Higher education

Graduate outcomes - Engineering and technology

Published in March 2024, our report 'Graduate outcomes - Engineering and technology' uses the latest data from the Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA) to explore engineering and technology graduates’ activity, 15 months on from graduation.

This report looks at who graduated with an engineering and technology degree, how many are employed and what jobs they are going into, and how relevant their qualification was to their job.

Key findings

  • Engineering and technology graduates are more likely to be in work than graduates in other subjects
  • Over two-thirds of engineering and technology graduates went on to work in engineering and technology jobs, but this is higher for men than women
  • Graduates working in engineering and technology roles are earning more than graduates in other jobs
  • Engineering and technology graduates are more likely to think their degree was relevant to their job, and to feel “on track” with plans for the future
  • Women, those from a lower socio-economic background, and Black/Black British (Caribbean) young people continue to be underrepresented in engineering and technology degrees

Read more

Engineering in higher education

Published in March 2023, our report 'Engineering in higher education' explores the number, characteristics and outcomes of engineering and technology students in higher education (HE) in the UK. Based on the 2020/21 data from the Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA), the report also compares the data for engineering and technology students alongside that of students studying on HE courses overall.

The report also breaks down the numbers and characteristics of students within 7 principal specialisms of engineering (which are available as standalone inserts). This includes:

Download the report infographic

Download the 'Engineering in higher education' report

 

From A levels to engineering. Exploring the gender gap in higher education

In engineering, women are in the minority at just 16.5% of the workforce in 2021. In fact, gender disparity is seen throughout all educational pathways into engineering.

Published in February 2023, this report explores how many more girls would need to study mathematics and/or physics at A level to increase the numbers of women studying engineering in higher education to the same level as men. We do this by exploring the conversion rates from A level to engineering and technology degrees for first year undergraduate students by gender, with the aim of estimating the additional numbers needed per year.

Infographic depicting WOMEN IN HIGHER EDUCATION First year undergraduates in engineering and technology - 18% women First year undergraduates in all subjects - 57% women  A LEVELS BREAKDOWN First year undergraduates who have studied A level in maths and physics: Maths and physics - 22% women Maths and/or physics - 40% women Maths only - 50% women Physics only - 31% women

Download the infographic

Download the A Levels to Engineering report