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Careers & Employability Insight & Benchmarking
Annual student and graduate research, sector benchmarking and actionable employability insight
Understand your students. Benchmark your performance. Strengthen employability outcomes.
In a rapidly changing labour market, universities need a clear understanding of student aspirations, career confidence, employer expectations and graduate outcomes to make informed decisions about employability strategy and service delivery.
Careers & Employability Insight & Benchmarking provides access to one of the largest annual studies of student and graduate career aspirations in the UK and Ireland, helping institutions understand student behaviour, benchmark against peers and identify opportunities to improve engagement, employability and outcomes.
Drawing on feedback from more than 50,000 students and recent graduates across over 160 universities each year, the research provides a unique evidence base for strategic planning, service enhancement and institutional decision-making.
By combining national insight with institution-specific benchmarking, universities gain a clearer understanding of what students want, how their views compare with sector trends and where investment can have the greatest impact.
Annual Graduate Research Study
Access findings from one of the UK's longest-running studies of student and graduate career aspirations, attitudes and behaviours.
Institutional Benchmarking
Compare your students against national averages, mission groups, regional competitors or bespoke comparator institutions.
Bespoke Institutional Reports
Receive tailored reporting focused on your students, priorities and strategic objectives.
Longitudinal Trend Analysis
Track changes in student confidence, career readiness, aspirations and employment expectations over time.
Employability Strategy Insight
Identify emerging trends that can inform service planning, programme development and employer engagement strategies.
Student Voice & External Perspective
Gain honest feedback through independently conducted research that captures perspectives students may not share directly with their institution.
Year-Round Research Support
Benefit from ongoing support, presentations and benchmarking from the research team to help maximise value from the data.
Career Confidence Analysis
Understand how confident students feel about securing employment, navigating the graduate market and achieving their career goals.
Employability Benchmarking
Compare your institution's results against national, regional and peer benchmarks to identify strengths and areas for improvement.
Graduate Labour Market Insight
Monitor student perceptions of the graduate market, employment prospects, salary expectations and employer attractiveness. Explore career preferences, postgraduate intentions, industry interests and evolving student priorities.
Demographic & Cohort Analysis
Analyse data by subject area, student characteristics, demographic groups and other key cohorts.
Identify disengaged student groups and opportunities for targeted interventions, communications and programme design.
Employer Engagement Intelligence
Understand what students want from employers and use the evidence to inform employer engagement and partnership strategies.
Careers Service Planning
Use evidence-based insight to inform service priorities, resource allocation, programme development and strategic decision-making.
Present findings in formats suitable for service leaders, institutional committees and executive teams.
Frequently asked questions
How many students take part in the research?
The Graduate Research study captures responses from more than 50,000 students and recent graduates across over 160 universities in the UK and Ireland each year, providing one of the largest employability datasets available to the sector.
How does benchmarking work?
Institutions can benchmark against national averages, mission groups, regional peers or bespoke comparator institutions selected to meet specific strategic requirements.
What topics are covered in the research?
The research explores student career aspirations, graduate employment expectations, confidence levels, employability readiness, employer preferences, salary expectations, postgraduate intentions and wider labour market trends.
Can we analyse specific student groups?
Yes. Data can be segmented by subject area, demographic characteristics, student cohorts and institution type to provide deeper insight into different student experiences and needs.
How can careers services use the findings?
Institutions use the research to inform service planning, programme design, employer engagement strategies, targeted outreach activity and strategic business cases for investment.
Can the data support employer engagement activity?
Yes. The research provides valuable insight into student expectations, career motivations and employer preferences, helping institutions shape conversations with employers and strengthen partnership activity.
Is historical trend data available?
Yes. The study has been running for more than 17 years, providing a rich longitudinal dataset that allows institutions to understand changing student attitudes and behaviours over time.
How is this different from institutional surveys?
As an independent research provider, the study captures anonymous student perspectives and provides access to national benchmarks that internal surveys cannot typically offer.
Can the findings support institutional employability strategies?
Absolutely. Many institutions use the data to support strategic planning, graduate outcomes initiatives, employability frameworks, student success strategies and investment decisions.
Speak to our team
Discover how Careers & Employability Insight & Benchmarking can help your university better understand student aspirations, benchmark performance, strengthen employability provision and make evidence-based decisions.
Arrange a conversation with our team to explore how sector-leading student insight can support your employability and student success strategy.
