Labour market value of higher and further education qualifications: a summary report
The following pages provide guidance and inspiration for how to implement a social mobility strategy, whether you are starting out on this journey or have ambitions to be among the best.
Key findings
- On average, those who study qualifications in higher education (HE) or further education (FE) earn more compared to those who do not.
- This persists even when accounting for an individual’s personal characteristics, suggesting that on average studying a qualification in HE or FE is associated with a positive value-add in earnings.
- In FE, studying a qualification higher than someone’s current level is associated with higher future earnings. This may imply that working your way up the FE qualification ladder can boost earnings.
- In HE, there is a lot of variation in value-add across subjects, with science, technology, engineering, and maths (STEM) subjects, law and economics generally being associated with higher earnings. In FE, it is harder to draw conclusions, but subjects such as business administration and engineering have a high value-add for women and men respectively.
- In HE, students from disadvantaged backgrounds are disproportionately less likely to attend universities or study subjects associated with higher earnings when compared to their wealthier peers with similar grades.
Related content
Social Mobility Commission co-hosts roundtable on AI rewards vs risks with the Tony Blair Institute for Global Change
At Blackpool and The Fylde College, The Social Mobility Commission and Tony Blair Institute for Global Change co-chaired a roundtable with business leaders, community stakeholders, and education institutions to discuss… read more
Topics
Deputy Chair delivers keynote at United Nations Global Compact Network’s social mobility report launch
Resham Kotecha, Deputy Chair of the Social Mobility Commission, addressed a room of business leaders, policymakers and regional stakeholders at the launch event of the UN Global Compact Network’s new… read more
Topics
“Manchesterism”: Building the UK’s Leading Engine of Social Mobility – Andy Burnham joins Alun Francis for new podcast episode
Greater Manchester has become the trailblazer for English devolution, but what can other parts of the country learn from its experience? In the latest episode of Social Mobility Talks, Alun… read more