Employment gap narrows with each rung on the education ladder

Today’s Graduate Longitudinal Education Outcomes (LEO) data shows that 84.4% of young people who were eligible for free school meals are in sustained employment or further study five years after graduating, with only a 3.5%pt gap with their better-off peers.

This demonstrates the positive impact of continued education and higher levels of qualification on future prospects. 

Responding to the figures, Steve Haines, Director of Public Affairs at Impetus said: 

“Today’s statistics show the benefits of higher education in boosting the future prospects of young people, particularly those from disadvantaged backgrounds.

“When combined with Impetus’ own analysis, the LEO data shows that the higher the level of education attained, the more likely a young person is to be in Education, Employment or Training (EET) and the smaller the gap between young people from disadvantaged backgrounds and their better-off peers.

“Essentially, the employment gap narrows with each rung on the education ladder.

“But we know that significantly fewer young people from disadvantaged backgrounds are achieving their English and Maths GCSEs, accessing Level 3 qualifications and going onto university. More must be done to support these young people through education so that everyone, no matter their background, can reap these benefits.”

Impetus is proud to support charities like The Access Project and Into University, and our Fair Access Coalition partners, who are actively supporting young people from underrepresented backgrounds to achieve the necessary grades and access the information and support they need to transition to higher education. 

We believe that with the right support all young people can succeed in education. In this period of economic uncertainty and high youth unemployment, support to access higher education and the boost to their prospects it provides, is needed more than ever.

Our Youth Jobs Gap research investigates the link between education and employment outcomes, finding that young people from disadvantaged backgrounds are 50% more likely to be Not in Education, Employment or Training (NEET) than their similarly qualified but better-off peers.