Employers highly
value graduates who gained their qualification while studying and
working part time, research published today by the Department for
Business, Innovation and Skills and the Higher Education Careers
Services Unit (HECSU) reveals.
Around a third of employers said that their views of part time
study have improved based on the experience of their employees.
The Futuretrack: Part-time Students from an Employer Perspective
research showed that 40 per cent of part time students reported
that their employers paid all of their course fees and 8 per cent
received partial fee support.
Moreover, the Government will give extra support to part-time
students in higher education by bringing in changes to student
finance arrangements from 2012/13. These will ensure that eligible
part time students studying over 25 per cent intensity will be
able to apply for a student loan to cover the cost of tuition.
David Willetts Minister for Universities said:
“This research shows that employers particularly value graduates
who already have experience of the workplace and can apply
practically what they have learned. Studying part time is a good
option for many students enabling learning to be fitted around
work and other commitments.
“Making part time study more accessible is one of the key goals
of the Government’s higher education reforms. Part time students
will be able to get help to cover tuition costs and will only make
graduate contributions once they are in well paid work.”
Jane Artess, Director of Research at HECSU said:
“Our study has found evidence that part-time higher education
leads to more demanding tasks and responsibilities and to higher
paid jobs for those concerned. So many employers support staff in
studying part-time because of its clear benefits, believing that
their organisations benefit from staff becoming more knowledgeable
and better equipped with job related skills. Some employers also
note positive contributions to productivity and efficiency,
increased staff retention and improved staff attitudes and career progression.”
Notes to editors:
1. The survey results are available on the BIS Website: http://www.bis.gov.uk/policies/higher-education/research-analysis
2. The research is a longitudinal study following part-time
students and their employers, which aims to provide better
information on the motivations and experiences of people who chose
to study part-time and their employers, and also to identify the
impact of their study. The study is restricted to those studying
for a first degree, Foundation Degree or HND/C. It has been
jointly funded by the Department for Business, Innovation and
Skills and the Higher Education Careers Service Unit (HECSU), with
the Department’s funding directed towards the employer element of
the study.
3. The Higher Education Careers Services Unit (HECSU) is a
registered charity that supports the work of higher education
careers services in the UK and Republic of Ireland and funds major
research projects that benefit the higher education careers
sector. Graduate Prospects is the commercial subsidiary of HECSU
and has been bringing students, graduates and recruiters together
for over 30 years.
4. For HECSU media enquiries please contact Clare Schofield on
0161 277 5285 or c.schofield@prospects.ac.uk.
For BIS media enquiries please contact lucy.bell@bis.gsi.gov.uk.
5. BIS' online newsroom contains the latest press
notices, speeches, as well as video and images for download. It
also features an up to date list of BIS press office contacts. See
http://www.bis.gov.uk/newsroom for more information.
Contacts:
BIS Press Office
NDS.BIS@coi.gsi.gov.uk
Lucy Bell
Phone: 020 7215 5361
Lucy.Bell@bis.gsi.gov.uk