Higher education

Introduction

This section provides resources for "making the case" for careers in Higher Education, referring to both challenges that careers services can tackle and evidence that such services work.

The context for careers services in higher education is set by the fact that more than half of students believe ‘all university courses should be designed mainly with future employment in mind’ (HEPI, 2021). 

There is a strong body of evidence for the impact of services on both students’ career capabilities and their employment outcomes in the UK and overseas, particularly the US. 

Work by Agcas continues to steer progress in the UK, demonstrating families of case studies and best practices whereby careers services are tackling various contemporary issues in innovative ways, ranging from social mobility to AI, as well as delivering continuous improvement. 

This page provides references to the landscape in which CEIAG operates, case studies of practices (including the application of theory), as well as links to research-active institutions, relevant publications, and data sources.

The case for careers

The academic literature, think tanks and membership bodies have cited the importance of continuing to invest in career services. For instance:

• More than half of students use their career services in the UK (Freeman and Hillman, 2021). That said, students are not engaging as fully as they could with career services to gain the benefits, but both process improvements and technology can achieve sizeable benefits (Agcas and Symplicity, 2022)

• Students with lower social capital have historically faced disadvantages in the labour markets (e.g. Greenbank, 2012). While widening participation to Higher Education aids social mobility, it is not enough by itself to overcome disparities and career services need to play a further role in these challenges (UPP Foundation, 2017)

• Economic conditions affect perceptions of the value of completing a degree (Donald, 2018)

• Demands of employers are changing with changing labour markets, creating the onus on careers services to equip students with contemporary knowledge of how to succeed (e.g. Institute of Student Employers, 2024).

• There are arguments that career services are a critical differentiator for higher education institutions, who are often judged on employability outcomes (e.g. uConnect, Aza Associates)

• The scenario whereby practitioners receive sustained complex client cases, in uncertain times, risks “a diminution of guidance counselling skills” and “disaffection” from the professional practitioners due to the nation of work it creates. (Hearne, 2009).

• Historic policy changes had mixed effects on higher education career services, with some flourishing but others became at-risk of being marginalised (Barbour, 2016)

• A survey of HE students in the UK in 2023 found that “Students do not feel that their university is developing certain skills as they do not feel comfortable in applying those skills (e.g. job interview skills, ability to write CV and general emotional intelligence) when they graduate.” (Otermans et al, 2023)

• More than half of students believe ‘all university courses should be designed mainly with future employment in mind’ (HEPI, 2021).

Evidence for the impact of services includes:

• Career services have been measured as being valuable to UK Higher Education students for at least two decades, as described by, for instance, Crust (2007)

• Literature reviews of evaluation studies show an emphatic positive impact of career services on students’ personal career motivations and behaviour and employment outcomes e.g. more than 90% of studies showing positive effects from 1976 to 2019 (Reardon et al, 2021).

• US evidence shows that graduating students who use career services get 24% more job offers (National Association of Colleges and Employers, 2022).