David Finch's Resolution Foundation slides from our event on non-graduate career paths with Alan Milburn.

1. Finding the right path: Improving career
prospects for non-graduates
Alan Milburn, Chair of the Social Mobility and Child Poverty Commission
Lorna Unwin, Professor Emerita at the UCL Institute of Education
Torsten Bell, Director of the Resolution Foundation
David Finch, Senior Economics Analyst at the Resolution Foundation
@resfoundation / #nongrads
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2. Finding your routes
Non-graduates in the UK labour market
May 2016
@resfoundation @davidfinchrf
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3. 3
NON-GRADUATES &
THEIR OUTCOMES

4. Graduates: Level 4 plus qualifications
Non-graduates:
– Level 3 academic (A-Level) & vocational
– Level 2 academic (5 A*-C GCSEs) & vocational
Low skilled: Level 2 and below qualifications
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Defining the non-graduate population

5. Non-graduates represent forty per cent of the
workforce, but are often overlooked
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6. Hourly pay rises with qualification type for men…
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7. …but little gain for women with vocational
qualifications
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8. 8
PROGRESSION

9. Spreading success:The sector you work in matters
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10. Spreading success: vocational qualifications do
better in traditional sectors
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11. Spreading success: performance worse in other
sectors
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12. Unblocking routes:The downturn hit all earnings
regardless of qualifications
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13. Unblocking routes: But hurt younger cohorts at a key
part in their careers
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14. Unblocking routes: Pressure on promotion
opportunities for non-graduates
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15. “In my industry [sales], I've been held back by not having a degree.
I've seen people who have a degree move on into better positions.
They don't care what the degree is in, they just take them on and
pass them through.They're absolutely useless at their job. Having
a degree just opens the door, it doesn't matter what it's in.
I've had to fight my corner and use [my] equivalent experience.”
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Focus groups felt there was an employer preference
for graduates

16. New routes: For men staying in-work, upskilling &
the right sector help boost progression chances
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Gained a graduate
qualification
Working mostly in Education,
Construction & Real Estate
Working in a large firm
Years of managerial
responsibility
Years of being in work
Years of job-related training
Reported that future looks good
Longer commuting time Level 3 academic
qualification

17. New routes: Downward factors relate to the wrong
sector or losing your job
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Years sacked or redundant
Working mostly in retail &
wholesale sector

18. New routes: Similar factors boost the earnings of
women with schooling route also playing a role
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Gained a graduate
qualification
Working in a large firm
Years of managerial
responsibility
Years of job-related training
Attended a grammar or
private school
Level 3 academic
qualification

19. New routes: But motherhood brings a pay penalty,
with too few paths back to higher pay
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Years caring for a child aged 3 and
under
Working mostly in retail &
wholesale or Other Services
sector
Has disability
Years worked
part-time
Working mostly in Process
operative or craft
occupations

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CONCLUSIONS

21. • Spread successful routes: Improved careers advice, ensuring
good quality vocational routes into sectors
• Re-open blocked pathways: Better matching of graduates
into graduate roles & unwinding effect of recession on pay
• Create new routes: Creating better paid flexible, part-time
roles for women in particular
One-off chance with Apprenticeship Levy & Skills White Paper
to boost skills demand and simplify non-graduate routes
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Three key pathways to improved outcomes

22. Finding your routes
Non-graduates in the UK labour market
May 2016
@resfoundation @davidfinchrf
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