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Statistics on higher education graduates from Scottish higher education institutions ( HEIs) and Scotland's colleges for 2004/05 are released today along with survey information on the first destinations of full-time, EU domiciled graduates in the same year. The publication reports on all graduations, including those by students that upgraded their previous higher education qualification. This updates the publication issued on 7 th December 2005.
The main points are as follows:
- In 2004/05, 69,885 students - over 4,000 more than in the previous academic year - successfully completed a higher education course in Scotland. Of these, 42 per cent obtained a first degree, 34 per cent obtained a sub degree qualification and 24 per cent obtained a postgraduate qualification.
- More graduates than ever before successfully completed a first degree or postgraduate course in Scotland in 2004-05.
- The number of graduates increased in virtually all subjects. In percentage terms the number of graduates in the subject of education increased most significantly from the previous year; other subject areas with significant increases included subjects allied to medicine, medicine and dentistry, biological sciences, humanities, languages, mass communication and social studies. Areas that have fewer graduates than in 2003-04 are engineering and technology and creative arts.
- The number of Scottish based graduates increased from the previous year by 4% while the number of foreign domiciled graduates increased by 20%.
- Of those graduates who responded to surveys of their first destination approximately 6 months after graduation, over half (59 per cent) had obtained permanent or temporary employment in the UK at the time of the survey with a further 3 per cent obtaining employment overseas. 27 per cent of responding graduates continued in study/training while 5 per cent were unemployed. For all levels of study women were slightly more likely than men to be in employment.
- Compared to the previous year employment destinations have gone up by 3 percentage points, whereas fewer graduates undertook further study.
- Of postgraduate qualifiers who obtained a permanent job in the UK 90% worked as managers, professionals or technical staff, while of undergraduates between 64% and 69% worked in those kinds of occupations.
- Of those gaining permanent UK employment after qualifying in 2004/05, 34 per cent gained employment in the health social and community work sector, with 23 per cent gaining employment in the finance and business services sector. Less than 1 in 10 graduates gained employment in public administration.
- 46% of all postgraduates from Scottish universities obtained their initial permanent UK job in finance and business services; of first degree graduates 34% of those with permanent UK employment 6 months after graduating worked in health or social work (24% in finance and business services); of those with sub degree qualifications just under half (47%) started work in the health and social care sector.
- 80 per cent of respondents who gained permanent employment after qualifying in 2004/05 gained employment in Scotland. 91 per cent of the Scots-domiciled respondents in permanent employment were employed in Scotland. 38 per cent of graduates from the rest of the UK responding to the surveys found initial employment in Scotland and over a fifth of EU domiciled respondents took their initial job in Scotland.
- Over half of those who had successfully completed a sub degree level qualification undertook further study.
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