Welcome slide

Future arrangements for the Destination of Leavers

from Higher Education Survey

London30 August 2013

Sarbani Banerjee – Senior Higher Education Policy Adviser for the Provision of Information - HEFCE

• Provide an update on the process for 2014

• Hear from an institution that manages the survey

• Hear from us about what a potential contractor could offer

• Discuss the pros and cons of each of our options and feed back to us

Aims of the event

Agenda

Time Session

10:00 – 10:15 Registration

Tea and Coffee

10:15 – 10:45 Welcome and introduction to policy changes.

Introduction from the AOC

HEFCE’s DLHE data requirements

What HESA will offer to FECs

10:45 – 11:15 Presentation from a HEI on how to run the DLHE

11:15 – 11:45 Presentation from HEFCE on how a contractor

would run the survey

11:45 – 12:15 Exploring options in group discussion

12:15 – 12:30 Group feedback

12:30 – 1:00 Lunch

Rationale

•White Paper’s commitment to develop a ‘level playing field’ between all types of HE provider

•English FECs would be required to fund and administer the DLHE survey for themselves

Changes to DLHE survey 2014-15

Circular letter outlining options for FECs (April 13)

•To ‘go it alone’ - fund and administer the DLHE survey for themselves

•HEFCE to tender on behalf of FECs to establish a framework supplier

•To collaborate with other FECs/HEIs to run the survey as a consortium

• Support to manage procurement and data quality.

• HEFCE to appoint a supplier through OJEU open tender process.

• First tranche of the survey (April 2014) for English FECs to become optional

• HEFCE supplier in place to support second tranche (January 2015)

• After 2015, FECs expected to use framework supplier if data does not meet requirements.

Update on the process

Expected Timeline

Aug 2013 Informal consultation events

Sep 2013Circular Letter outlining full process.

Feb2014Complete OJEU competitive tender

Feb 2014 Supplier appointed

Mar 2014 Training events for FECs

Apr 2014Tranche one survey returns (optional)

Apr 2014FECs complete preparedness checklist

May 2014Feedback on checklist from HEFCE

Oct 2014 Survey activity starts

We want to explore with you...

•What our proposals would mean for your institution

•What considerations should we build into the Invitation to Tender for approved supplier.

•How we can further support you through these changes

What this will mean for your institution.

Association of Colleges (AoC)

London30 August 2013

Nick Davy – AoC HE Policy Manager

Data Quality

London30 August 2013

Richard Puttock – HEFCE Head of data and management information

Important because:•Comparable and publishable data – used to inform student choice

•Quality assurance and enhancement

•Informs public policy - the social, cultural and economic benefit of Higher Education

Why good DLHE data is importantHigh response rates•Target response rate:

• Full Time – 80%

• Part Time – 70%

Currently a minimum of 23 students•Concern of non-publishable data

•Round table discussions about data thresholds

•Part of HEFCE’s financial memorandum

•Data contributes to the wider debate around the value of HE in FE

•Distinctive contribution of smaller providers

HEFCE’s Data Thresholds...

Data requirements•Complete responses and full data

•Correct SOC and SIC coding

•Data submission via HEFCE extranet, linked to ILR (XML format).

HEFCE’s requirements

Preparedness checklist•To help FECs think about the practicalities of running the survey

•To allow HEFCE to act as a critical friend

Resources from the Higher Education

Statistics Agency (HESA)

London30 August 2013

Catherine Benfield - HESAwww.hesa.ac.uk/C11018

An institution’s perspective of running

the surveyLondon

30 August 2013

Amin Pradhan and Ruth Cartwright – University College Birmingham

University College Birmingham

Destination of Leavers in Higher Education

Amin Pradhan

Ruth Cartwright

Who uses the Data

• Statutory Customers, various bodies including BIS, HEFCE, Training and Development Agency for Schools

• The HE sector in the UK

• Those involved in production of TQI and performance indicators, League Tables

• UNISTATS – www.unistats.com compare institutions

• Public interest in HE

• Internal – academic staff, various business units, self assessment, Careers Advisers, prospective students, current students

Time Line

October Download DLHE population from HESA Data and linked to Student Record System and identify contactdetails and split data into returning and non-returningstudents into two spreadsheets

Mid November Email all students with the HESA on-line destinationform completion link

