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Career follow-up surveys focus on labour market needs and increase universities’ funding

Published on 28.9.2022
Tampere University
Three persons on the street which is paint decorated.
Photograph: Rami Hanafi
National career monitoring surveys for graduates will begin on Monday 3 October. Graduates will be approached by a text message, letter, and email.

The survey is sent to Masters of Science and architects who graduated from Tampere University of Technology in 2017 and to masters, licentiates of medicine and bachelors of education (early childhood education) who graduated from the University of Tampere in the same year. A career follow-up survey is also sent to PhDs who graduated in 2019.

The surveys will be conducted by the universities’ joint national Aarresaari network.

Universities have monitored the employment of graduates and the first years of their career with joint surveys already for almost 20 years. The surveys provide a wide-ranging picture of the labour markets of university graduates and of what is required of them in working life. The data is common across universities and fields of study, so it is a good way to highlight the differences between sectors of employment. Career follow-up data is used in a wide range of ways for teaching, student guidance, and the planning and development of education.

Surveys produce information on the labour market

The results of Tampere University’s career monitoring survey in 2021 showed that the employment of respondents with a master’s degree is good: despite the exceptional circumstances, 74% of them reported to be in steady full-time employment, which is slightly more than in previous years. 51% of PhDs reported being in full-time steady employment.

“Large enterprises employ master’s degree holders the most, but variation between the sectors is big. Municipalities and universities are the biggest employer in the field of education,” says Senior Specialist Hanna-Leena Hietaranta-Luoma who oversees Tampere University’s career follow-ups.

“Most doctors work for universities, but increasingly many are employed by large businesses, and various foundations and associations,” she adds.

The results also influence universities’ funding

The career follow-up surveys of master’s graduates are also woven into the Ministry of Education and Culture’s funding model for universities. This means that each response also has a direct effect on the funding universities receive. The money earned by each response is approximately €5.000, and in 2023, Tampere University will receive a total of nearly €5 million based on the survey answers.

“Each response gives the University more information on the careers of our graduates and also money, which we can use to develop education in accordance with what is needed in the labour market,” Hietaranta-Luoma points out.

More information on the University’s career monitoring surveys:

Valuable information on working life from our alumni

urapalvelut.tau [at] tuni.fi (urapalvelut[dot]tau[at]tuni[dot]fi)

Further information on the surveys:

Senior Specialist Hanna-Leena Hietaranta-Luoma, hanna-leena.hietaranta-luoma [at] tuni.fi (hanna-leena[dot]hietaranta-luoma[at]tuni[dot]fi)
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