Employability and capitals: the role of socio-economic background

Abstract

Entry to higher education has increased substantially for economically disadvantaged groups in recent years, but historically disadvantaged groups have been proven to still face significantly poorer graduate outcomes than their more advantaged counterparts. This research applied a theory of capital development, to explore why this might be the case with an examination of the employability experiences of first-generation students at a UK Russell Group university.

An exploratory sequential mixed method was utilised. Data collection commenced with twenty-five interviews with first-generation students. These interviews were analysed thematically, inductively and then deductively with the application of the Graduate Capital Model. Findings from the first phase of the data collection were used to inform the creation of a survey for the second phase which was administered to 379 participants.

Capitals have been increasingly used to explore disadvantage; however, this theorisation of experience has not always been fully supported with empirical evidence. This research applied the Graduate Capital Model to gain insight into the experiences of first-generation students via both qualitative and quantitative data. Although the GCM had been applied in other contexts, to the author’s knowledge this is the only research to apply the model to analyse the employability experiences of first-generation undergraduates within the UK. This study is also potentially unique in gathering quantitative data on this subject with the application of the Graduate Capital Scale.

Key findings include the high value attached by first-generation students to their human capital in the form of educational credentials, however they often felt excluded from the graduate labour market because of low social and cultural capital. The Graduate Capital Model proved valuable in understanding the students’ experiences, but there was a need to look beyond the model in its current form to understand more about the foundational role of economic capital and how capitals co-evolve. Significantly, the research revealed first-generation and continuing-generation students to depend on different modes of career support. First-generation students were more likely to rely on university lecturers and less able to utilise their parents and careers services for employability capital development. The research includes recommendations for policy and practice to support first-generation students with their capital development before, during and after they transition from higher education.

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Identifiers

ORCID for Hazel Elaine McCafferty: orcid.org/0000-0002-1606-5891

ORCID for Michael Tomlinson: orcid.org/0000-0002-1057-5188

ORCID for Sarah Kirby: orcid.org/0000-0003-1759-1356

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