Australian Graduate Survey
CONTACT
Research Manager
Graduate Careers Australia (GCA)
PO Box 28 Parkville, VIC 3052
Telephone (03) 9344 9333
Email info@graduatecareers.com.au
Website www.graduatecareers.com.au
DESCRIPTION
The Australian Graduate Survey (AGS) is carried out by Graduate Careers Australia (GCA) in association with Australian higher education institutions. The AGS includes the Graduate Destination Survey (GDS), Course Experience Questionnaire, and Postgraduate Research Experience Questionnaire. The AGS is designed to collect information on the destination of recent university graduates: their participation in the labour market, and further education. The survey asks graduates, four months after the completion of their qualifications, the extent to which they are employed, seeking employment, engaged in further study, or unavailable to work. Their commencing salary, industry of employment, and opinions on their course of study are also collected.
Scope
Graduates in scope must have completed their course in the previous calendar year, studying at an Australian higher education institution, and qualified for the award of a bachelor degree, higher degree, graduate diploma, or other award. The scope of the survey also includes two groups of continuing students. Students who have met the requirements for the award of a pass bachelor degree, and are continuing with honours courses which include an additional year of study, are in scope. So also are graduates undertaking a combined degree who have completed the first half of that combined degree, and are now allowed to graduate. They are again in scope when they complete the second half of the combined degree.
Reference Period
April or October, depending on the graduand's course completion date. Enumeration is timed to coincide with graduation ceremonies.
Frequency of Collection
Annual
Method of collection
The GDS is a census of all higher education institution graduates who satisfy the specified scope criteria. A census methodology allows the dissemination of results at the institution level. The data are collected using a self-enumeration, mail-out and mail-back questionnaire distributed by each higher education institution to their graduates, on or about 30 April (or 31 October in the case of completers in the first semester).
DISSEMINATION
Release Schedule
Results of the GDS are released in June or July of the year following the reference year. Results of the Postgraduate Destination Survey are released in October of the year following the reference year.
Publications
Graduate Course Experience. Graduate Careers Australia, Melbourne
Graduate Destinations. Graduate Careers Australia, Melbourne
Graduate Salaries. Graduate Careers Australia, Melbourne
Grads, Jobs, and Dollars. Graduate Careers Australia, Melbourne
Postgraduate Destinations. Graduate Careers Australia, Melbourne
Postgraduate Research Experience. Graduate Careers Australia, Melbourne
Geography
Information is available for Australia and all states and territories.
Data Service
Two products, GradFiles and GradStats, available on the GCA website, provide an initial release of free summary data. Additional data are available on request, subject to reliability and confidentiality restraints on the data items.
Other information
GCA has introduced a new survey, University and Beyond, in 2007, to examine the attitudes to employment and aspirations of higher education students.
DATA ITEMS
Personal Characteristics
Age
Sex
Indigenous status
Residency status
Home state
Disability status
Non-English speaking background
First educational qualification post school
Highest educational qualification prior to course
Course Characteristics
Level of qualification
Field of study
Attendance
Length of time taken to complete course
Whether the graduate received recognition for prior learning
Work in final year
Employer support during course
Employment Characteristics
Labour force status at reference date
Whether employed full-time or part-time
Whether a short-term or permanent employee
Occupation at reference date
Industry of employer at reference date
Annual salary
Length of service
Further Study Plans
Level of qualification
Field of study
Attendance
Month course began
Institution
Historical Data
The GDS was conducted for the first time in 1971.
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