Data published today, 25 June 2015, by the Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA) on Destinations of Leavers from Higher Education in the United Kingdom for the academic year 2013/14 showed that graduates from Scotland’s 19 higher education institutions have the best record of professional level jobs in the UK.
Today’s figures also show:
- The proportion of those in graduate level jobs was four per cent higher than their peers in the rest of the UK at 73 per cent (compared to the UK average of 68 per cent).
- Graduates from Scottish universities had the highest rate of positive destinations in the UK (work and/or further study) at 89.9 per cent compared to the UK average 88.8 per cent.
- Graduates from Scottish universities had the highest mean average starting salaries in the UK at £22,500, compared to the UK average of £21,500).
A spokesperson for Universities Scotland said:
“Today’s figures are great news for Scotland’s students and particularly those graduating this summer as once again Scottish graduates have higher levels of positive destinations of work or further study than the UK average. Of those that go straight into work it is so encouraging to see that Scotland is better than the UK average for the proportion going straight into graduate level jobs at 73 per cent. This builds on last year’s figures and marks the impact of a university experience in Scotland that is very focussed on employability and on developing graduates with well-rounded skill sets.
“Scotland’s universities are very proud of their record on graduate employability and this continues to be a real priority with time and investment in employability strategies. Universities are working closely with employers to design courses and create work placement opportunities for students, so that we are producing skilled graduates and a strong talent pool for Scotland to fill jobs and attract more businesses to invest in the country.”
Notes
- The full data set for graduate destinations can be found on the HESA website here: Destinations of Leavers from Higher Education in the United Kingdom for the academic year 2013/14.
- Due to the changes in the DLHE survey, it is not possible to reliably compare data before 2011/12.