This chapter looks at the continuation of QQI graduates in education in the years following graduation, examining the outcomes of those that choose to do another course in further education, as well as those graduates who progress into higher education. The data sources used to identify these graduates are provided in the ELD methodology documentation.
As mentioned in the Outcomes chapter, 61% of 2021 graduates were in education in the first year after graduation. Nearly 30% of the graduates were in higher education only, one in four (26.6%) were enrolled in further education only, and 4.5% were in both higher and further education. Note that those in both further and higher education within the same calendar year were not necessarily enrolled in the two simultaneously.
The total proportion of 2021 graduates in higher education in the first year after graduation was 34.4%. Amongst 2016 graduates, this proportion was 4% lower at 30.4%.
The overall proportion of graduates enrolled in further education has fallen over the same period, from 38.2% for 2016 graduates to 31.1% for 2021 graduates, a decrease of approximately 7%.
In the first year after graduation, there were more male graduates from 2016 than females enrolled in higher education. The rate of male graduates enrolled in higher education was at 32.5%, compared to 28.7% of females. Two in five (41.3%) of males were enrolled in further education, compared with 35.8% of females.
There was a large decrease in the proportion of graduates enrolled in further education between one and five years after graduation. The proportion of total graduates in further education dropped by nearly 25%, while that of graduates enrolled in higher education dropped by almost 15%.
08 March 2024 14:30 - A correction has been made to the graduation year since the initial release of 04 March 2024.
The field of Natural Sciences, Mathematics & Statistics was previously shown in Outcomes to have the highest fraction of graduates in education in the first year after graduation. Some 78% of all graduates from this field were enrolled in higher education one year after graduation. Around two in three graduates from Social Sciences, Journalism & Information (63.2%) and Information & Communication Technologies (63.7%) were also enrolled in higher education.
Further education was a more prevalent outcome for other fields of study. Amongst Generic Programmes & Qualifications graduates, three quarters of graduates (75%) were enrolled in further education one year after graduation. Close to half (45.6%) of Agriculture, Forestry, Fisheries & Veterinary graduates were also continuing their studies in further education, with only approximately 15% of these graduates progressing into higher education.
Nearly 80% of Natural Sciences, Mathematics & Statistics 2021 graduates were enrolled in higher education one year after graduation. Of the Services graduates, 16.6% of females were enrolled in higher education one year after graduation, compared with 36.3% of males, a difference of nearly 20%. Of the Information & Communication graduates, more than one in two (55.6%) females, compared with nearly two in three (63.9%) males were enrolled in higher education, accounting for a difference of 8.3 percentage points.
Across most fields of study, the majority of graduates who progressed to higher education studied a course from the same field of study. The only exception were the Social Sciences, Journalism & Information graduates, amongst which roughly one in four (27.4%) graduates who pursued higher education chose a course in the same field of study.
Conversely, amongst Information & Communication Technologies and Engineering, Manufacturing & Construction graduates, more than 80% who pursued higher education continued their studies in the same field.
Note that the breakdown for Generic Programmes & Qualifications in higher education is not shown in Figure 5.5 due to low numbers.
Of the total number of NFQ Level 5 and Level 6 graduates enrolled in higher education one year after graduation, more than 60% of graduates opted for Level 8 courses in higher education. Approximately 95% of NFQ Level 5 and Level 6 graduates were enrolled in courses at Level 7 or above one year after graduation.
Amongst graduates who continued in further education, Agriculture, Forestry, Fisheries & Veterinary 2021 graduates had the highest enrolment in the same field of study, at 85.1%. Health & Welfare also had a high proportion of graduates enrolled in further education courses of the same field of study one year after graduation at 73.7%.
Of the total Engineering, Manufacturing & Construction graduates enrolled in QQI courses one year after graduation, about two in five (42.9%) were enrolled in courses of the same field of study. Less than 6% of Social Sciences, Journalism & Information graduates enrolled in QQI courses one year after graduation remained in the same field of study.
Note that the Natural Sciences, Mathematics & Statistics graduates were not included due to low numbers.
Most graduates who were enrolled in further education one year after graduation progressed into a QQI course of a higher NFQ Level one year after graduation.
Of the NFQ Level 5 graduates who were enrolled in further education one year after graduation, one in five (21.2%) opted for another QQI course at NFQ Level 5, while more than three in four (76.7%) opted for a QQI course of a higher NFQ Level.
Of the relatively small cohort of Level 6 graduates who were enrolled in further education one year after graduation, close to half (56.0%) opted for courses of a lower NFQ Level, while the remaining 44% chose to pursue a course at the same NFQ level.
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