We do our best to ensure that our graduates are fully equipped to embark on successful careers.
Every year, like all universities, we survey our graduates to find out what they have been doing since they left us. Did they go on to further study? Did they get a job, or go freelance?
This year, Higher Education Statistics Agency’s DLHE (Destination of Leavers of Higher Education) will be replaced with the Graduate Outcomes survey, intended to capture rich, robust innovate data about graduates, 15 months after graduating.
The survey helps us to check that the courses we offer continue to be effective in helping our students achieve the careers they want and we fare well in the results when compared with other Universities.
An Unusual Sector
It is worth noting, however, that the creative industries are a little unusual in that it takes more time for graduates’ careers to take off. Therefore, capturing data only at one point doesn’t paint a true picture of our graduates’ career paths. Many creatives need a little time to find their niche. Also, they may set up their own practice or become self-employed, which takes time compared with, say, going straight into a graduate scheme with a large corporation.
This is why we make sure we build employability into all of our programmes, and provide a significant amount of support to students around finding employment or setting up in business when they graduate.
A Truer Picture
The most recent DLHE survey revealed that 92.4% of Leeds Arts University’s 2017 graduates (who responded to the survey) were in full-time employment or further study 6 months after finishing university.