Executive Summary
Background This research was conducted to investigate the decision-making process of Uni Connect learners , in terms of their choices for post-college endeavours . It was conducted to better understand the lived experience of these individuals over the final year of their college course .
Methodology A series of three semi-structured interviews were conducted using Google Meet . These took place regularly over the three college terms in 2019 / 2020 . Eight participants who were second year students on either a business or sport , vocational level 3 course , took part in the study .
Key Findings
● The key finding was that participants received support in their decision-making from a variety of people in their lives including their friends , parents , but also did their own research .
● A major finding from the current study was that all students had conducted their own independent research regarding university options and didn ’ t purely rely on information from the college careers service .
● Both money implications and the location of a university had a significant impact on the decision-making process .
Key Recommendations
● University websites and social media need to be engaging and effective .
● Universities should engage with college tutors to update them with details of the university itself , the benefits and specific courses .
● Parents also have a significant influence over the decision-making of their children and universities should engage with this group to ensure accurate and current information is available for them to help inform decisions .
● Recruitment teams within universities should gather information regarding a potential applicant ’ s desire to be either close to home , or away from home , to help inform marketing resource allocation .
● Marketing material / induction support material to include explicit information regarding part-time job opportunities and where to find financial support for students .
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