End ofNovember

Reminder sent via email to all only non respondent

Mid December Prepare address labels and send paper forms tostudents home address with a reply paid envelope

BeforeChristmasbreak

Send email to remind students to complete formseither sent in post or on-line

Time Line

January Prepare for telephone survey

Mid January Send a text message reminder

February Commence telephone survey and visit current students in lectures

February/March Code, input and validate data

March As a final attempt contact the alumni/lecturers/careers to see if they have any information about the students. (This must always be as a last resort)

All students completing the survey are logged on daily basis so that we do not contact them again

Telephone Survey Preparation

• Identify Student Ambassadors• Take into consideration language requirements if

students are international• Train them thoroughly ensure they understand

the need for accurate data • Commence telephone survey evenings and

weekend with a supervisor who can advise where necessary

Success of different methods used

Target Response Required by HESA/HEFCE

• Full-time UK – 80% (UCB 87.0%)

• Part-Time UK – 70% (UCB 85.1%)

• EU – 50% (UCB 64.8%)

• International - 0% (UCB 21.5%)

UCB DLHE Survey Population

Academic Year 10/11 – 1070 Academic Year 11/12 – 1638

Target Response Rate Required:

CASCOT• CASCOT is designed to assign a code to a piece of text. e.g. a SOC

code to a job title from the DLHE survey

• When CASCOT assigns a code to a piece of text it also calculates a score from 1 to 100 which represents the degree of certainty that the given code is correct, however, be aware that:

• you do not have to use the recommendation made by CASCOT (regardless of the score it is given)

• Use your judgement to assess whether it is the most accurate code and reflects the true nature of the job

• Make use of it. UCB could not do the DLHE return without it

Issues to watch out for

• Ensure contact details are kept up-to-date

• Classification of SOC codes

• Postcodes

• Ensure the salary field is for annual Salary

• Ensure you have an effective procedure for logging responses and you do not contact any students who have replied

Things to consider for survey

• What methods are you going to use:-

- Postal forms

- Online survey

- Use PDFs

- Undertake telephone survey

- Current Students

• Raising awareness of DLHE survey

Things to consider for survey

• Some graduates will like to complete forms online, others will not, so offer as many methods of completing the survey as possible

• Up-to-date contact information

• Call at the right times

• Resource requirements

• Collaboration/Managed service

Finally

• Plan well, do not leave it too late as this is a time consuming task

• Make sure you have the necessary resources available i.e. Can you manage in-house or do you need extra help

• Keep an audit trail

What a contractor would offer

London30 August 2013

Matthew Barrow – HE Policy Adviser for the Provision of Information - HEFCE

Running the DLHE survey through a contractor

• HEFCE to run a tender exercise to establish a framework supplier.

• This should:• Ensure economies of scale• Reduce the burden for FECs to run competitive tender exercises• Support FECs to provide good quality data

Current Contractor

• Current contractor for the collection of DLHE data for FECs covers:

• 116 colleges• 22,438 graduates• College populations range from 4 to 1590• Response target of 80% (high)• Means contacting over 17,950 graduates

College’s Responsibility

• Provide the contractor with a contact list of the survey sample

• Communicate with the contractor

Contracted to run the survey on your behalf

•Set up data systems

•Advertise and market the survey

•Digital copy of the survey sent out via e-mail

• Specialist online survey software with unique access codes

• Adapted for smart phones

• Text messages

• Letters

• Fully trained call team

• Diagnostics

• Producing the data and analysing

What the contractor will provide

Costs•Currently, the survey runs at a cost of ≈ £ 10 per student

•Dependent on the bids that we receive from our Invitation to Tender

•There may be an annual set up cost

•There may be a cost per student

Costs involved

Practicalities

• Staff and student awareness of the survey running

• Quality of the alumni contact records

• Set up costs for institutions

Practicalities of using a contractor

Benefits•End to end service

•Reduced risk

•Fixed costs

•Expertise and experience

• Soc and Sic coding

• The rules and any changes

• No need to recruit temporary staff

• Economies of scale

• Brand awareness

Benefits to using a contractor

Group Discussion

London30 August 2013

Sarbani Banerjee – Senior Higher Education Policy Adviser for the Provision of Information - HEFCE

• Feedback on HEFCE’s process

• Timing

• Options available

• Preparedness checklist

• What would be the implications for your institution

• How can HEFCE support FECs through these changes

Discuss in groups