Monitoring the pathways and outcomes of people from disadvantaged backgrounds and graduate groups

Abstract

The development of a strong and vibrant knowledge economy is linked directly to successful learning outcomes among university graduates. Building evidence‐based insights on graduate outcomes plays a particularly important role in shaping planning and practice. To this end, this paper analyses some key findings from the Graduate Pathways Survey, the first national study in Australia of bachelor degree graduates' outcomes five years after course completion. It focuses on the outcomes of graduates from disadvantaged groups, people of particular significance in an expanding and increasingly important higher education system. After advancing the rational for this analysis, the paper sketches the overall research approach. The paper continues with an analysis of education and employment outcomes for the target groups, and concludes by summarising implications for building further research insights.

Keywords:

• educational planning
• graduate outcomes
• higher education policy
• reducing disadvantage
• social inclusion

Acknowledgements

The authors wish to acknowledge the Department of Education, Employment and Workplace Relations (DEEWR) for funding the national research that underpins this paper. We are very grateful to the universities and graduates who participated in the research.

Notes

1. The model's statistical properties were: Adjusted R² = 0.34, SEE = 24646 and F = 1388.