Skill utilisation

As discussed in Section 2.4, skill utilisation has been conceptualised and measured in a number of ways. This thesis adopted matching-based approaches to skill utilisation rather than HPW-based measures (see Section 2.4). In line with other researchers (e.g. Green and Zhu, 2010; Chevalier and Lindley, 2009; Battu et al., 2000; Gallie, 1994), selected

Futuretrack survey questions were used to focus on different aspects of skill utilisation.

Using the available questions in the Futuretrack survey and with reference to the literature, skill utilisation could be measured in four main ways: (1) whether the graduates used (a) skills and (b) knowledge developed during their undergraduate degree in their current main job; (2) the extent to which the graduates were required to use selected specific skills in their current job; (3) whether the job required a degree (specific or general), and (4) whether the graduates reported high levels of job appropriateness (how appropriate they thought their job was for someone with their skills and qualifications).

The Futuretrack questions relating to the measures above are listed below: 1(a): a#_skills:67 _{Do you use the skills developed on your undergraduate degree} programme?

66 _{The tariff point HEI classification was based upon the average tariff scores required to access} undergraduate courses at the HEIs. The data was used from Futuretrack wave 1 in conjunction with UCAS. The highest-tariff group consists of the vast majority of the Russell Group universities and a small number of other pre-1992 universities, and small number of other HEIs, while the high-tariff group consists of the remaining Russel Group universities, most other pre-1992 universities, and other HEIs. See Purcell et al. (2009) for more detail.

67 _{Where # refers to the activity history number since October 2006 corresponding to the graduates’} current jobs (e.g. A graduate who completed university in July 2009 (activity 1); did a 2-month internship (activity 2); and then got a job in a bank on a graduate scheme (activity 3) which she was still doing at the time of the Futuretrack survey would be coded as activity 3).

73 1(b): a#_knowl: Do you use the subject/discipline knowledge you acquired on your

undergraduate degree programme?

2: Q33: To what extent are you required to use the skills and capabilities listed below in your current job? (Not at all; some; a lot). The list comprises:

a. Written communication g. Innovative thinking b. Spoken communication h. Entrepreneurial skills c. Numerical analysis skills i. Ability to work in teams d. Critical evaluation j. Ability to work individually

e. Research skills k. Ability to manage my time effectively f. Presentation skills

3: a#_req: Were any of the following qualifications required for this job? Please select ALL that apply.

Option 2: an undergraduate degree in a particular subject Option 3: an undergraduate degree in any subject

4: On a scale of 1 to 7, where 1 means ‘ideal’ and 7 means ‘very inappropriate,’ how appropriate do you think your job is for someone with your skills and qualifications’?

Measures 1(a) and 1(b) can be viewed as the general skill and knowledge use question (e.g. Green and Zhu, 2010), while measure 2 focuses on specific skills and competences required (e.g. Salas Velasco, 2010; Nabi, 2003). Measure 3 may be thought of as a self-reported qualification match variable. Similar subjective qualifications-match instruments have been used in the literature (e.g. Nabi 2003; Battu et al., 2000). Lastly, measure 4 is an explicitly subjective skill mismatch question, similar to that used by Chevalier and Lindley (2009), and included in the WERS 2011 survey of employees (B4: “How well do the work skills you personally have match the skills you need to do your present job?”). However, it should be noted that ‘appropriateness’ does not always specify a graduate-level job and depends on the graduates’ reference groups: for example, as Purcell and Elias (2015) pointed out, fine arts graduates working in low-paid non-graduate jobs in museums or art galleries may view their jobs as appropriate if they view these jobs as essential stepping stones towards a career job.

74 These measures capture only certain aspects of skill utilisation. All of these measures, and all responses in the survey, are respondents’ perceptions (see Section 3.5.1 for advantages and limitations of survey data). The Futuretrack survey does not ask respondents to provide examples of how they used skills at work. This aspect can be obtained through interviews, by asking participants to give examples of using different skills, or to explain what these skills mean to them.

In the interviews, the skill utilisation question was explored further by asking graduates to explain what they meant by degree skills and knowledge, to give examples of using selected specific skills (research skills and innovative thinking skills), and to talk about whether they had any skills or knowledge which they did not have the opportunity to use. Research and innovative thinking skills were selected from the list of 11 skills to be

followed up in interviews because an earlier version of the quantitative analysis found that there was a positive association between smaller businesses and the likelihood of using these skills ‘a lot’ of the time (Luchinskaya, 2013).

The graduates were also asked about their job description and whether they did tasks outside that description, and if so, why, and at what level (more senior or more junior type of tasks). This question is similar to that used in the WERS 2011 Survey of Employees (C1: “To what extent do you agree or disagree with the following statements about working here? Using my own initiative I carry out tasks that are not required as part of my job.”). It attempted to elicit responses about the opportunity to use skills beyond those required for the job (i.e. to develop the job).