A bimonthly publication of AQU Catalunya

48

May 2010

The study on The Catalan universities as a factor of equity and professional mobility, by Dr. Jordi Planas and Dr. Sandra Fachelli from the Education and Employment Research Group at the Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona on March 23rd, was presented within the context of the University Education and Graduate Employment workshop held at the Autonomous University of Barcelona. Promoted and funded by AQU Catalunya, the study is based on the results of the survey on the labour market outcomes of graduates in Catalonia in 2008.

The main contributions made by this research are that 6 out of 10 university graduates are female, 7 out of 10 graduates are the children of people without university studies, and the children of parents who have been to university have double the possibility of going to university.

In terms of social mobility, a comparison of the parents' jobs with those of their children shows that, just three years after entering the labour market, 50% of children are in higher positions than those of their parents.

In terms of equity, the study concludes that family origin does not affect the academic performance of graduates and has a low-level influence on job quality.

Lastly, with half of all graduates in Catalonia from universities outside the Barcelona metropolitan area being from families with only primary school or incomplete studies, it is shown that these universities have fulfilled a key social role of democratising study at university.

 PDF The Catalan universities as a factor of equity and professional mobility [ca]