications in terms of: resourcing; our online systems
and processes; what data is available; possible further ‘ranking’ measures that will be generated and
those implications are currently being reviewed. The changes are for the 2011/12 DLHE cohort
where the first survey is in April 2012, but where the data will not be published or available until the
summer 2013.
Issues
The 6 month census point causes much debate in the sector. For many graduates – particularly in
certain subject areas – this can be a transition time or one where they are securing experience in nongraduate level work eg. Lab assistant roles or classroom assistant roles, as a first step towards a
graduate career. If students defer their entry to a graduate scheme or postgraduate study the DLHE
data does not take this into account.
There is a longitudinal DLHE survey conducted on a sample basis by an external organisation on
behalf of HESA that reviews destinations about 3½ years after graduation. The response rates from
this remain low – and make it particularly difficult to conduct subject or programme comparison or
analysis. The latest Newcastle University results – surveying the 2006/07 DLHE cohort at the end of
November 2010 – included details of 568 graduates (from the 3,408 who were of known destination in
the original survey). 142 were from SAgE.
The recent DLHE review – which included consultation with all the relevant stakeholders – considered
alternative timings (9, 12, 18 and 24 months) but concluded that there was no evidence that 6 months
is sufficiently poor at indicating leavers’ outcomes that it must be changed. All institutions are using
the same methodology, so benchmarking and comparison between institutions should be possible.
The definition of a ‘graduate job’ is also fairly controversial. The currently used SOC codes are not
tailored specifically to graduate employment, and fairly quickly become dated. As such there are
limited options within the digital industries, for example. A few anomalies exist – ‘bar manager’ is a
‘graduate level’ job, whilst ‘restaurant manager’ is not! The new SOC codes, and subsequent
research into ‘graduate level’ definitions (whenever that is produced!) should help with this.
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How we can help you?
We can help you interpret the destination data and (within reason, and by negotiation of timescales)
can undertake further analysis to the centrally-produced reports. We can also help provide additional
labour market information, contact with graduate recruiters, and work with you on developing skills
and employability in the teaching and support you offer your students. Details of how we can help
you are available on our new Careers Service University Staff web pages.
How you can help us?
If you are in contact with recent postgraduate leavers please advise them that we will be in touch
(soon after 16th April), and encourage them to respond. If they are providing you with updated contact
information, ask them to update their details on the Alumni ‘Keep in Touch’ web page. If they are still
looking for graduate-level employment, or need help with their career planning, remind them that they
can continue to use the Careers Service for up to 3 years after graduation and direct them to our
website, or to come and visit us on Level 1 in King’s Gate.
Also, before each cohort leaves (for the final year undergraduate students this year) encourage them
to keep their contact information – email addresses and mobile numbers, as well as postal addresses
– as up to date as possible in the S3P (Student Self Service Portal) system. We are hoping to
highlight to final year graduates the importance of the DLHE survey and encourage them to respond,
positively, to the survey when they receive it. This year’s undergraduates will receive communication
from us from November onwards, asking them about their activity as at 14 th January 2013.
If you have feedback or comments on how we can better report on and disseminate the DLHE data
within the University we would be pleased to receive those suggestions. Email Andrew Haxell
directly, or provide feedback through our University Staff web pages.
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