Professional outcomes better for Dundee graduates

The Graduate Outcomes survey, published by the Higher Education Statistics Authority (HESA), shows that 64.5% of Dundee graduates were working in professional occupations within 15 months of graduating.

In analysis of the data carried out by higher education policy think tank Wonkhe, only three large UK institutions scored higher. The figures relate to universities and other major institutions rather than specialist higher education providers that produce only a small number of graduates each year.

The University is also top in Scotland, and 14th in the UK, for the proportion of graduates entering high skilled employment (87.4%), while more Dundee graduates in full-time professional employment agreed with the statement “my current activity is meaningful” (92%) than those from any other Scottish university.

Graduate Outcomes is the biggest annual social survey in the UK and captures the perspectives and current status of graduates. This data relates to first-degree, home-domiciled full time-study graduates who completed their course in 2017/18.

Professor Blair Grubb, Vice-Principal (Education) at the University, said, “We are delighted by this result, which shows that Dundee is one of the top universities in the UK for students looking to work in professional and highly skilled roles after graduation.

“It is our responsibility to our students to ensure that our graduates are as ready for the labour market as possible, both in terms of the qualifications they hold and the way we have helped shape them as confident, free-thinking individuals during their time at Dundee.

“Employability is embedded into everything we do, with academia-industry connections continually being cultivated and strengthened. In addition, our sector-leading work in widening access means we are having a transformative impact on the lives of students from the most deprived areas of the country.”

All students who complete a higher education course in the UK are asked to take part in the Graduate Outcomes survey 15 months after they finish their studies. Their responses add to the collective voice of graduates, while the results give current and future students an insight into career destinations and development.

The survey looks to understand whether graduates are in employment, have continued with further study, or are doing something else, and the extent to which their qualifications played a role in this. The aim is ultimately to gain insight into whether the student experience delivered what was promised by universities, from a learning and potential employment perspective.