Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether he plans to commission research to better understand (a) how disabled graduates (i) make decisions on (A) location and (B) basis of employment and (ii) make other career decisions and (b) the barriers that disabled graduates face in achieving their career ambitions.

This government believes it is important that disabled students receive an appropriate level of support wherever and whatever they choose to study and is committed to ensuring that all students with disabilities receive the support they need to enable them to study alongside their fellow students on an equal basis.

I am aware of the recommendations in the Association of Graduate Careers Advisory Services Disability Task Group's eighteenth annual ‘What Happens Next? 2021 Report’, looking at the outcomes of 2018 disabled graduates, and how the hon. Member for Kingston upon Hull West and Hessle’s questions reflect those recommendations. The report can be found here: https://www.agcas.org.uk/Latest/what-happens-next-2021.

It is pleasing to see the Disabled Students’ Commission (DSC) is supporting the report’s recommendation that more research should be undertaken on the outcomes of disabled graduates, and that the commission’s upcoming primary research project will have a focus on disabled graduates and employment.

Good work in identifying barriers disabled students can face when moving into employment after graduation was also included in Policy Connect's ‘Arriving at Thriving’ report published in October 2020, following a six-month inquiry that included gathering evidence from over 500 disabled students, which can be accessed here: https://www.policyconnect.org.uk/research/arriving-thriving-learning-disabled-students-ensure-access-all.

I agree wholeheartedly with the report’s suggestion that higher education (HE) providers must recognise the importance for disabled students of good careers information, advice and guidance by investing in the regular training and continuing professional development of careers services professionals. I am also delighted that the DSC has committed to producing materials shortly that will promote the development of disability employability guidance and boost effective practice among HE providers and employers.

Advance HE's ‘Equality in higher education: Student statistical report 2020’ meanwhile shows similar continuation and qualification rates for disabled and non-disabled UK domiciled full-time first degree entrants (89.3% and 88.5%, respectively). 6.5% of disabled students who entered HE in academic year 2017/18 left HE with no award the following year, compared with 6.8% of non-disabled students. The report can be found here: https://www.advance-he.ac.uk/knowledge-hub/equality-higher-education-statistical-report-2020.

The Office for Students has a formal key performance measure to eliminate the gap in degree outcomes (firsts or 2:1s) between disabled students and non-disabled students by academic year 2024/25.