The Brighton Factor! Graduate choices: University, Living and Working

1. The Brighton Factor!Graduate choices: University, Living and Working Emma Pollard Marc Cowling Pete Bates

2. Specific Local Issues • Who comes to Sussex University? • What attracts them? • Are they happy with their decision? • What about the future? • How important is the ‘Brighton factor’?

3. General Issues • Location location location! • Student numbers and participation • Widening participation • Student fees and debt • Graduate wage premium

4. Data, methods etc • Exiting student survey, 2007 • 650 final year students • Test for gender, ethnic, age and original domicile differences • Econometrically investigate key differences on locational choice pre-university and post- university

5. Where do they come from and who are they? • UK 68.1%, EU 13.7%, Overseas 18.2% • Within UK, 73.2% from London and South East • Higher proportion of UG’s from UK • Social sciences (23.8%), humanities (18.5%) and life sciences (17.6%) largest faculties

6. Why do they come to Sussex?

7. And who thinks finding the right course is more or less important? • UK students from outside of the South East (more important) • Females (more important) • Law students (much less important) • Social science, business and management, and language students (marginally less important)

8. And who thinks teaching and research quality is is more important? • Research quality: • EU students • Post-graduate students • Older students • BME students • Soc science, life science and humanities • Teaching quality: • Post-graduate students, BME students • Soc science, life science and business

9. And who thinks the Brighton Factor is more important? • Under-graduates find the Brighton factor marginally more important • Under-25s find it far more important • Over 25’s find it increasingly less important

10. And who finds the general feel of the university more (or less) important? • UK students from outside the South East find it more important • EU and overseas students less important • Under-graduates find it more important • Women find it more important • 25+ students less important • Language students more important

11. A bit of Brighton Factor • What graduates expect from the world of work - activities

12. A bit of Brighton Factor • What graduates expect from the world of work - jobs

13. A bit of Brighton Factor • What graduates want from employers

14. A bit of Brighton Factor • What gives a city an advantage?

15. Should I stay or go? • UK students from outside SE less likely to relocate to London (or elsewhere in Sussex), as are 25+ • But BME students more likely to go to London • Women more likely to relocate elsewhere in SE • But all non-SE students have higher probability of moving elsewhere

16. And where will I work? • London is more attractive to BME and social science students • Sussex is less attractive to Non-SE UK students and maths, social science, humanities and drama, media, film students • SE is less attractive to non-SE UK students • All non-SE students have higher probability of working elsewhere

17. Does Brighton have a net inflow of graduate talent? • Brighton will benefit from a net increase (inflow) of 27.6% of total non-SE graduates from Sussex uni • Exports (defined as graduates working elsewhere but living in Brighton) will be accounted for by 4.9% from London, 3.4% from Sussex • Imports (defined as graduates working in Brighton but living elsewhere) are negligible

18. Graduate flows • Brighton will retain 38.6% of SE graduates, 50.4% of UK non-SE graduates, 28.1% of EU graduates and 24.1% of overseas graduates as residents • Brighton will retain 31.1% of SE graduates, 40.0% of non-SE graduates, 22.0% of EU graduates and 20.7% of overseas graduates as labour market entrants

19. So what is the ‘Brighton factor’ on a social level?

20. Social Brighton • Under-performs on housing costs • Over-performs on greenery • Over-performs on friendliness • Over-performs on public transport • Over-performs on safety • Over-performs on bars, restaurants, clubs etc • Over-performs on health care

21. So what is the ‘Brighton factor’ in economic terms?

22. Economic Brighton • Brighton under-performs on graduate level employment opportunities • Brighton over-performs in terms of providing a pleasant working environment • Brighton just about matches graduate pay expectations

23. Summary • Sussex university providing the right courses and maintaining high teaching quality are key to continuing to attract large numbers of high quality students (especially post-grads and women) • But the Brighton factor is also very important (especially to younger students) and this does not hold for Sussex more generally

24. Economic impact • The net economic and social impact of Sussex university is considerable for Brighton • There appears to be a large net inflow of graduates from Sussex university and this has the potential to generate high levels of ‘export’ earnings for Brighton. • The Brighton factor, particularly at the social level, is a huge attraction, although economically more graduate jobs may be required in the future