This chapter describes the continuation of QQI graduates in education in the years after 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 Background Notes and Methodology. Some of those data sources relating to further education activity do not contain information on the fields of study or NFQ Level, and thus, where these variables are examined, only QQI and HEA data sources are used. For further details, see Background Notes and Methodology.

As mentioned previously, 63.2% of 2016 graduates were in education in the first year after graduation. In Figure 4.1, it can be seen that of these, one in four were enrolled in higher education only, one in three (32.7%) were enrolled in further education only, and 5.4% 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 combined proportion of 2016 graduates in higher education in the first year after graduation was 30.4%. Amongst 2010 graduates, this proportion was 3.2 percentage points lower at 27.2%.

The total proportion of graduates enrolled in further education has fallen over the same period, from 43.6% for 2010 graduates to 38.1% for 2016 graduates, a decrease of 5.5 percentage points.

 

More males than females enrolled in both further and higher education in the first year after graduation

In the first year after graduation, male graduates from 2016 were more likely than females to be enrolled in both further and higher education. Approximately 30.3% of male graduates enrolled in higher education, compared to 27.1% of females. Close to half (45.3%) of males were enrolled in further education, compared to 38.9% of females.

There was a large decrease in the proportion of graduates enrolled in further education between one and three years after graduation. The proportion of graduates in further education dropped by 23 percentage points for females and 27.1 percentage points for males. Between one and three years after graduation, the proportion of females enrolled in higher education dropped by 0.8 percentage points, while the proportion of males enrolled in higher education dropped by 3.8 percentage points.

The field of Natural Sciences, Mathematics & Statistics was previously shown in Outcomes to have the highest proportion of graduates in education in the first year after graduation. In Figure 4.3, it can be seen that 83.4% of all graduates from this field were enrolled in higher education one year after graduation.

Approximately two in three graduates from Social Sciences, Journalism & Information and Information & Communication Technologies were also enrolled in higher education.

For some fields of study, further education as an outcome is more predominant. Amongst Generic Programmes & Qualifications graduates, more than two in three (68.8%) graduates were enrolled in further education one year after graduation. More than half (55.4%) of Agriculture, Forestry, Fisheries & Veterinary graduates were also continuing their studies in further education, with only 15.3% of these graduates pursuing higher education courses.

 

Two in three male ICT graduates were enrolled in higher education one year after graduation

Of the Services graduates, 16.5% of females were enrolled in higher education one year after graduation, compared to 31.8% of males, a difference of 15.3 percentage points. Of the Business, Administration & Law graduates, one in three (33.6%) females, compared to 48.8% of males were enrolled in higher education, a difference of 15.2 percentage points.

Note that the proportion of female Engineering, Manufacturing & Construction graduates in higher education one year after graduation is not shown in Figure 4.4 due to low numbers.

Amongst almost all fields of study, the majority of graduates that went on to pursue higher education studied a course from the same field of study, with the exception of Social Sciences, Journalism & Information. Less than one in five (18.2%) Social Sciences, Journalism & Information graduates who pursued higher education opted for a course in the same field of study.

The opposite was the case amongst Engineering, Manufacturing & Construction and Information & Communication Technologies graduates, where 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 4.5 due to low numbers. 

Note that percentages may not add up to 100 due to rounding. 

 

Of the total number of QQI 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.

Of the 3,900 NFQ Level 5 graduates who were enrolled in higher education one year after graduation, approximately 90.5% were enrolled in courses at NFQ Level 7 or above. Of the 585 NFQ Level 6 graduates enrolled in higher education one year after graduation, 91.5% enrolled in courses at NFQ Level 7 or above.

Amongst 2016 graduates that pursued higher education one year after graduation, more than three in four graduates from Arts & Humanities, Social Sciences, Journalism & Information, and Natural Sciences, Mathematics & Statistics pursued courses at NFQ Levels 8 or above.

Only one in three Engineering, Manufacturing & Construction graduates opted for higher education courses at NFQ Level 8. Similarly low proportions were seen for Agriculture, Forestry, Fisheries & Veterinary graduates and Services graduates. More than one in five (22.6%) Services graduates that did pursue higher education took courses at NFQ Level 6, the highest proportion at this NFQ Level for any field of study.

 

The below analyses examine the progression of QQI Major graduates into further education courses, using HEA and QQI data sources only due to limited availability of data. For further details, see Background Notes and Methodology.

Nine in ten Agriculture graduates pursued the same field in further education one year after graduation

Of the 810 Agriculture, Forestry, Fisheries & Veterinary graduates enrolled in QQI courses one year after graduation, 89.5% enrolled in courses of the same field of study. Health & Welfare had a relatively high proportion of graduates enrolled in QQI courses of the same field of study one year after graduation at 72.2%.

Of the 875 Arts & Humanities graduates enrolled in QQI courses one year after graduation, less than half (44.6%) were enrolled in courses of the same field of study. Approximately 14.9% of Arts & Humanities graduates opted for Generic Programmes & Qualifications courses one year after graduation. Of the 135 Social Sciences, Journalism & Information graduates enrolled in QQI courses one year after graduation, 3.7% remained in the same field of study. One in three (37%) Social Sciences, Journalism & Information graduates opted for Health & Welfare courses.

Note that percentages may not add up to 100 due to rounding.

 

Most NFQ Level 5 graduates in further education one year after graduation pursued Level 6 courses

Most graduates who were enrolled in further education one year after graduation opted for 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 four (24.1%) opted for another QQI course at NFQ Level 5, while close to three in four (72.1%) opted for a QQI course of a higher NFQ Level. 

Of the relatively small number of Level 6 graduates who were enrolled in further education one year after graduation, three in four (73.8%) opted for courses of a lower NFQ Level. Approximately 61.9% opted for NFQ Level 5 courses, while one in four (26.2%) opted for courses of the same NFQ Level.